Sheinfeld, David

views updated

Sheinfeld, David

Sheinfeld, David, American composer and violinist; b. St. Louis, Sept. 20, 1906. He began violin training as a child, then studied harmony and counterpoint in Chicago; subsequently was a student of Respighi in Rome (1929–31). After pursuing his career in Chicago (1931–14), he studied conducting with Monteux; then played in the Pittsburgh Sym. Orch. (1944–45) and the San Francisco Sym. Orch. (1945–71). In 1993 he received an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He received a Koussevitzky Foundation commission in 1996. In 1998 he was awarded a Heller Foundation grant. In his compositions from 1962, Sheinfeld combined tonal and atonal writing.

Works

ORCH.: Adagio and Allegro (1946; San Francisco, March 14, 1947); Concerto for Orchestra (1949; San Francisco, Feb. 20, 1951); Fantasia for Trumpet, Piano, Percussion, and Strings (1951); Violin Concerto (1955; Philadelphia, April 23, 1965); Concerto for Woodwinds and Chamber Orch. (1957; San Francisco, Jan. 14, 1958); Etudes (1959; Pittsburgh, Nov. 18, 1960); Dialogues for Chamber Orch. (Philadelphia, Oct. 26, 1966); Confrontations for Electric Guitar, Electric Violin, Saxophone, and Orch. (1969; Oakland, Calif., Jan. 20, 1970); Time Warp for Electric Instruments and Orch. (1972; San Francisco, Jan. 24, 1973); Dreams and Fantasies (1981; San Francisco, May 5, 1982); 2 syms.: No. 1, Polarities (1991) and No. 2 (1995); E=MC² for String Quartet and Orch. (1998). CHAMBER: Sonata for Solo Violin (1950); Serenade for 6 Instruments (1961); Patterns for Harp (1962); 4 Pieces for Cello (1964); Duo for Viola and Harp (1965); Memories of Yesterday and Tomorrow for 3 Players (1971); Elegiac Sonorities for Organ (1973); Dualities for Harp (1976); 2 string quartets (1978, 1994); Threnody for Violin (1981). VOCAL : The Earth Is a Sounding Board for Small Chorus and Orch. (1978); Dear Theo for Baritone and 9 Instruments (1996).