Leta E. Miller
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038532
- eISBN:
- 9780252096440
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038532.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
This concluding chapter evaluates Aaron Jay Kernis's music. Critics have made much of his embrace of diversity, noting the influence of tonality and atonality, jazz, pop, and Baroque music, modernism ...
More
This concluding chapter evaluates Aaron Jay Kernis's music. Critics have made much of his embrace of diversity, noting the influence of tonality and atonality, jazz, pop, and Baroque music, modernism and minimalism, intricate counterpoint and static ostinati—or as Mark Swed put it succinctly in 1995, “extravagance and eclecticism.” Kernis, however, resists the word eclecticism because implicit in it is the image of collage. Inclusivity, yes; a welcoming of diversity, certainly: but never with the aim of creating a static mixture, however bold it might be. Rather, Kernis's music—even in its slowest and most introverted manifestation—always emphasizes directionality. Moreover, the element of narrative is always present in his music. Hence the importance for Kernis of the motivating stimuli, be they political events, mosaics, life-cycle experiences, poetry, paintings, or simply an emotional state.Less
This concluding chapter evaluates Aaron Jay Kernis's music. Critics have made much of his embrace of diversity, noting the influence of tonality and atonality, jazz, pop, and Baroque music, modernism and minimalism, intricate counterpoint and static ostinati—or as Mark Swed put it succinctly in 1995, “extravagance and eclecticism.” Kernis, however, resists the word eclecticism because implicit in it is the image of collage. Inclusivity, yes; a welcoming of diversity, certainly: but never with the aim of creating a static mixture, however bold it might be. Rather, Kernis's music—even in its slowest and most introverted manifestation—always emphasizes directionality. Moreover, the element of narrative is always present in his music. Hence the importance for Kernis of the motivating stimuli, be they political events, mosaics, life-cycle experiences, poetry, paintings, or simply an emotional state.
Leta E. Miller
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038532
- eISBN:
- 9780252096440
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038532.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
This introductory chapter provides an overview of Aaron Jay Kernis's achievements. His current Schirmer catalog lists more than one hundred compositions: a dozen orchestral works; another dozen ...
More
This introductory chapter provides an overview of Aaron Jay Kernis's achievements. His current Schirmer catalog lists more than one hundred compositions: a dozen orchestral works; another dozen concerti with large orchestra or wind ensemble; a group of works for soloist with chamber orchestra; nearly two dozen compositions for two to six players and the same number of pieces for chorus; fourteen pieces for solo voice accompanied by piano or chamber groups; and a dozen compositions for keyboard. Quantity, however, is but one measure of achievement. In Kernis's case, quality has been repeatedly affirmed by a steady stream of awards and commissions, by the enthusiastic reception from renowned performers, and by the strong response his music elicits from audiences. Indeed, he has already won three major prizes coveted by contemporary composers: the Pulitzer Prize (1998), the Grawemeyer Award (2002), and the Nemmers Prize (2012).Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of Aaron Jay Kernis's achievements. His current Schirmer catalog lists more than one hundred compositions: a dozen orchestral works; another dozen concerti with large orchestra or wind ensemble; a group of works for soloist with chamber orchestra; nearly two dozen compositions for two to six players and the same number of pieces for chorus; fourteen pieces for solo voice accompanied by piano or chamber groups; and a dozen compositions for keyboard. Quantity, however, is but one measure of achievement. In Kernis's case, quality has been repeatedly affirmed by a steady stream of awards and commissions, by the enthusiastic reception from renowned performers, and by the strong response his music elicits from audiences. Indeed, he has already won three major prizes coveted by contemporary composers: the Pulitzer Prize (1998), the Grawemeyer Award (2002), and the Nemmers Prize (2012).
Leta E. Miller
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038532
- eISBN:
- 9780252096440
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038532.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Grawemeyer Award, Aaron Jay Kernis achieved recognition as one of the leading composers of his generation while still in his thirties. Since then his ...
More
Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Grawemeyer Award, Aaron Jay Kernis achieved recognition as one of the leading composers of his generation while still in his thirties. Since then his eloquent yet accessible style, emphasis on melody, and willingness to engage popular as well as classical forms has brought him widespread acclaim and admiring audiences. This biography offers the first survey of the composer's life and work. Immersed in music by middle school, and later training under Theodore Antoniou, John Adams, Jacob Druckman, and others, Kernis rejected the idea of distancing his work from worldly concerns and composed on political themes. His Second Symphony, from 1991, engaged with the first Gulf War; 1993's Still Moment with Hymn was a reaction to the Bosnian Genocide; and the next year's Colored Field and 1995's Lament and Prayer dealt with the Holocaust. Yet Kernis also used sources as disparate as futurist agitprop and children's games to display humor in his work. The book's analysis addresses not only Kernis's wide range of subjects but also the eclecticism that has baffled critics, analyzing his dedication to synthesis and the themes consistent in his work. The book gives a rare mid-career portrait of a major American cultural figure.Less
Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Grawemeyer Award, Aaron Jay Kernis achieved recognition as one of the leading composers of his generation while still in his thirties. Since then his eloquent yet accessible style, emphasis on melody, and willingness to engage popular as well as classical forms has brought him widespread acclaim and admiring audiences. This biography offers the first survey of the composer's life and work. Immersed in music by middle school, and later training under Theodore Antoniou, John Adams, Jacob Druckman, and others, Kernis rejected the idea of distancing his work from worldly concerns and composed on political themes. His Second Symphony, from 1991, engaged with the first Gulf War; 1993's Still Moment with Hymn was a reaction to the Bosnian Genocide; and the next year's Colored Field and 1995's Lament and Prayer dealt with the Holocaust. Yet Kernis also used sources as disparate as futurist agitprop and children's games to display humor in his work. The book's analysis addresses not only Kernis's wide range of subjects but also the eclecticism that has baffled critics, analyzing his dedication to synthesis and the themes consistent in his work. The book gives a rare mid-career portrait of a major American cultural figure.
