Hoiby, Lee
Hoiby, Lee
Hoiby, Lee, talented American composer and pianist; b. Madison, Wise, Feb. 17, 1926. He began piano study at age 5, and while attending high school received instruction from Gunnar Johansen. He then studied at the Univ. of Wise. (B.A., 1947), and attended Petri’s master class in Ithaca, N.Y. (1944) and at Mills Coll. in Oakland, Calif. (M.A., 1952), where he also studied composition with Milhaud. He also received instruction in composition from Menotti at the Curtis Inst. of Music in Philadelphia. He received a Fulbright fellowship (1953), an award from the National Inst. of Arts and Letters (1957), and a Guggenheim fellowship (1958). In addition to his career as a composer, he appeared as a concert pianist; made his N.Y. recital debut on Jan. 17, 1978. He has composed a number of highly successful vocal and instrumental works, being particularly adept in writing operas in a manner reminiscent of Menotti—concise, dramatic, and aurally pleasing, and sometimes stimulating.
Works
dramatic: Oprera: The Scarf, after Chekhov (Spoleto, June 20, 1958); Beatrice, after Maeterlinck (Louisville, Oct. 23, 1959; withdrawn); Natalia Petrovna, after Turgenev (N.Y., Oct. 8, 1964; rev. version as A Month in the Country, Boston, Jan. 1981); Summer and Smoke, after Tennessee Williams (1970; St. Paul, Minn., June 19, 1971); Something New for the Zoo (1979; Cheverly, Md., May 17, 1982); The Tempest, after Shakespeare (1982-86; Indianola, Iowa, June 21, 1986); This is the Rill Speaking (1993); also The Italian Lesson, monodrama for Mezzo-soprano and Chamber Orch. (1980; Newport, R.I., 1982); incidental music to various plays. Ballet: Hearts, Meadows, and Flags (1950); After Eden (1966); Landscape (1968). ORCH Pastoral Dances for Flute and Small Orch. (New Orleans, Nov. 6, 1956); 2nd Suite (1953); 2 piano concertos (1958, 1979); Design for Strings (1965); Music for a Celebration, overture (1975). CHAMBER: Violin Sonata (1951; rev. 1980); Diversions for Woodwind Quartet (1953); Piano Quintet (1974); Serenade for Violin and Piano (Washington, D.C., Nov. 4, 1988); piano pieces. VOCAL: A Hymn of the Nativity for Soprano, Baritone, Chorus, and Orch. (1960); The Tides of Sleep, symphonic song for Low Voice and Orch., after Thomas Wolfe (1961); Galileo Galilei, oratorio for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (1975); Psalm 93 for Large Chorus, Organ, Brass, and Percussion (Cathedral of St. John the Divine, N.Y., May 17, 1985); I Was There, 5 songs for Baritone and Orch., after Whitman (1995).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire