Ogden, Will (actually, Wilbur Lee)

Ogden, Will (actually, Wilbur Lee), American composer and teacher; b. Redlands, Calif., April 19, 1921. He studied at the Univ. of Wise, in Madison (B.M., 1942) and at Hamline Univ. in St. Paul, Minn. (M.A., 1947). After graduate studies at the Univ. of Calif, at Berkeley (1949–50) and at Ind. Univ. in Bloomington (1950–52), he went to Paris on a Fulbright grant and attended the École Normale de Musique (1952–53). Returning to the U.S., he obtained his Ph.D. in 1955 from Ind. Univ. with the diss. Series and Structure: An Investigation into the Purpose of the Twelve-Note Row in Selected Works of Schoenberg, Webern, Krenek, and Leibowitz; his teachers in the U.S. included Krenek, Sessions, Bukofzer, Apel, and P. Netti, and in Paris, Leibowitz. He taught at the Univ. of Tex. in Austin (1947–50), at St. Catherine Coll. in St. Paul, Minn. (1954–55), and at Ill. Wesleyan Univ. in Bloomington (1956–65). Ogden then became a prof. at the Univ. of Calif, at San Diego (1966), where he served as founder-chairman of its music dept. (1966–71). He retired in 1991. His compositions display an effective utilization of serial procedures.

Works

chamber opera:The Awakening of Sappho (1976–80). orch.:Movements for Dance for Chamber Orch. (1948); Diversions for Wind Band (1964); 5 Comments and Capriccio (1979); 5 Preludes for Violin and Chamber Orch. (1985). chamber:String Quartet (1947); 3 Trifles for Cello and Piano (1958); Palindrome and Variations for String Quartet (1961–62); 6 Small Trios for Marimba with Suspended Cymbal, Trumpet, and Piano (1982); 2 serenades for Wind Quintet (1986–87; 1991–94); 7 Pieces and a Capriccio for Violin and Piano (1988–89); 13 Expressions for Solo Violin with Oboe, Clarinet, Viola, Cello, and Piano (1993); 15 Variants for Clarinet and Strings (1994); Variation Suite for Violin and Viola (1995–96); String Quartet in 3, 4, or 5 Movements (1996–99); 5 Episodes and 9 Variants for Flute, Clarinet, and Strings (1997–98); 3 Times 3 Small Trios for 2 Violins and Piano (1998); Violin Suite (1998). vocal:3 Statements for Chorus (1955); 3 Sea Choruses (1959, 1960,1976); Orpheus Song for Chorus (1963); Un Tombeau de Jean Cocteau I for Soprano and Piano (1972), Un Tombeau II for Soprano and Chamber Instruments (1972), and Un Tombeau III for Soprano, Clarinet or Oboe, Actor, Piano, Slides, and Tape (1976–77); By the Isar for Soprano, Alto Flute, and Double Bass (1969); Winter Images (1982) and Summer Images for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, and Piano; 2 Sea Chanteys for Soprano, Baritone, and 2 Percussionists (1987–88); 4 Chamber Songs for Soprano, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Harp, Viola, and Cello (1989); songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire