Fletcher, (Horace) Grant
Fletcher, (Horace) Grant
Fletcher, (Horace) Grant, American composer and teacher; b. Hartsburg, III, Oct. 25, 1913. He studied composition with William Kritch, theory with Bessie Louise Smith, and conducting with Henry Lamont at 111. Wesleyan Univ. (1932–35). He also took a course in conducting with Thor Johnson, and for 3 summers (1937–39) attended composition classes with Krenek at the Univ. of Mich. He then took classes with Willan in Toronto, and later studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., where his teachers were Rogers and Hanson (1947–49; Ph.D., 1951). He also had private lessons with Elwell in Cleveland. From 1945 to 1948 he was conductor of the Akron (Ohio) Sym. Orch., and from 1952 to 1956 of the Chicago Sinfonietta; from 1949 to 1951 he was on the faculty of the Chicago Musical Coll.; later taught at Ariz. State Univ. at Tempe (1956–78). In his music, Fletcher follows the median line of modern techniques.
Works
DRAMATIC The Carrion Crow, buffa fantasy opera (1948); Lomotawi, ballet-pantomime (1957); The Sack of Calabasas, opera (1964–66); Cinco de Mayo, ballet (1973); incidental music. ORCH.: Rhapsody for Flute and Strings (1935; withdrawn); A Rhapsody of Dances for Chamber Orch. (1935; for Wind Instruments, 1970; for Full Orch., 1972); Nocturne (1938); Song of Honor, on Yugoslav themes (1944; 1st perf. as A Song for Warriors, Rochester, N.Y., Oct. 25, 1945); An American Overture (1945; Duluth, April 23, 1948); Panels from a Theater Wall (Rochester, N.Y., April 27, 1949); 2 syms.: No. 1 (1950; Rochester, N.Y., April 24, 1951) and No. 2 (1982–83); The Pocket Encyclopedia of Orchestral Instruments, with optional Narrator (1953; also perf. as Dictionary of Musical Instruments}; 4 concertos: No. 1 for Piano and Orch. (1953), No. 2, Regency Concerto, for Piano and Strings (1966), No. 3, Concerto for Winds (1969), and No. 4, Multiple Concerto for 5 Solo Winds, for 1 Soloist playing on 5 different Wind Instruments, with Wind Ensemble (1970); Sumare and Wintare (1956); 7 Cities ofdbola (1961); Retrospection (Rhapsody III) for Flute, 9 Strings, and Tape (1965; revision of Rhapsody of 1935); Dances from the Southwest for Strings and Piano (1966); Glyphs for Band (1970); Diversion III for Strings (1971); The 5th of May, ballet suite (1972); Aubade for Wind Instruments (1974); Celebration of Times Past (1976); A More Proper Burial Music for Wolfgang for Wind Instruments (1977); Saxson II for Saxophone and Strings (1977); Serenade (1979); Symphonic Suite (1980); Partita for Chamber Orch. (1985). CHAMBER: Musicke for Christening: No. 1 for Cello and Piano (1945), No. 2 for Saxophone and Piano (1979), and No. 3 for Clarinet and Piano (1979); Heralds for Brass and Timpani (1949); Tower Music for Brass (1957); 5 sonatas: No. 1 for Clarinet and Piano (1958), No. 2, Son, for Cello and Piano (1972), No. 3 for Saxophone and Piano (1974), No. 4 for Solo Viola (1977), and No. 5 for Solo Violin (1983); Prognosis Nos. 1–3 for Brass Quintet (1965–67); Uroboros for Percussion (1967); Octocelli for 8 Solo Cellos or their multiples (1971); Trio for Flute, Guitar, and Piano (1973); Toccata II for Marimba (1979); Quadra for Percussion (1975); String Quartet (1975; 4 earlier quartets were withdrawn); Zortzicos No. 2 for Double Bass and Piano (1977), No. 3 for Bassoon and Piano (1979), No. 4 for Cello and Piano (1979), No. 5 for Clarinet and Piano (1980), and No. 6 for Viola and Piano (1980; Zortzicos No. 1 is the last movement of the piano piece Izcjuierdas); Saxson I for Saxophone (1977); Trio Bulgarico for Flute, Oboe, and Bassoon (1980); Palimpsest for Flute Choir (1980); Madrigals for Clarinet Choir (1981). KEYBOARD : Piano : 2 Books of Nocturnes (1935); 4 American Dance Pieces (1944); Openend Triptych (1957); Izquierdas for Piano, Left Hand (1967); Diversion I and II (1971); Toccata I (1974). Organ : Dodecachordon (1967). VOCAL: The Crisis for Chorus and Orch. (1945; Walla Walla, Wash., Feb. 22, 1976); House Made of Dawn for Alto, Piano, Flute, Indian Drum, and Rattle (1957); 4 sacred cantatas: No. 1, O Childe Swete (1965), No. 2 (1967), No. 3, The Branch (1970), and No. 4, Judas (1978); Who Is Sylvia? for Baritone, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, and Guitar (1969); Psalm I for Chorus and Organ (1979); choruses; songs.
Writings
Fundamental Principles of Counterpoint (Rock Hill, S.C., 1942); Syllabus for Advanced Integrated Theory (Tempe, Ariz., 1962; 4th ed., rev., 1976); Rhythm: Notation and Production (Tempe, 1967).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire