Van Slyck, Nicholas

Van Slyck, Nicholas, American pianist, conductor, music educator, and composer; b. Philadelphia, Oct. 25, 1922; d. Boston, July 3, 1983. He studied piano with George Reeves, conducting with Henry Swoboda, and composition with Piston at Harvard Univ., where he obtained his M.A. He was founder and conductor of the Dedham (Mass.) Chorus in 1954 and also led the Quincy (Mass.) Orch. (1962-67); served as director of the South End Music Center of Boston (1950-62) and of the Longy School of Music (1962-76). In 1976 he organized the New School of Music in Cambridge, Mass. His music is pragmatic in its form and destination, while the technical structure is catholic, ranging from triadic to dodecaphonic. He compiled a piano anthology, Looking Forward (1981).

Works

ORCH: Variationsfor Piano and Orch. (1947); 2 divertimenti for Chamber Orch. (1947, 1948); Sonatina for Clarinet and Strings (1948); Concert Musicfor Piano and Orch. (1954); Piano Concerto No. 2 (1957); 2 Symphonic Paraphrases (1960, 1966); Legend of Sleepy Hollowfor Chamber Orch. (1963). CHAMBER: 2 clarinet sonatas (1947, 1958); 2 cello sonatas (1954, 1968); 4 violin sonatas (1956-65); Flute Sonata (1957); Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1959); Octet for Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello, Timpani, and Piano (1962). P i a n o : 6 sonatas (1947-59); 6 sonatinas (1956-68). VOCAL: Songs

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire