Stout, Alan (Burrage)

Stout, Alan (Burrage), significant American composer and teacher; b. Baltimore, Nov. 26, 1932. He studied composition with Henry Cowell at the Peabody Cons. of Music in Baltimore and took courses at Johns Hopkins Univ. (B.S., 1954); sporadically had composition lessons with Riegger in N.Y. (1951–56); pursued postgraduate studies at the Univ. of Copenhagen (1954–55); then had lessons with John Verrall at the Univ. of Wash. (1958–59), acquiring an M.A. in music and in Swedish language. From 1959 to 1962 he was employed in the music dept. of the Seattle Public Library; in 1963 he was appointed to the music faculty of Northwestern Univ.; in 1973 he was a visiting lecturer at the Stockholm Musikhögskolan. Besides his primary activities as a composer and a teacher, he also performed valuable service in editing (with some conjectural reconstruction) fragmentary pieces by Ives, to prepare them for practical performance.

Works

ORCH.: 3 Hymns (1953–54); Intermezzo for English Horn, Percussion, and Strings (1954); Pieta for String or Brass Orch. (1957); 4 syms.: No. 1 (1959), No. 2 (1951–66; Chicago, Aug. 4, 1968), No. 3 for Soprano, Men’s Chorus, and Orch. (1959–62), and No. 4 (1962–71; Chicago, April 15, 1971); Serenity for Solo Cello or Bassoon, Percussion, and Strings (1959); Ricercare and Aria for Strings (1959); Movements for Violin and Orch. (1962; Fish Creek, Wise, Aug. 17, 1966); Fanfare for Charles Seeger (1972); Pulsar for 3 Brass Choirs and Timpani (1972); Nimbus for 18 Strings (1979); Pilviä (1983). chamber: 10 string quartets (1952–53; 1952; 1954; 1954; 1957; 1959; 1960; I960; 1962; 1962); Solemn Prelude for Trombone and Organ (1953); Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet (1958); Triptych for Horn and Organ (1961); Suite for Flute and Percussion (1962); Toccata for Saxophone and Percussion (1965); Cello Sonata (1966); Music for Oboe and Piano (1966); Music for Flute and Harpsichord (1967); 2 Movements for Clarinet and String Quartet (1968); Recitative, Capriccio and Aria for Oboe, Harp, and Percussion (1970); Suite for Saxophone and Organ (1973); Concertino for Clarinet and Chamber Ensemble (1978); Meditation for Tenor Saxophone and Organ (1982); Brass Quintet (1984). keyboard: piano: Vflrànfi (1962); Fantasia (1962); Suite (1964–67); Sonata for 2 Pianos (1975); Waltz (1977). organ : 8 Chorales (1960); Study in Densities and Durations (1966–67); 3 Chorales (1967); Study in Timbres and Interferences (1977); Study in Timbres and Interferences for Fully Mechanical Organ (1978). vocal: 2 Hymns for Tenor and Orch. (1953); Passion, oratorio (1953–75; Chicago, April 15, 1976); Die Engel for Soprano, Flute, Piano, Percussion, and Brass (1957); 2 Ariel Songs for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1957); Elegiac Suite for Soprano and Strings (1959–61); Laudi for Soprano, Baritone, and Small Orch. (1961); Canticum canticorum for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1962); George Lieder for High Baritone and Orch. (1962; rev. 1965 and 1970; Chicago, Dec. 14, 1972); Christmas Poem for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1962); Prologue, oratorio (1963–64); Nattstycken (Nocturnes) for Narrator, Contralto, and Chamber Ensemble (Chicago, Nov. 10, 1970); Dialogo per la Pascua for Soloists, Chorus, and 8 Instruments (1973); O Altitude for Soprano, Women’s Chorus, Solo Flute, and Instrumental Ensemble (1974); 5 visages de Laforgue for Voice and Chamber Orch. (1978); Triptych for Soloists, Children’s Chorus, and Orch. (1981); choruses, including The Great Day of the Lord, with Organ (1956).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire