Role

:

Composer  

Country

:

Canada

Birth

:

February 15, 1900 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Death

:

January 7, 1964 in Los Angeles, CA

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Orchestral

 

Colin McPhee was a Canadian composer and ethnomusicologist who made significant contributions to the field of classical music. Born on March 15, 1900, in Montreal, Quebec, McPhee grew up in a family that valued music and the arts. His mother was a pianist, and his father was a lawyer who played the violin as a hobby. McPhee began playing the piano at a young age and showed a natural talent for music. In 1918, McPhee enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, where he studied music theory and composition. He also began to explore the music of other cultures, particularly that of Bali, which would become a lifelong passion. In 1921, McPhee traveled to Paris to study with the renowned composer and teacher Nadia Boulanger. Boulanger recognized McPhee's talent and encouraged him to pursue a career in music. In 1929, McPhee traveled to Bali for the first time, where he immersed himself in the local music and culture. He studied with Balinese musicians and learned to play the gamelan, a traditional Indonesian ensemble of percussion instruments. McPhee was fascinated by the complex rhythms and melodies of Balinese music and began to incorporate these elements into his own compositions. McPhee's most famous work is his Symphony No. 2, which he composed in 1939. The symphony is based on Balinese themes and features the gamelan as a prominent instrument. The work was well-received by critics and helped to establish McPhee as a leading composer of his time. In addition to his work as a composer, McPhee was also a respected ethnomusicologist. He wrote several books on Balinese music and culture, including Music in Bali (1947) and A House in Bali (1946), which chronicled his experiences living in Bali. McPhee's writings helped to introduce Balinese music to a wider audience and inspired many other composers to incorporate elements of world music into their own works. McPhee continued to compose and perform throughout his life, but his career was cut short by illness. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the 1960s and was forced to retire from music. McPhee died on January 7, 1964, at the age of 63. Despite his relatively short career, Colin McPhee made a lasting impact on the world of classical music. His innovative use of Balinese themes and rhythms helped to expand the boundaries of classical music and inspired many other composers to explore the music of other cultures. McPhee's legacy continues to be felt today, and his work remains an important part of the classical music canon.

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