Brown, Merton (Luther)

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Brown, Merton (Luther)

Brown, Merton (Luther), American composer; b. Berlin, Vt., May 5, 1913. He studied both piano and violin; moved to N.Y. in 1935 and took piano lessons with Anne Hull, and studied composition privately with Riegger (1939–42) and Ruggles (1943–45). From 1949 to 1967 he lived in Rome; then settled in Boston. His music is set in dense, dissonant counterpoint without negating the lyrical flow of melody.

Works

Consort for 4 Voices, scored for 2 Pianos (N.Y., April 21, 1947); Piano Sonata (1948); Chorale for Strings (1948); Duo in 3 Movements for Violin and Piano (1956); Concerto breve per archi (Naples, Jan. 23, 1960); Metamorfosi per piano (1965); Dialogo for Cello and Piano (1970); Concertino for String Orch. (1974); Divertimento for Piano, 4-Hands (1975); 5 Pieces for Clarinet and Piano (1976); Psalm 13 (1976).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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