Role

:

Composer

Country

:

Canada

Birth

:

1959 in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada

 

James Harley is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music. He was born on August 22, 1963, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Harley grew up in a musical family, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a classical pianist. He began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the guitar and bass. Harley attended the University of Victoria, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in composition in 1985. He then went on to study at the University of California, San Diego, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in composition in 1987 and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition in 1991. Harley's early works were influenced by the music of composers such as György Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis, and Morton Feldman. His compositions often feature complex rhythms and harmonies, as well as unconventional instrumental techniques. One of Harley's early works, "Spirals," was written for solo guitar and was premiered in 1986. The piece features intricate fingerpicking patterns and explores the guitar's harmonic possibilities. Another early work, "Toccata," was written for solo piano and was premiered in 1987. The piece features rapid-fire arpeggios and complex rhythms. In the 1990s, Harley began to incorporate electronic elements into his compositions. One of his most notable works from this period is "In Transit," which was written for chamber ensemble and electronics and was premiered in 1995. The piece features a combination of acoustic and electronic sounds, with the electronics providing a backdrop of ambient noise and the acoustic instruments playing fragmented melodies. Harley's later works have continued to explore the intersection of acoustic and electronic music. One of his most recent works, "The Cloud of Unknowing," was written for orchestra and electronics and was premiered in 2018. The piece features a dense, swirling texture of sound, with the electronics providing a backdrop of static and noise while the orchestra plays fragmented melodies. Harley has received numerous awards and honors for his compositions. In 1991, he was awarded the Gaudeamus International Composers Award for his work "Spirals." In 2001, he was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts' Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for excellence in composition. He has also received commissions from a variety of organizations, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Esprit Orchestra, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In addition to his work as a composer, Harley is also a professor of music at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. He has written extensively on contemporary music and has edited several books on the subject, including "Contemporary Compositional Techniques and OpenMusic" and "Timbre: Acoustics, Perception, and Cognition." Overall, James Harley is a highly respected composer of contemporary classical music. His works are known for their complex rhythms and harmonies, as well as their incorporation of electronic elements. He has received numerous awards and commissions for his compositions and continues to be an influential figure in the world of contemporary music.

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