Gordon Ware Binkerd (May 22, 1916 – September 5, 2003) was an American classical music

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. An eminent and prolific composer, his best known works include his choral works
Tomorrow the Fox Will Come to TownThough Your Strangeness Frets My Heart
and his Essays for the Piano.

Biography

Background and early life

The son of Archibald and Verna Jones Binkerd, Gordon Binkerd was born in the

Ponca Reservation The Ponca Reservation of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is located in northeast Nebraska, with the seat of tribal government located in Niobrara, Knox County. The Indian reservation is also the location of the historic Ponca Fort called ''Nanza''. ...

Lynch, Nebraska Lynch is a village in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 194 at the 2020 census, down from 245 in 2010. Lynch is located in northern Nebraska, between the Missouri and Niobrara rivers. History Lynch was incorporated as a ...

on May 22, 1916. He was the eldest of three boys. His father, who worked for the Bell Telephone Company, resettled the family in

Gregory, South Dakota Gregory is a city in western Gregory County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2020 census. History Gregory was laid out in 1904. The city took its name from its location in Gregory County. A post office called Greg ...

. His talent was first discovered at age fifteen when he was chosen as one of the five best pianists in America at a national competition in

Marion, Indiana Marion is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Indiana, United States, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 28,310 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from ...

. In 1933, Binkerd left home to attend

Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) is a private Methodist university in Mitchell, South Dakota. It was founded in 1885 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly fewer than 800 students. The campus of t ...

Mitchell, South Dakota Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census making it the List of cities in South Dakota, sixth most populous city in South Dako ...

. There, he benefited from associations with musicians such as

Gail Kubik Gail Thompson Kubik (September 5, 1914 – July 20, 1984) was an American composer, music director, violinist, and teacher. He first gained widespread recognition for his scores for World War II documentary films, including '' Memphis Belle: A St ...

and Russell Danburg. Binkerd was also influenced by teachers who nurtured his interest in literature and poetry. He graduated from DWU in 1937. In 1940, Binkerd started masters studies at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

, graduating with a degree in composition in 1941. During World War II, Binkerd served in the US Navy. His talent for composition began to ripen when he entered

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1946. As a candidate for the PhD in musicology, his absorption of music of the past provided a historical base of knowledge that framed his compositional perspective. His skills were refined as a student of

Walter Piston Walter Hamor Piston, Jr. (January 20, 1894 – November 12, 1976), was an American composer of classical music, music theorist, and professor of music at Harvard University. Life Piston was born in Rockland, Maine at 15 Ocean Street to Walter ...

and as teaching assistant to Irving Fine. During his Harvard years, he lived in an apartment that did not have a piano. This forced him to learn to compose away from the instrument. In 1949, Binkerd became a theorist and composer at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

. Each summer he participated in retreats in New Hampshire and New York in order to compose. After composing a few works that used the serial technique, he abandoned this approach in 1955. His harmonic language became more tonal, but tonal centers remained ambiguous. In the mid 1960s, Binkerd entered into a contract for the publication of all his music with the New York publishing house

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British Music publisher (sheet music), music publisher, purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass instrument, brass, string instru ...

. By that time, he had already written three symphonies; a piano sonata; two string quartets; a growing list of sonatas for wind and string instruments and a large quantity of chamber, choral and vocal music, which his publisher began to release in 1965. He retired from academia in 1971 in order to fully devote himself to composition. His writing was brought to an end by the onset of Alzheimer's disease in 1996.

Death

Binkerd died of Alzheimer's disease Friday, September 5, 2003 at his

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents i ...

home.

Achievements

As a blooming composer Binkerd was the first professor at the

to become a member of its Center for Advanced Study in 1959, only having entered as a regular teacher in 1949. Also in 1959, he became a

Guggenheim fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

recipient. In 1964, Binkerd received the

National Institute of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqua ...

award. As a composer he received many commissions for music from such institutions as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...

, the

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University (SDSU or SD State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest university and is the sec ...

, the Fromm Music foundation and the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

in 1973. Dakota Wesleyan University honored Binkerd as Alumnus of the Year in 1987 and awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts in 1996.

Compositions

* ''Sonatina for Flute and Piano (1947)'' * ''Sonata for Cello and Piano (composed in 1952, First major work)'' * ''Symphony No. 1 (composed in 1954)'' * ''Symphony No. 2 (1956-57)'' * ''String Quartet No. 1 (1957)'' * ''And I am Old to Know (composed in 1959)'' * ''Symphony No. 3 (1959)'' * ''Three Canzonas (1960)'' * ''Shut out that Moon (1968)'' * ''Three Songs for Mezzo-Soprano and String Quartet (1971)''

Publications

* ''Alleluia for St. Francis. For medium voice and piano. < ordsfrom the Roman-Seraphic Missal.> (1977)'' * ''Sonatina for Flute and Piano (B.W.I. 245) (1972)'' * ''Binkerd: Secret Love (Voice/Cello/Harp) - Vocal Solo Sheet Music'' (1967) * ''Binkerd: O Darling Room - Vocal Solo Sheet Music''

References

External links

* https://acda.org/files/choral_journals/April_1995_Saladino_D.pdf * https://www.jstor.org/stable/943693
Chicago Tribune
* http://www.sai-national.org/home/ComposersBureau/BinkerdGordon/tabid/634/Default.aspx * http://www.last.fm/music/Gordon+Binkerd/+wiki * http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gordon-binkerd-mn0001537684 * https://www.amazon.com/Gordon-Binkerd/e/B00JBQMXYU
"Gordon Binkerd Collection"
Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Binkerd, Gordon Harvard College alumni Eastman School of Music alumni 1916 births 2003 deaths People from Boyd County, Nebraska People from Gregory County, South Dakota People from Urbana, Illinois United States Navy personnel of World War II American male classical composers Classical musicians from Nebraska Classical musicians from South Dakota Classical musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American classical composers