Barlow, Wayne (Brewster)
Barlow, Wayne (Brewster)
Barlow, Wayne (Brewster), American composer, pedagogue, organist, and choirmaster; b. Elyria, Ohio, Sept. 6, 1912; d. Rochester, N.Y., Dec. 17, 1996. He studied with Rogers and Hanson at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. (B.M., 1934; M.M., 1935; Ph.D., 1937), and also took courses from Schoenberg at the Univ. of Southern Calif, in Los Angeles (1935); He later pursued training in electronic music with Schaeffer at the Univ. of Toronto (1963–64) and postdoctoral research at the uni vs. of Brussels, Ghent, and Utrecht (1964–65). From 1937 to 1978 he taught at the Eastman School of Music, where he also was director of graduate studies (1955–57; 1973–78) and chairman of its composition dept. and director of the electronic music studio (1968–73). He served as organist and choirmaster at St. Thomas Episcopal Church (1946–76) and at Christ Episcopal Church (1976–78) in Rochester. He was the author of Foundations of Music (N.Y., 1953). In his compositions, Barlow follows a varied stylistic path that is basically tonal with free 12-tone development.
Works
DRAMATIC: Ballet: False Faces (1935); 3 Moods for Dancing (1940). ORCH.: De Profundis (1934); 2 sinfoniettas (1936, 1950); The Winter’s Passed for Oboe and Strings (1938); Lyrical Pieces for Clarinet and Strings (1943); Nocturne for Chamber Orch. (1946); Rondo Overture (1947); Lentoand Allegro (1955); Night Song (1958); Rota for Chamber Orch. (1959); Images for Harp and Orch. (1961); Sinfonia da camera for Chamber Orch. (1962); Vistas (1963); Concerto for Saxophone and Band (1970); Hampton Beach, overture (1971); Soundscapes for Tape and Orch. (1972); Divertissement for Flute and Chamber Orch. (1980); Frontiers for Band (1982). CHAMBER: Prelude, Air, and Variations for Bassoon, Piano, and String Quartet (1949); Piano Quintet (1951); Tryptych for String Quartet (1953); Intrada, Fugue, and Postlude for Brass (1959); Trio for Oboe, Viola, and Piano (1964); Elegy for Viola and Piano (1967; also for Viola and Orch.); Duo for Harp and Tape (1969); Vocalise and Canon for Tuba and Piano (1976); Intermezzo for Viola and Harp (1980); Sonatine for 4 for Flute, Clarinet, Cello, and Harp (1984). keyboard: piano: Sonata (1948); Dynamisms for 2 Pianos (1967). Organ: Hymn Voluntaries for the Church Year (4 vols., 1963–81); 4 Chorale Voluntaries (1979–80). VOCAL: Zion in Exile, cantata (1937); Songs from the Silence of Amor for Soprano and Orch. (1939); The 23rd Psalm for Chorus and Organ or Orch. (1944); Mass for Chorus and Orch. (1951); Poems for Music for Soprano and Orch. (1958); Missa Sancti Thomae for Chorus and Organ (1959); We All Believe in One True God for Chorus, Brass Quartet, and Organ (1965); Wait for the Promise of the Father, cantata (1968); Voices of Darkness for Reader, Piano, Percussion, and Tape (1974); Voices of Faith for Reader, Soprano, Chorus, and Orch. (1975); Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking for Tenor, Chorus, Clarinet, Viola, Piano, and Tape (1978); The 7 Seals for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (1991). TAPE: Study in Electronic Sound (1965); Moonflight (1970); Soundprints in Concrete (1975).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire