Paulus, Stephen (Harrison)
Paulus, Stephen (Harrison)
Paulus, Stephen (Harrison), American composer; b. Summit, N.J., Aug. 24, 1949. He studied with Paul Fetler and Dominick Argento at the Univ. of Minn. (B.M., 1971; M.M., 1974; Ph.D., 1978). In 1973 he founded the Minn. Composers Forum in Minneapolis with Libby Larsen, and was managing composer until 1984. He served as composer-in-residence of the Minn. Orch. (1983–87), the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival (1986), the Atlanta Sym. Orch. (1988–92), the Dale Warland Singers (1991–92), and the Aspen (Colo.) Music Festival (1992). In 1987 his Violin Concerto No. 1 won the Kennedy Center Friedheim 3rd Prize. In 1983 he held a Guggenheim fellowship. Paulus has demonstrated fine craftsmanship in both vocal and instrumental writing.
Works
dramatic: Opera: Village Singer (1977; St. Louis, June 9, 1979); The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981; St. Louis, June 19,1982; also an orch. suite, Minneapolis, July 26, 1986); The Woodlanders (1984; St. Louis, June 13, 1985); Harmoonia, children’s opera (1991); Summer, after Edith Whar-ton (1997–99; Pittsfield, Mass., Aug. 28,1999). orch.:Spectra for Small Orch. (Houston, April 12,1980); Translucent Landscapes (Peninsula Music Festival, Aug. 6, 1982); 7 Short Pieces (1983; Minneapolis, Feb. 9,1984); Divertimento for Harp and Chamber Orch. (1983); Concerto for Orchestra (Minneapolis, April 6,1983); Ordway Overture (1984); Reflections: 4 Movements on a Theme of Wallace Stevens (1984; St. Paul, Minn., March 22, 1985); Symphony in 3 Movements (Soliloquy) (1985; Minneapolis, Jan. 15, 1986); Ground Breaker, overture (Minneapolis, Oct. 7, 1987); 2 violin concertos: No.l (Atlanta, Nov. 5, 1987) and No. 2 (1992); Night Speech (Spokane, Wash., April 21, 1989); Concertante (Atlanta, April 27, 1989); Symphony for Strings (Ore. Bach Festival, July 5, 1989); Street Music (1990); Ice Fields for Guitar and Orch. (1990; in collaboration with L. Kottke); Sinfonietta (1991); Trumpet Concerto (1991); Organ Concerto (1992); The Veil of Illusion, concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orch. (1994); 3 Places of Enlightenment, concerto for String Quartet and Orch. (1995); Manhattan Sinfonietta (1995). chamber: ensemble: Exploration (1974); Village Tales: A Tree of Life (1975); Graphics (1977); Lunar Maria (1977). other chamber:Colors for Brass Quintet (1974); Wind Suite for Woodwind Quartet (1975); 2 string quartets: No. 1, Music for Contrasts (1980) and No. 2 (1987); Courtship Songs for a Summer’s Eve for Flute, Oboe, Cello, and Piano (1981); Partita for Violin and Piano (1986); American Vignettes for Cello and Piano (1988); Fantasy in 3 Parts for Flute and Guitar (1989); Bagatelles for Violin and Piano (1990); Quartessence for String Quartet (1990); Concerto for Brass Quintet (1991); Air on Seurat: The Grand Canal for Cello and Piano (1992); Music of the Night for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1992). keyboard:Piano: Translucent Landscapes (1979); Dance (1986); Preludes (1992). Organ: The Triumph of the Saint for Organ Duet (1994); Meditations of the Spirit (1995). vocal:Personals for Chorus, Flute, and Percussion (1975); Canticles: Songs and Rituals for Easter and the May for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (1977); North Shore for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (1977); Letters for the Times for Chorus and Chamber Ensemble (1980); Echoes between the Silent Peaks for Chorus and Chamber Ensemble (1984); Letters from Colette for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1986); Madrigali di Michelangelo for Chorus (1987); Voices for Chorus and Orch. (1988); Canticum Novum for Chorus, Flute, Oboe, Percussion, and Harp (1990); Sacred Songs for Chorus, Flute, Oboe, Percussion, and Organ (1990); Visions of Hildegard for Chorus and Instruments (1992–95); Whitman’s Dream for Double Chorus and Instruments (1994); The Earth Sings for Women’s Voices, Percussion, and Piano (1995).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire