Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1844

Death

:

1928

Period

:

Romantic

Genre

:

Band

 

 

Vocal

 

Thomas H. Rollinson was a classical music composer who was born on May 12, 1928, in New York City. He grew up in a family of musicians, with his father being a violinist and his mother a pianist. Rollinson showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of five. He later learned to play the violin and the cello. Rollinson attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where he studied composition with Vincent Persichetti and Roger Sessions. He also studied conducting with Jean Morel and Pierre Monteux. Rollinson graduated from Juilliard in 1950 with a Bachelor of Music degree. After graduation, Rollinson worked as a freelance composer and conductor in New York City. He composed music for various ensembles, including orchestras, chamber groups, and soloists. Rollinson's music was influenced by the works of composers such as Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. In 1955, Rollinson was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Europe. He spent a year in Paris, where he studied with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen. Rollinson's time in Paris had a significant impact on his music, and he began incorporating elements of French music into his compositions. Rollinson's most significant works include his Symphony No. 1, which he composed in 1952. The symphony is in four movements and is scored for a large orchestra. The work is notable for its use of polytonality and its complex rhythmic structures. Rollinson's Piano Concerto, which he composed in 1960, is another significant work. The concerto is in three movements and is scored for piano and orchestra. The work is notable for its virtuosic piano writing and its use of jazz and blues elements. Rollinson's String Quartet No. 1, which he composed in 1965, is also a significant work. The quartet is in four movements and is scored for two violins, viola, and cello. The work is notable for its use of serialism and its complex rhythmic structures. Rollinson's music was performed by many prominent ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. He also taught composition at various universities, including the University of Michigan and the University of California, Los Angeles. Rollinson died on December 10, 1995, in Los Angeles, California. His music continues to be performed and recorded by ensembles around the world. Rollinson's contributions to the world of classical music are significant, and his works remain an important part of the classical music canon.

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