Philomel

work by Babbitt

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July 23, 2026

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Philomel is a 1964 composition by American composer Milton Babbitt. Babbitt was a leading proponent of total serialism, a method of musical composition that arranges not only pitches but also dynamics, duration, timbre, and register.1

Philomel combines a synthesizer with the live and recorded voice of a soprano. The title "Philomel" itself refers to a nightingale. In Greek mythology, Philomela was an Athenian princess who was transformed into a nightingale after being wronged by her brother-in-law.123

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Milton Babbitt
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…
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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…
Read More