Beecroft, Norma (Marian)

Beecroft, Norma (Marian), Canadian composer; b. Oshawa, Ontario, April 11, 1934. She studied piano with Gordon Hallett and Weldon Kilburn at the Royal Cons, of Music of Toronto (1952–58), during which period she also studied composition with Wein-zweig; following composition training from Copland and Foss at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood (summer 1958), she went to Rome to continue studies with Petrassi at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia (1959–62); she also attended Maderna’s classes in Darmstadt (summers 1960–61), and then Schaeffer’s electronic music classes at the Univ. of Toronto (1962–63) before working with Davidovsky at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (1964). She was active as a producer, host, and commentator for the CBC. With Robert Aitken, she founded the New Music Concerts in Toronto in 1971, which she oversaw until 1989. In her music, Beecroft has followed along modernistic paths. In a number of her works, she has effectively utilized 12–tone techniques and electronics.

Works

DRAMATIC: Undersea Fantasy, puppet show (1967); Hedda, ballet (1982); The Dissipation of Purely Sound, radiophonie opera (1988). ORCH.: Fantasy for Strings (1958); 2 Movements (1958); Improvvisazioni Concertanti No. 1 for Flute and Orch. (1961), No. 2 (1971), and No. 3 for Flute and Orch. (1973); Piece Concertante No. 1 (1966); Jeu de Bach for Oboe, Piccolo, Trumpet, Strings, and Tape (1985). CHAMBER: Tre Pezzi Brevi for Flute and Harp, or Guitar, or Piano (1960–61); Contrasts for Oboe, Viola, Xylorimba, Vibraphone, Percussion, and Harp (1962); Rasas I for Flute, Harp, String Trio, Percussion, and Piano (1968); II and 7 for 5+ for Brass Quintet and Tape (1975); Piece for Bob for Flute and Tape (1975); Collage ’76 for Chamber Ensemble and Tape (1976); Consequences for 5 for Piano, Synthesizer, and Live Electronics (1977); Collage ’78 for Bassoon, Piano, 2 Percussion, and Tape (1978); Quaprice for Horn, Percussion, and Tape (1980); Cantorum Vitae for Flute, Cello, 2 Pianos, Percussion, and Tape (1981); Troissonts for Viola and 2 Percussion (1981); Jeu II for Flute, Viola, and Tape (1985), III for Viola and Tape (1987), and IV (Mozart) for Fortepiano, Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Trombone, Horn, String Quintet, and Tape (1991); Images for Wind Quintet (1986); Accordion Play for Accordion and 2 Percussion (1989); Hemispherics for 9 Instruments (1990). VOCAL: The Hollow Men for Chorus (1956); From Dreams of Brass for Soprano, Narrator, Chorus, Orch., and Tape (1963–64); Elegy and 2 Went to Sleep for Soprano, Percussion or Piano, and Tape (1967); The Living Flame of Love for Chorus (1968); 3 Impressions for Chorus (1973); Rasas II (1973; rev. 1975) and III (1974) for Voice, Chamber Ensemble, and Tape; Requiem Mass for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (1989–90). electroacoustic:Evocations: Images of Canada (1991).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire