From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Leo Diamond (July 9, 1915 – June 13, 2005) was an American composer of classical music.

Life and career

He was born in Rochester, New York and studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music under Bernard Rogers, also receiving lessons from Roger Sessions in New York City and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He won a number of awards including three Guggenheim Fellowships, and is considered one of the preeminent American composers of his generation. Many of his works are tonal or modestly modal. His early compositions are typically triadic, often with widely spaced harmonies, giving them a distinctly American tone, but some of his works are consciously French in style. His later style became more chromatic.

Diamond died at his home in Brighton, Monroe County, New York from heart failure.

Diamond's most popular piece is Rounds (1944) for string orchestra. Among his other works are eleven symphonies (the last in 1993), concertos including three for violin, eleven string quartets, music for wind ensemble, other chamber music, piano pieces and vocal music.

He also composed the musical theme heard on the CBS Radio Network broadcast "Hear It Now" (1950-51) and its TV successor, "See It Now" (1951-58).^[1]

Diamond was also named honorary composer-in-residence of the Seattle Symphony. He was a long time member of the Juilliard School faculty, his notable students including Robert Black, Kenneth Fuchs, Daron Hagen, Adolphus Hailstork, Anthony Iannaccone, Philip Lasser, Lowell Liebermann, Alasdair MacLean, Charles Strouse, Francis Thorne, and Eric Whitacre. Diamond is also credited with advising Glenn Gould on his mid-career work, most notably Gould's String Quartet, Op. 1.

Diamond was openly gay^{[2 ]} long before it was socially acceptable, and believed his career was slowed by homophobia and antisemitism.^{[2 ][3]}

Works

Ballet

• TOM (1936)

Orchestra

• Symphony No. 1 (1940)
• Symphony No. 2 (1942–1943)
• Symphony No. 3 (1945)
• Symphony No. 4 (1945)
• Symphony No. 5 (1947–1964)
• Symphony No. 6 (1951)
• Symphony No. 7 (1957)
• Symphony No. 8 (1958–1960)
• Symphony No. 9 (1985)
• Symphony No. 10 (1980s)
• Symphony No. 11 (1989–1991)
• Psalm (1936)
• Elegy in Memory of Ravel (1937)
• Rounds for String Orchestra (1944)
• Concert Piece for large orchestra
• Music for chamber orchestra
• Overture
• Heroic Piece
• The Enormous Room
• The World of Paul Klee

Concertante

• Violin Concerto No. 1 (1937)
• Concerto for Small Orchestra (1940)
• Violin Concerto No. 2 (1947)
• Violin Concerto No. 3 (1976)
• Flute Concerto (1986)
• Piano Concerto
• Piano Concertino
• Cello Concerto
• Kaddish for cello and orchestra (1987)
• Romeo and Juliet

Wind ensemble

• Tantivy (1988)
• Hearts Music (1989)

Chamber

• String Quartet No. 1 (1940)
• String Quartet No. 2 (1943–1944)
• String Quartet No. 3 (1946)
• String Quartet No. 4 (1951)
• String Quartet No. 5 (1960)
• String Quartet No. 6 (1962)
• String Quartet No. 7 (1963)
• String Quartet No. 8 (1964)
• String Quartet No. 9 (1965–1968)
• String Quartet No. 10 (1966)
• Concerto for string quartet
• String Trio (1937)
• Quintet for flute, piano and string trio (1937)
• Chaconne for violin and piano (1948)
• Quintet for clarinet, 2 viola's and 2 cello's (1950)
• Piano Trio (1951)
• Wind Quintet (1958)
• Night Music, for accordion and string quartet (1961)
• Piano Quartet (1937 rev. 1967)
• Sonata for violin and piano No.1
• Sonata for violin and piano No.2
• Sonata for solo violin
• Sonata for solo cello
• Concert Piece for horn and string trio (1978)
• Concert Piece for flute and harp (1989)
• Concerto for two solo pianos
• Alto saxophone sonata
• Nonet for strings
• Sonatina for accordion

Vocal

• David Mourns for Absalom (1946); text from II Samuel 18:33
• Vocalises for soprano and viola (1935, revised 1956)
• This Sacred Ground for solo baritone, choir, children's choir and orchestra
• Prayer for Piece for choir
• Large number of songs for solo voice with piano

References

External links

• Boston Globe: David Diamond, 89; composed symphonies of intensity By Richard Dyer, Globe Staff, June 16, 2005
• David Diamond at the Internet Movie Database
• David Diamond at allmusic
• The Official David Diamond Website created by The Estate of David L. Diamond
• McFarland, John (2006). David Diamond glbtq.com.

From Wikiquote

David Leo Diamond (July 9, 1915 – June 13, 2005) was an American composer of classical music.

Unsourced

• It is my strong feeling that a romantically inspired contemporary music, tempered by reinvigorated classical technical formulas, is the way out of the present period of creative chaos in music... To me, the romantic spirit in music is important because it is timeless.

External links

Wikipedia has an article about:

David Diamond (composer)