Overview

Vincent Persichetti: Grazioso, Grit, and Gold is the first critical biography of this esteemed American composer, bringing together thorough scholarship by Andrea Olmstead and contributions by prominent performers. Olmstead weaves a captivating narrative of the composer from his early life and musical training, starting with his early career in Philadelphia during the 1920s and ’30s and through his teaching at Juilliard and death in 1987. The book sheds light on Persichetti’s personal and professional life, the multiple forces that shaped his musical development, and his far-reaching influence on the modern American composition scene. In addition to Olmstead’s biographical and analytical treatment of the composer, notable performers bring fresh insights to individual pieces. Among the contributors are C. Matthew Balensuela (solo wind Parables), Geoffrey Burleson (Concerto for Piano, Four Hands, and Piano Quintet), Mirian Conti (Poems and Frog Dance for piano), Andrew Mast (Divertimento for wind ensemble), and Larry Thomas Bell (Harmonium song cycle, Piano Concerto, and Ninth Symphony). Scholars, performers, and all lovers of Persichetti’s music will find Olmstead’s book compelling as it enshrines Persichetti’s legacy as a composer, teacher, and pianist. Those seeking to perform, teach, or simply enjoy Persichetti’s music will find this an invaluable resource.

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9781538118085

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Reviews

This comprehensive biography of Vincent Persichetti, by one of his long-time colleagues at The Juilliard School, admirably serves both the composer's memory and his music. Andrea Olmstead's book includes a thorough examination of nearly two hundred opus-numbered works by a distinguished composer whose music, much of it long in eclipse, is now gaining a fairer measure of reevaluation. No one who seeks a clear picture of the history of twentieth-century American concert music, sacred no less than secular, should fail to discover this book. -- Mark DeVoto, professor of music, emeritus, Tufts University

This comprehensive biography of Vincent Persichetti, by one of his long-time colleagues at The Juilliard School, admirably serves both the composer's memory and his music. Andrea Olmstead's book includes a thorough examination of nearly two hundred opus-numbered works by a distinguished composer whose music, much of it long in eclipse, is now gaining a fairer measure of reevaluation. No one who seeks a clear picture of the history of twentieth-century American concert music, sacred no less than secular, should fail to discover this book. -- Mark DeVoto, professor of music, emeritus, Tufts University Olmstead has been a crucial chronicler of late twentieth century American concert music. In a new biography of Vincent Persichetti, she provides not only an account of the life and times of one of the most important composer-teachers of that time, but above all a stimulus to reconsider and reevaluate his work. Especially welcome is Olmstead's recreation of his vivid personality, the naturalness of his gifts, and his varied and colorful friendships with his colleagues. -- John H. Harbison, composer, professor of music, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Author Information

Andrea Olmstead is the author of six books, including a history of The Juilliard School, four books on composer Roger Sessions, and the e-book Who Was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Daisy?. She has held three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, four writing fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and ten visiting scholar residences at the American Academy in Rome. Olmstead has taught music history at The Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division, and the graduate program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

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