Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Birth

:

June 2, 1915

Death

:

July 3, 2010

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

Robert Palmer was a renowned American composer of classical music, born on June 2, 1915, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the youngest of three children born to a family of musicians. His father was a violinist and his mother was a pianist. Palmer's parents recognized his musical talent at an early age and encouraged him to pursue a career in music. Palmer began his musical education at the age of six, studying piano with his mother. He later studied violin and viola with his father and began composing his own music at the age of 12. Palmer attended the University of Michigan, where he studied composition with Ross Lee Finney and earned his Bachelor of Music degree in 1937. After completing his undergraduate studies, Palmer moved to New York City to study with Aaron Copland at the New School for Social Research. He also studied with Roger Sessions at Princeton University and received his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1941. Palmer's early compositions were influenced by the neoclassical style of Stravinsky and the American folk music of Copland. His first major work, the Symphony No. 1, was premiered by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1942. The symphony was well-received and established Palmer as a promising young composer. During World War II, Palmer served in the United States Army as a musician and composer. He wrote music for military bands and orchestras and also served as a conductor. After the war, Palmer returned to New York City and continued to compose and teach. Palmer's music continued to evolve throughout his career. He experimented with serialism and other modernist techniques in works such as the String Quartet No. 2 and the Piano Sonata No. 2. He also incorporated elements of jazz and popular music into his compositions, as in the Concerto for Jazz Band and Orchestra. Palmer was a prolific composer, writing over 100 works in a variety of genres, including orchestral, chamber, vocal, and choral music. Some of his most notable works include the Symphony No. 2, the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, and the opera "The Tempest." Palmer was also a respected teacher and mentor to many young composers. He taught at the Juilliard School, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others. His students included composers such as George Crumb, Richard Wernick, and Richard Danielpour. Palmer received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Music Award. He was also elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1972. Robert Palmer died on September 20, 2010, at the age of 95. He left behind a legacy of innovative and influential music, as well as a generation of composers who were inspired by his teaching and mentorship.

More....