Perkins, John Maclvor

Perkins, John Maclvor , American composer and teacher; b. St. Louis, Aug. 2, 1935. He studied at Harvard Univ. (B.A., 1958), at the New England Cons. of Music in Boston (B.Mus., 1958), with Boulanger in Paris and Gerhard and Rubbra in London (1958–59), and at Brandeis Univ. (M.F.A., 1962). After teaching at the Univ. of Chicago (1962–65) and at Harvard Univ. (1965–70), he was assoc. prof, of music (from 1970) and chairman of the music dept. (1970–75) at Washington Univ. in St. Louis. In 1966 he received an American Academy and National Inst. of Arts and Letters award.

Works

dramatic:Divertimento, chamber opera (1958); Andrea del Sarto, operatic monologue (1981). orch.:Fantasy and Variations (1961; orchestration of the piano pieces Fantasy, 1959, and Variations, 1960); Music (1965). chamber:Canons for 9 Instruments (1957); Variations for Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Piano, and Percussion (1962); Music for Carillon (1963); Music for 13 Players (1964); Music for Brass for 3 Trumpets and 3 Trombones (1965); After a Silence-Alpha for 12 Instruments (1976); Canzona for Harpsichord and Piano (1982); Divisions for Bass Gamba and Harpsichord (1982); Quartet for Strings and Tape (1984); Sequence for 5 Brass Instruments (1986); Lyric Variations for Violin and Piano (1989); Reflections on a Bach Fugue for Flute and Piano (1995). keyboard:Piano: Fantasy (1959), Intermezzo (1962), and Variations (1960); Caprice (1963); Cadenza (1978). Organ: Fugue in C, The Relief (1977). vocal: 7 Songs for Voice and Piano (1955–62); 3 Studies for Chamber Chorus (1958); Alleluia for Chorus (1966; also for Chorus and Percussionist, 1971); 4 Songs on Transience for Voice and Piano (1988).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire