Newlin, Dika 1923-2006

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born November 22, 1923, in Portland, OR; died of complications following breaking her arm, July 22, 2006, in Richmond, VA. Musician, musicologist, composer, educator, and author. A child prodigy who began composing music at the age of seven, Newlin composed many classical pieces, but in the 1970s and 1980s surprisingly turned to punk rock music. She demonstrated her genius while still a toddler, learning to read dictionaries when she was three, playing the piano at six, composing her first music at seven, and her first symphony at eleven. She entered Michigan State University at the age of twelve and graduated in 1939. Newlin continued her education at the University of California at Los Angeles, where she finished a master's degree in 1941, and Columbia University, where she received her doctorate in 1945.

It was while in Los Angeles that she was first mentored by the composer Arnold Schoenberg, and many of her pieces would show his influence on her. Newlin was eclectic in her compositions, creating symphonies, operas, orchestral works, choral music, and more. Meanwhile, she earned a living by teaching, first at Western Maryland College for four years, then at Syracuse University until 1951. From the 1950s through the early 1960s, she was on the faculty of Drew University, where she was head of the music department. This was followed by eight years at North Texas State University, three years at Montclair State College, and a year at the New School. Finally, Newlin settled down at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was a professor from 1978 until her retirement in 2004. In addition to composing music and teaching, Newlin was a music scholar, authoring Bruckner, Mahler, Schoenberg (1947; revised edition, 1968), and editing Eric Werner's Mendelssohn: A New Image of the Composer and His Age (1963). She also edited Schoenberg's Style and Idea (1950; revised edition, 1975), but was even more appreciated for her 1980 book, Schoenberg Remembered: Diaries and Recollections, 1938-1976, which offered valuable personal insights on her longtime mentor and friend. Newlin surprised many people when she playfully opened her mind to the punk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Donning an orange wig and wearing leather, she performed live and wrote tunes such as "Love Songs for People Who Hate Each Other." She also posed for a pin-up calendar and acted in horror films, including 1995's Creep. Creative to the end, Newlin never apologized for such seemingly radical decisions, but rather embraced entering a kind of second childhood in her advanced years. Her interesting story is the subject of a 1995 documentary by director Michael D. Moore titled Dika: Murder City.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, July 29, 2006, section 2, p. 11.

Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2006, p. B9.

New York Times, July 28, 2006, p. C11.

Times (London, England), August 18, 2006, p. 63.

Washington Post, August 1, 2006, p. B7.

OTHER

Dika: Murder City (documentary video), Moore Video, 1995.