Kostelanetz, Richard

Kostelanetz, Richard, versatile American music critic, writer on contemporary music and the arts, and composer, nephew of André Kostelanetz; b. N.Y., May 14, 1940. He studied American civilization and history at Brown Univ. (A.B., 1962) and Columbia Univ. (M.A., 1966). He was a Fulbright scholar at King’s Coll., Univ. of London (1964–65), and also attended classes at London’s Morley Coll. and the New School in N.Y. He lectured at Harvard Univ., Wellesley Coll., Carnegie-Mellon Univ., and the Univ. of Calif, at Santa Cruz, among other institutions. His extensive list of publications includes articles, books, poetry, fiction, plays, and experimental prose; among his numerous anthologies on contemporary American arts are several with emphasis on music, including The Theatre of Mixed Means (N.Y., 1968), Master Minds (N.Y., 1969), Conversing with Cage (N.Y., 1988), On Innovative Musicians (N.Y., 1989), On Innovative Art(ist)s (Jefferson, N.C., 1992), On Innovative Performance(s) (Jefferson, N.C., 1994), and Cage Ex(Plain)ed (N.Y., 1995). Included in his compositional output are audiotapes and videotapes as well as a number of films and holograms, many of which have been exhibited and broadcast around the world. He was a visiting artist at Syracuse Univ. (1975), the Electronic Music Studio of Stockholm (1981–88), and the Experimental Television Center in Oswego, N.Y. (1985–90). He wrote numerous theatrical (Epiphanies, 1980) and perfor-mance (Central Park, 1980) texts; also composed choreographic works (Invocations, 1985). He prepared extended features for radio, and his work has appeared in both solo and group exhibitions. Among his awards are a Pulitzer fellowship for critical writing (1965), a Guggenheim fellowship (1967), and annual ASCAP stipends (from 1983). His compositions include audiocassette eds. (The 8 Nights of Hanukah/Praying to the Lord, 1983; Onomatopoeia, 1988; Carnival of the Animals/Karneval der Tiere, 1988) and hör spiels (Die Evangelien, 1982; Invocations, 1983; New York City, 1984; The Gospels Abridged, 1986; Kaddish, 1990), many of which were commissioned by the West German Radio; also Lovings (1990). His videotapes, for which he customarily provides the visuals, include 3 Prose Pieces (1975), Epiphanies (1980), Seductions/Relationships (1987), and Kinetic Writings (1989). He describes his critical writings and his art as both “avant-garde” and “anarchist libertarian.”

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire