Moore, Carman (Leroy)
Moore, Carman (Leroy)
Moore, Carman (Leroy), versatile black American composer, conductor, teacher, and writer on music; b. Lorain, Ohio, Oct. 8, 1936. He studied with Martin Morris (horn), Peter Brown (cello), and Cecil Isaacs (conducting) at the Oberlin (Ohio) Coll. Cons, of Music. After further studies at Ohio State Univ. (B.M., 1958), he went to N.Y., where he studied at the Juilliard School of Music with Persichetti and Berio (B.M., 1966); completed his studies with Wolpe (1967). He helped to launch the Soc. of Black Composers in 1968. He taught at Manhattanville Coll. (1969–71), Yale Univ. (1969–71), and Queens (1970–71) and Brooklyn (1972–74) Colls, of the City Univ. of N.Y. He presented concerts with his own group, Carman Moore and Ensemble, which he transformed into the Skymusic Ensemble in 1985. In addition to writing music criticism, he publ, a biography of Bessie Smith as Somebody’s Angel Child (1970) and a textbook on teaching popular music (1980). In his compositions, he makes imaginative use of various genres, ranging from jazz to the avant-garde.
Works
dramatic:Opera: The Masque of Saxophone’s Voice (1981). music theater:Wild Gardens of the Loup Garou (1983); Distraughter, or The Great Panda Scanda (1983); Paradise Re-Lost (1987). musical:Franklin and Eleanor (1989). ba11et:A Musical Offering (1962); Catwalk (1966); Tryst (1966); They Tried to Touch (1986); La Dea delle Acque (Milan, March 29, 1988). dance piece:Shipwreck (1989). intermedia:Broken Suite for Instrumental Ensemble (1969); The Illuminated Workingman for 11 Instruments and Tape (1971); American Themes and Variations for Narrator and Instrumental Ensemble (1980); Sky Dance/Sky Time for Instrumental Ensemble, Dance Ensemble, and Sculpture (1984); The Persistence of Green for Dance, Dance Projections, and Instrumental Ensemble (N.Y., April 16, 1988); The Magical Turn About Town for Instrumental Ensemble (N.Y., July 18, 1989); Tales of Exile for Dancers and Instrumental Ensemble (N.Y., July 15, 1989); Magic Circle for Dancer, Projections, and Instrumental Ensemble (N.Y., Dec. 28, 1989). orch.:Sinfonia (1964); Saratoga Festival Overture (1966); Gospel Fuse for 4 Women’s Voices and Orch. (San Francisco, Jan. 22, 1975); Wildfires and Field Songs (N.Y., Jan. 23, 1975); Hit, percussion concerto (1978); Concerto for Blues Piano and Orch. (1982); Concertos (The Theme Is Freedom) (N.Y., Nov. 11, 1985); Concerto for Jazz Violin and Orch. (1987). chamber:Piano Sonata (1963); Mandolin Sonata (1966); Cello Sonata (1966); Drum Major for Chamber Ensemble and Tape (1969); Quartet for Saxophones and Echo Device (1978); Dawn of the Solar Age for Brass, Percussion, and Synthesizer (1978); Music for the Flute Alone for Flute, Piano, Double Bass, and Tape (1981); Deep Night with Tree for Flute and Taped Flute (1986); Journey to: Journey through for 9 Instruments (1987); Concerto for Tap and Chamber Ensemble (1989). VOCAL: Wedding Cantata for Voices and Instruments (1963); Variations on a Theme of Abraham Lincoln for Soprano and Instrumental Ensemble (1973); The Great American Nebula, cantata for Narrator, Chorus, Orch., and Synthesizer (1976); Follow Light for Chorus, Percussion, and Double Bass (1981); Celestial Intervals or Triptych for Soprano, Tenor, and Instrumental Ensemble (N.Y., April 14, 1989); Mass for the 21st Century for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (N.Y., Aug. 10, 1994).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis Mclntire