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Eightieth Anniversary Year of Legendary American Composer Earle Brown during the 2006-07 Season

Jan. 01, 2006

A composer of diverse influences and paths, Earle Brown (1926-2002) has been a major force in contemporary music since the early 1950s. His experiments in notation and the creation of mobile, “open-form” works, have established connections between composition, notation, improvisation, and performance practice that have forever altered the discourse of contemporary music and offered new avenues for exploration by younger generations of composers. In 2006-2007 Brown would have celebrated his 80th birthday and in connection with this milestone year there will be many events celebrating Brown’s life and work.

Brown’s music was informed by a diverse background of experience and study. In is youth he played jazz as a trumpet player, entered the Air Force as a pilot trainee, studied engineering and mathematics at Northeastern University, and completed a degree in composition at Schillinger House in Boston. Shortly after, he moved to New York, where he resided for the rest of his life.

A defining feature of Earle Brown’s work is its relationship to the visual arts. In conception his works draw influence from the kinetic forms of Alexander Calder’s mobiles, the spontaneity of Jackson Pollock’s action paintings, and the collage and juxtaposition employed by Rauschenberg.

Visually Brown’s scores are interesting enough to have been exhibited in major art institutions around the world, in particular his early graphic scores collected in Folio and Four Systems (1954), for chamber ensemble. The image seen above is from his work Cross Sections and Color Fields (1975), for orchestra.

His creative activities extended well beyond the category of composer. Brown was the foremost conductor of his own work as well as the producer of the legendary Contemporary Sound Series for the Time-Mainstream label, which introduced American audiences to first recordings of works by Boulez, Stockhausen, Lucier, Takemitsu, and others. The series consisted of 18 recordings representing composers from nearly 50 nations.

Until 1 February the Earle Brown Music Foundation will be offering a 25-minute video portrait of Earle Brown for free download. For more details on Earle Brown and a complete catalogue of works, please visit: www.earle-brown.org and www.universaledition.com

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