Vega, Aurelio de la

Vega, Aurelio de la, Cuban-born American composer, teacher, and writer on music; b. Havana, Nov. 28, 1925. He studied in Havana at De La Salle Coll. (B.A. in humanities, 1944), with Fritz Kramer (1943-46), at the Univ. (M.A. in diplomacy, 1946), and at the Ada Iglesias Music Inst. (M.A. in musicology, 1956); he also studied with Toch in Calif. (1947-48). During the Cuban years of his career, he was president of the Cuban section of the ISCM (1952-54), worked as a music critic (1952-57), and served as prof, of music and chairman of the music dept. at the Univ. of Oriente in Santiago de Cuba (1953-59). In 1959 he settled in Los Angeles and in 1966 became a naturalized American citizen. In the summer of 1959 he was a visiting prof, of music at the Univ. of Southern Calif. In 1959 he joined the faculty of San Fernando Valley State Coll. (later Calif. State Univ. at Northridge), where he subsequently was a distinguished prof, of music, director of the electronic music studio, and composer-in-residence. In 1992 he retired as distinguished prof, emeritus. In 1978 and 1984 he received Kennedy Center Friedheim awards. He held a Fulbright Research Award in 1985. His numerous articles and essays, as well as paintings, have appeared in various publications. In his compositions, he experimented with various avant-garde means of expression without proscribing the use of Cuban nationalist elements.

Works

orch: Obertura a una Farsa Seria (1950; Havana, April 28, 1951); Introducción y Episodio (1952; Havana, April 3, 1953); Elegíafor Strings (London, Nov. 16, 1954); Divertimentofor Piano, Violin, Cello, and Strings (1956; Redlands, Calif., Jan. 28,1958); Symphony in 4 Parts (1960; Washington, D.C., April 30, 1961); Intrata (Los Angeles, May 12, 1972); Adiós (1977; Los Angeles, April 20, 1978, Mehta conducting). CHAMBER: La Muerte de Panfor Violin and Piano (Redlands, Calif., March 16, 1948); Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1949; Havana, April 27, 1952); Soliloquiofor Viola and Piano (1950; Havana, April 1, 1951); Levenda del Ariel Criollofor Cello and Piano (1953; Havana, March 25, 1954); String Quartet, “In Memoriam Alban Berg” (1957; Washington, D.C., April 20, 1958); Woodwind Quintet (1959; Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 1961); Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Clarinet (1960; Northridge, Calif., March 19, 1961); Structuresfor Piano and String Quartet (1962; Washington, D.C., May 8,1964); Segmentosfor Violin and Piano (Berkeley, Calif., Oct. 2, 1964); Exametronfor Flute, Cello, and 4 Percussionists (Los Angeles, Oct. 11, 1965); Interpolationfor Clarinet with or without Pre-recorded Sounds (1965; Los Angeles, April 23,1966); Exospheresfor Oboe and Piano (1966; Los Angeles, Nov. 25, 1968); Labdanumfor Flute, Vibraphone, and Viola (Los Angeles, Nov. 30, 1970); Tangentsfor Violin and Pre-recorded Sounds (1973; Los Angeles, Oct. 21, 1974); Para-Tangentsfor Trumpet and Pre-recorded Sounds (1973; Los Angeles, Dec. 14, 1974); Septiciliumfor Clarinet and 6 Instrumentalists (1974; Los Angeles, April 12,1975); Olep ed Arudamotfor Any Number of Instruments and/or Voices (1974; Tujunga, Calif., March 14, 1976); The Infinite Squarefor Any Number of Instruments and/or Voices (1975; Northridge, Calif., Nov. 12, 1976); Andamar-Ramadnafor Any Number of Instruments and/or Voices (1975; Mexico City, May 22, 1977); Sound Cloudsfor Guitar (1975; Los Angeles, Feb. 11, 1978); Astralisfor Any Number of Instruments and/or Voices (1977; Buenos Aires, July 27,1979); Nonesfor Any Number of Instruments and/or Voices (1977; San Francisco, Feb. 20, 1979); Undid Colorifor Bassoon with or without Projected Color Transparencies (1981; Los Angeles, Jan. 25, 1982); Galandiacoafor Clarinet and Guitar (1982; Los Angeles, Jan. 10, 1983); Tropimapalfor 9 Instruments (Los Angeles, April 18,1983); piano pieces. VOCAL: La Fuente Infinata,song cycle for Soprano and Piano (1944; Havana, Dec. 18,1945); Cantata for 2 Sopranos, Contralto, and 21 Instruments (1958; Washington, D.C., Nov. 1,1964); Infloresceniafor Soprano, Bass Clarinet, and Pre-recorded Sounds (Los Angeles, Oct. 25, 1976); Asonantefor Soprano, Female Dancer, 7 Instruments, and Tape (1985; Los Angeles, March 4,1987); Adramantefor Soprano and Piano (La Jolla, Calif., Dec. 7, 1985); Magias e Invenciones,song cycle for Soprano and Piano (1986; Mexico City, April 27, 1988); Testimonialfor Mezzo-soprano and 5 Instruments (Buenos Aires, July 5,1990); Madrigales de Entoncesfor Chorus (1991; Mexico City, May 28, 1993). ELECTRONIC: Vectors (1963; qai, Calif., May 30, 1964); Extrapolation (Los Angeles, Dec. 5, 1981).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire