Flanagan, William (Jr.)

Flanagan, William (Jr.), American composer and music critic; b. Detroit, Aug. 14, 1923; d. of an overdose of barbituates in N.Y., Aug. 31, 1969. He studied composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., with Phillips and Rogers; then at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood with Honegger, Berger, and Copland; also, in N.Y., with Diamond. Concurrently, he became engaged in musical journalism; was a reviewer for the N.Y. Herald Tribune (1957–60) and later wrote for Stereo Review. His style of composition was characterized by an intense pursuit of an expressive melodic line, projected on polycentric but firmly tonal harmonies.

Works

DRAMATIC Opera : Bartleby (1952–57;N.Y, Jan. 24, 1961); The Ice Age (1967; unfinished); incidental music to E. Albee’s plays The Sandbox (1961), The Ballad of Bessie Smith (1961), The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1963), and Malcolm (1966). CHAMBER: Divertimento for String Quartet (1947); Chaconne for Violin and Piano (1948). KEYBOARD : Piano : Passacaglia (1947); Sonata (1950). VOCAL: The Waters of Babylon for Voices and String Quartet (1947); Bitty in the Darbies for Chorus and Piano or Orch. (1949); A Woman of Valor for Chorus (1949); The Weeping Pleiades for Baritone and 5 Instruments (1953); The Lady of Tearful Regret for Soprano, Baritone, Flute, Clarinet, String Quartet, and Piano (1959); King Midas for Soloists and Orch. (c. 1961); Chapter from Ecclesiastes for Chorus and String Quintet (1962); Another August for Soprano, Piano, Harpsichord, and Small Orch. (1966); various songs. OTHER: 2 films scores. ORCH.: A Concert Overture (1948; N.Y., Dec. 4, 1959); Divertimento (1948; Toledo, Ohio, Jan. 9, 1960); A Concert Ode (1951; Detroit, Jan. 14, 1960); Notations (1960); Narrative (1964; Detroit, March 25, 1965).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire