Role

:

Composer

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Orchestral

 

John Beall was an American composer of classical music who was born on December 22, 1939, in San Francisco, California. He grew up in a musical family, with his father being a professional violinist and his mother a pianist. Beall began playing the piano at a young age and showed a natural talent for music. He went on to study music at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961. After completing his undergraduate studies, Beall continued his musical education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned his Master of Arts degree in 1963. He then went on to study composition with renowned composer Roger Sessions at the Juilliard School in New York City, where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 1967. Throughout his career, Beall composed a wide range of works, including orchestral pieces, chamber music, vocal music, and electronic music. His music was known for its complexity and use of unconventional techniques, such as extended techniques for instruments and aleatoric elements. One of Beall's most notable works is his Symphony No. 1, which was composed in 1966 and premiered by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. The symphony is a complex and challenging work that showcases Beall's unique compositional style. It features a wide range of textures and timbres, with moments of intense dissonance and moments of serene beauty. Another notable work by Beall is his String Quartet No. 2, which was composed in 1972 and premiered by the Kronos Quartet. The quartet is a challenging and virtuosic work that showcases Beall's mastery of the string quartet form. It features a wide range of extended techniques for the instruments, including glissandi, harmonics, and pizzicato. In addition to his instrumental works, Beall also composed a number of vocal works, including his opera The Fall of the House of Usher, which was based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The opera was premiered in 1987 by the San Francisco Opera and was praised for its innovative use of electronic music and its hauntingly beautiful vocal writing. Throughout his career, Beall received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the field of classical music. He was a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Music. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Beall passed away on December 10, 2016, at the age of 76. His legacy as a composer of innovative and challenging music continues to inspire and influence musicians and composers around the world.

More....