Audio Files The Virginal Book Timing, K and format Timing, K and format

b. 1916 -     American composer and theorist. He has contributed exensively to the understanding and extension of 12-tone compositional theory and practice and has been one of the most influential composers and teachers in the USA since World War II. The world that Babbitts's music evokes is not simple. He has said "I want a piece of music to be literally as much as possible."     While some critics have felt that such an attitude has resulted in a body of inaccessible music, others have praised his pioneering exploration of the 12-tone compositional universe. His emphasis on the relation between practice and theory, his insistence on the composer's assumption of responsibility for every musical event in a work, and his reinterpretation of the constituent elements of the Western musical tradition have had a vital influence on the thinking and music of numerous young composers.

Archived Compositions

Around the Horn (1993) for solo horn Score + Recording Melsimata (1982) for solo violin Recording Beaten Paths (1988) for solo marimba Score + Recording Four Cavalier Settings (1991) for tenor and guitar Recording Homily (1987) for solo snare drum (see The Noble Snare, vol. 1) Score + Recording Melsimata (1982) for solo violin Recording My Complements to Roger (1978) for solo piano Score + Recording On having been and still being an american composer (1996) essay read by Milton Babbit Recording

None but the lonely flute (1991) for solo flute Recording Philomel (1964) for soprano and electronic tape Recording Play it again Sam (1989) for solo viola Recording Quatrains (1993) for soprano voice and two clarinets text by John Hollander Score Soli e duettini (1989) for flute and guitar Recording The Virginal Book (1988) for mezzo-soprano and piano text by John Hollander Score + Recording Whirled Series (1987) for alto saxophone and piano Recording