Turok, Paul (Harris)

Turok, Paul (Harris), American composer and music critic; b. N.Y., Dec. 3, 1929. He studied composition at Queens Coll. with Rathaus (B.A., 1950), and then at the Univ. of Calif., Berkeley, with Sessions (M.A., 1951) and at the Juilliard School of Music with Wagenaar (1951-53). He later studied at Baruch Coll. (M.S., 1986). He was a lecturer on music at the City Coll. of N.Y. (1960-63) and was a visiting prof. at Williams Coll. in Williamstown, Mass. (1963-64). Turok then wrote music criticism for the N.Y. Herald-Tribune (1964-65), the Music Journal (1964-80), Ovation (1980-89), and Fanfare (from 1980). From 1989 he was ed. of his own review journal Turok’s Choice. As a composer, Turok follows the principle of stylistic freedom and technical precision, without doctrinaire adherence to any circumscribed modernistic modus operandi.

Works

ramatic: Opera: Scene: Domestic,chamber opera (1955; Aspen, Colo., Aug. 2,1973); Richard III (1975); A Secular Masque (1979). Ballet: Youngest Brother (N.Y., Jan. 23, 1953). ORCH.: Violin Concerto (1953); Symphony in 2 Movements (1955); Lyric Variationsfor Oboe and Strings (1971; Louisville, March 9,1973); A Scott Joplin Overture (Cleveland, June 19,1973); A Sousa Overture (1975; Philadelphia, May 13, 1976); Ragtime Capricefor Piano and Orch. (1976); Threnodyfor Strings (1979); Canzona concertante No. 1for English Horn and Orch. (1980) and No. 2for Trombone and Orch. (1982); Ultima Thule (1981). CHAMBER: Variations on a Theme by Schoenbergfor String Quartet (1952); String Trio (1954); 3 string quartets (1955, 1969, 1980); Wind Quintet (1960); Brass Quintet (1971); Clarinet Trio (1974); Quintet for English Horn and String Quartet (1981); piano pieces. VOCAL: Choruses; songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire