- In full:
- Milton Byron Babbitt
- Born:
- May 10, 1916, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Died:
- January 29, 2011, Princeton, New Jersey (aged 94)
- Subjects Of Study:
- 12-tone music
- electronic music
- serialism
Milton Babbitt
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Who was Milton Babbitt?
Milton Babbitt (1916â2011) was an American composer and theorist, known for total serialism, which arranged the 12-tone chromatic scale, dynamics, duration, timbre, and register. Babbitt studied music at New York University and with composer Roger Sessions.
Babbitt taught at Princeton from 1938 to 1984 and at the Juilliard School from 1971. He directed the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. Babbitt's works include Composition for Synthesizer (1961) and Philomel (1964). He received a Pulitzer Prize in 1982.
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What kind of music did Milton Babbitt compose?
Milton Babbitt was a leading American composer and theorist known for total serialism, which arranged the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale, dynamics, duration, timbre, and register.
Babbitt's works include:
* Composition for Synthesizer (1961)
* Philomel (1964)
* Partitions for Piano (1957)
* Composition for Four Instruments (1948)
* All Set (1957)He also composed chamber music, solo pieces, and orchestral works, and continued to use serialist techniques in later works such as Arie da capo (1974), The Head of the Bed (1982), and Concerti for Orchestra (2004). Some have described Babbitt's music as sounding like "jazz from another planet".
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What is serialism in music, and how did Babbitt use it?
Serialism is a compositional technique that organizes musical elements like pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and timbre into a series, which then repeats throughout a piece.
Milton Babbitt was a leading figure in total serialism, extending the technique to all musical parameters. Babbitt aimed to exert precise control over every aspect of his compositions, a goal exemplified in his Composition for Synthesizer (1961). Unlike many of his contemporaries, Babbitt continued to employ serialist techniques in his later works.
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How did Milton Babbitt use mathematics in his compositions?
Milton Babbitt, a leading figure in total serialism, used mathematics in his compositions by pre-arranging all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale, as well as dynamics, duration, timbre, and register. Babbitt sought to establish precise control over every element in his compositions, an interest showcased in his Composition for Synthesizer (1961). He argued that understanding "advanced music" requires extensive background and effort, similar to mathematics, philosophy, and physics.
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What was Babbitt's role in electronic music?
Milton Babbitt was a composer known for total serialism. Babbitt's interest in electronic music led him to become the director of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center.
Babbitt became associated with the RCA synthesizer because it allowed him to realize his music more precisely than before, using total serialization of every musical element. Among his compositions created with the RCA synthesizer were Composition for Synthesizer (1961), Vision and Prayer (1961), Ensembles for Synthesizer (1963), Philomel (1964), and Phonemena (1974).
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How did Milton Babbitt influence American music and composers?
Milton Babbitt, an American composer and theorist, significantly influenced American music through his advocacy for total serialism, a compositional technique that arranges various musical elements based on a predetermined series. Babbitt explored precise control over composition elements, using synthesizers to achieve novel sounds.
His work includes compositions for traditional instruments, small ensembles, and larger groups, as well as electronic music. As a professor at Princeton and the Juilliard School, Babbitt influenced many students. Despite the difficulty of his music, Babbitt saw himself as part of a lineage from Brahms through Schoenberg and Webern. Some have described Babbitt's compositions as akin to "jazz from another planet".
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Milton Babbitt (born May 10, 1916, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.âdied January 29, 2011, Princeton, New Jersey) was an American composer and theorist known as a leading proponent of total serialismâi.e., musical composition based on prior arrangements not only of all 12 pitches of the chromatic scale (as in 12-tone music) but also of dynamics, duration, timbre (tone colour), and register.
Babbitt attended public schools in Jackson, Mississippi; he played violin as a young child and then turned to piano, clarinet, and saxophone. In his youth he loved jazz and other popular music. After beginning mathematics studies at the University of Pennsylvania, he transferred to New York University as a music major. In New York City he also studied privately for several years with the composer Roger Sessions.
Babbittâs Composition for Synthesizer (1961) displayed his interest in establishing precise control over all elements of composition; the machine is used primarily to achieve such control rather than solely to generate novel sounds. Philomel (1964) combines synthesizer with the voice, both live and recorded, of a soprano. More traditional in medium is Partitions for Piano (1957). Babbitt wrote chamber music (Composition for Four Instruments, 1948; All Set, 1957) as well as solo pieces and orchestral works. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Babbitt continued to use serialist techniques in his later works, which include Arie da capo (1974), The Head of the Bed (1982), Swan Song No. 1 (2003), and An Encore (2006; commissioned by the Library of Congress) for violin and piano, among other compositions for small ensembles; solo pieces, such as Play It Again, Sam (1989; written as a viola solo for Samuel Rhodes) and More Melismata (2005â06; commissioned by the Juilliard School) for cello; and Concerti for Orchestra (2004) and several other pieces for larger groups.
Babbitt was a member of the music faculty at Princeton from 1938 to 1984, and he joined the faculty of the Juilliard School in 1971. He also taught composition at the Berkshire Music Center (now Tanglewood Music Center) in Massachusetts and at the Darmstadt Music Festival in Germany. His interest in electronic music brought him the directorship of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. In 1959 he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and in 1982 he received a lifetime Pulitzer Prize in composition.
Babbitt was unapologetic about the difficulty of his music, arguing that understanding âadvanced music,â like âmathematics, philosophy, and physics,â requires extensive background and effort. Nonetheless, he saw his music as belonging in a tradition that flowed from Johannes Brahms through Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern. The composer and conductor Gunther Schuller said conducting Babbitt was âa great thrill, to get inside that music with those marvelous sounds and textures,â and critic Alex Ross wrote that Babbittâs âmusicâŠshuffles and shimmies like jazz from another planet.â
As an active participant and thinker, Babbitt wrote extensively about music. His writings are collected in Milton Babbitt: Words About Music (1987; edited by Stephen Dembski and Joseph N. Straus) and The Collected Essays of Milton Babbitt (2003; edited by Stephen Peles).