Matthews, Michael (Bass)

Matthews, Michael (Bass) , accomplished Canadian composer; b. Gander, Newfoundland, August 28, 1950. He studied composition with Aurelio de la Vega (composition) and Lawrence Christianson (conducting) at Calif. State Univ. at Northridge (B.Mus., 1975), with Ben Glovinsky (composition) at Calif. State Univ. at Sacramento (M.A. in composition, 1979), and with Larry Austin (composition) and Anshel Brusilow (conducting) at North Tex. State Univ. (Ph.D., 1982). He also attended the summer course in computer music at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford Univ. (1988). From 1979 he received numerous awards, grants, and honors, including a 1992 Media Arts Residency for the recording of The First Sea (1989) for its CDCM compact disc release from the Banff Centre, the 1993 International Computer Music Assn. Commission Award for one of two commissions awarded worldwide for a piece to be premiered at the International Computer Music Conference in Àrhus, Denmark (In Emptiness, Over Emptiness, 1994), a 1997 Composer Development Grant from the Manitoba Arts Council (Toller, 1999), and a 2000 residency at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Study and Conference Center (Cello Concerto, 2000). He joined the music faculty of the Univ. of Manitoba, successively serving as lecturer (1982–83; 1985–87), asst. prof. (1987–90), assoc. prof. (1990–94), and prof, (from 1994); he concurrently was director of its Computer Music Studio from 1986. In 1991 he founded Goundwell, a new music series in Winnipeg. Matthews’s substantial catalog includes works in virtually every genre.

Works

dramatic:Time Frames for Dancers, Lights, Tape, and 2 Chamber Orchs. (Sacramento, Nov. 5, 1978); Songs of the Masked Dancers for Soprano, Actor, Flute, Bass Clarinet, Cello, Piano, and Tape (Winnipeg, April 25, 1990); Madrugada for Soprano, Actors, and Musicians (1992–95; Winnipeg, April 26, 1995); The Raft for Voices, Dancers, and String Quartet (Winnipeg, Dec. 11, 1997); Ernst Toller: Requiem for an Idea for Actor and Cello (Winnipeg, May 1, 1999). orch.: Equinox for Chamber Orch. (Northridge, Calif., Nov. 14, 1974); Stones of the Sky for Symphonic Wind Ensemble (1975; Sacramento, Nov. 8, 1978); Prelude for Symphonic Wind Ensemble (1984; Taejon, Korea, April 6, 1985); Stone and Silence (Taejon, Korean, Nov. 12, 1984); The Far Field (1987; Winnipeg, Feb. 12, 1988); Landscape for Piano and Strings (1990); Three Echoes for Strings (1990); Between the Wings of the Earth for Chamber Orch. (Winnipeg, March 24, 1993); Matrix for Concert Band (1994; Winnipeg, Feb. 23, 1995); Two Interludes (1996); Velocity for Bass Clarinet and String Orch. (1996); Sym. No. 1 (1997); Concerto Grosso for String Quartet, 3 Percussionists, and String Orch. (Winnipeg, May 19, 1998); Piano Concerto (1998); Into the Page of Night (1998; Winnipeg, Feb. 6, 1999); Lorca Sketches for Strings (Winnipeg, Feb. 11, 1998); Cello Concerto (2000). chamber: Games for Chamber Ensemble (Los Angeles, April 7, 1973); Ogdoas for Percussion Ensemble (Northridge, Calif., Nov. 16, 1974); Lost, Among Bright Stars for Chamber Ensemble (1979; rev. version, Sacramento, Oct. 11, 1980); 2 string quartets: No. 1 (1979, Denton, Tex., Dec. 1, 1981; rev. 1983) and No. 2 [titled String Quartet No. 1] (Winnipeg, Oct. 24, 1999); Sinfonia Concertante for Wind Ensemble (1980; Banff, Alberta, July 26, 1983); Suite for Guitar (Denton, Tex., Dec. 1, 1981); Mosaic for Chamber Ensemble (1982; Winnipeg, April 21, 1983); Four Studies for Clarinet, Percussion, and Piano (Taejon, Korea, Dec. 6, 1984); Fantasy for Violin (1985; Winnipeg, March 24, 1986); Into a Long Moment for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1985; Winnipeg, Jan. 28, 1986); Piano Trio (Winnipeg, Nov. 27, 1986); Wind Sketches for Wind Octet (1988); Love in a Dry Country for Ensemble, Tape, Interactive Computer System, and Visuals (1992); Layerings for Vibraphone and Tape (1993; Toronto, March 11, 1994); Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble (1998; Winnipeg, April 4, 2000); Partita—Images/Fragments for Violin and Piano (Winnipeg, Sept. 19, 1999); . ..of the rolling worlds for Bass Clarinet and Tape (Alicante, Spain, Sept. 23, 1999); Images for Clarinet and String Trio (Szombothely, Hungary, July 22, 1999); Ernst Toller: Requiem for an Idea, suite for Cello (Lviv, Ukraine, Oct. 13, 1999). piano:Elegy (1983; Taejon, Korea, June 8, 1984); Of Time and Sky (1990); Scattered Mirrors (Pinewa, Manitoba, Oct. 29, 1993); Two Studies (1994–95); Bagatelle (1997); Postlude (1997); Fantasy/Nocturne (1999). vocal:The Hollow Men for Tenor and Chamber Ensemble (Northridge, Calif., April 23, 1974); Three Songs for Mezzo-soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1975); if there are any heavens for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (Sacramento, Dec. 6, 1979); The Wind Was There for Soprano and Orch. (1980–82); Rest, Heart of the Tired World for Voice and Piano (Denton, Tex., Dec. 1, 1981; rev. 1983); Quis Est Deus? for Voice, Flute, and Clarinet (1983); Folk Songs for Soprano, Violin, Cello, and Piano (Taejon, Korea, Nov. 28, 1984); Five Poems of Walt Whitman for Soprano and String Quartet (Seoul, Oct. 5, 1984); Sijo for Soprano and Percussion (1985; Winnipeg, March 28, 1988); Dream Songs for Soprano, Tenor, Chorus, Piano, and Percussion (Winnipeg, Oct. 28, 1986); Castilla for Soprano, Recorder, Harpsichord, and Cello (Winnipeg, March 31, 1987); Songs of Travel for Soprano and Cello (Winnipeg, March 9, 1988); The First Sea for Bass, Clarinet, and Tape (Toronto, Feb. 25, 1989); Four Songs of Japan for Soprano, Viola, and Fortepiano (1991); Rooms of Light for Chorus (1992; Winnipeg, March 1, 1998); Birds for Soprano, Keyboard, Interactive Computer System, and Visuals (1992); Out of the Earth for Soprano and Ensemble (Vancouver, March 21, 1993); In Emptiness, Over Emptiness for Soprano and Tape (Àrhus, Sept. 14, 1994); Two Night Pieces for 4 Men’s Voices (1994); Song of the Sky Loom for Soloists and Chorus (1995); Deux chansons d’amour for Voice and Piano (1996); Two Poems for Chorus (1999–2000). tape:Study, musique concrète (1972); Beginnings (1973; Santiago, Chile, June 6, 1974); Abintra (Hovikodden, Denmark, June 30, 1974); Antipodes (Glendale, Calif., Jan. 19, 1975); Woman, film score (1981); The Raft, incidental music (1991); The North Revisited, radio piece (1992); Music for Ancient Spaces (1992); Dog and Crow, incidental music (1992).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire