Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

1921

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

Margaret Vardell Sandresky was an American composer and pianist who was born on October 16, 1911, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was the daughter of a prominent lawyer and a talented pianist, and her family was deeply involved in the cultural life of their community. Sandresky began playing the piano at a young age and showed a natural talent for music. She studied with several local teachers before attending the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1932. After completing her studies, Sandresky returned to Raleigh and began teaching piano and music theory. She also continued to perform as a pianist and became involved in the local music scene. In 1937, she married William Sandresky, a composer and conductor who would become a major influence on her musical career. Sandresky's early compositions were influenced by the Romantic tradition and featured lush harmonies and expressive melodies. She also drew inspiration from the folk music of her native North Carolina and incorporated elements of this music into her works. One of her earliest compositions, the Piano Sonata in D Minor, was premiered in 1936 and received critical acclaim. In the 1940s, Sandresky began to experiment with more modernist techniques, such as serialism and atonality. Her works from this period, such as the String Quartet No. 1 and the Piano Sonata No. 2, were more dissonant and complex than her earlier compositions. However, Sandresky never fully embraced the avant-garde and continued to incorporate tonal elements into her music. Sandresky's career as a composer was interrupted by World War II, during which she served as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army. After the war, she returned to Raleigh and resumed her teaching and composing activities. She also became involved in the local arts community and served as the president of the Raleigh Music Club from 1950 to 1952. In the 1950s and 1960s, Sandresky's music became more experimental and incorporated elements of chance and improvisation. She also began to explore electronic music and collaborated with the composer Robert Moog on several works. One of her most notable compositions from this period is the electronic work "Sonic Contours," which was premiered in 1964. Sandresky continued to compose and perform throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and her works were performed by major orchestras and ensembles across the United States. She also received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to American music, including the North Carolina Award for Fine Arts in 1981. Sandresky's music is characterized by its lyrical melodies, lush harmonies, and incorporation of folk and tonal elements. Her works range from solo piano pieces to large-scale orchestral works and electronic compositions. Some of her most notable works include the Piano Sonata in D Minor, the String Quartet No. 1, the Piano Sonata No. 2, and "Sonic Contours." Margaret Vardell Sandresky died on January 11, 2012, at the age of 100. She left behind a legacy of innovative and expressive music that continues to inspire and influence composers today.

More....