Mario Davidovsky (March 4, 1934 – August 23, 2019) was an Argentine-American

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 ...

. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the United States, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He is best known for his series of compositions called '' Synchronisms'', which in live performance incorporate both acoustic instruments and electroacoustic sounds played from a tape.

Biography

Davidovsky was born in Médanos,

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

, Argentina, a town nearly 600 km southwest of the city of Buenos Aires and close to the seaport of

Bahía Blanca Bahía Blanca (; English: ''White Bay''), colloquially referred to by its own local inhabitants as simply Bahía, is a city in the Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires province of Argentina, centered on the northwestern end of the eponymous Blanc ...

. Aged seven, he began his musical studies on the violin. At thirteen he began composing. He studied composition and theory under at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...

, from which he graduated. In 1958, he studied with

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

and Milton Babbitt at the Berkshire Music Center (now the Tanglewood Music Center) in Lenox, Massachusetts. Through Babbitt, who worked at the

Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center The Computer Music Center (CMC) at Columbia University is the oldest center for electronic and computer music research in the United States. It was founded in the 1950s as the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. Location The CMC is h ...

, and others, Davidovsky developed an interest in electroacoustic music. Copland encouraged Davidovsky to emigrate to the United States, and in 1960, Davidovsky settled in New York City, where he was appointed associate director of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. It was at that time he began to compose electo-acoustic works called '' Synchronisms''. Most of his published compositions since the 1970s have been nonelectronic. His only published electroacoustic compositions since that time are ''Synchronisms No. 9'' (1988) and ''Synchronisms No. 10'' (1992). However, Davidovsky received a commission by a group led by the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) to compose two more electroacoustic works in the ''Synchronisms'' series. No. 11 and No. 12 premiered in 2007 at the SEAMUS National Conference in

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

. Davidovsky's association with the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center continued, and from 1981 to 1993 he was the lab's director as well as professor of music at Columbia. In 1994 he became professor of music at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

. During his career, Davidovsky has also taught at many other institutions:

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(1964), the Di Tella Institute of Buenos Aires (1965), the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

(1968–69),

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

(1969–70), and the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

(1968–80). He served on the composition faculty of Mannes College The New School for Music. In 1982, Davidovsky was elected a member of the

American Academy 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 of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

Personal life

Davidovsky married Elaine Blaustein in 1962; she died in 2017. They had two children, and three grandchildren. He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on August 23, 2019, at the age of 85.

Awards

*The American Academy of Arts and Letters' Academy Award (1965) *

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

(1971) *Brandeis University Creative Arts Award *Aaron Copland-Tanglewood Award * SEAMUS Lifetime Achievement Award (1989) * Naumburg Award *Peggy Guggenheim Award (1982) *Barlow Endowment for Music Composition – Commission (2003)

Fellowships

*Koussevitzky fellowship (1958) * Rockefeller fellowships (1963,1964) *Guggenheim fellowships (1960,1971) *Williams Foundation Fellowship *Walter Channing Cabot Fellowship

Works

*String Quartet No. 1 (1951) *Concertino for Percussion and String Orchestra (1954) *Quintet for Clarinet and Strings (1955) *Suite Sinfonica Para "El Payaso" (1955), orchestra *Three Pieces for Woodwind Quartet (1956) *Noneti for Nine Instruments (1956) *String Quartet No. 2 (1958) *Serie Sinfonica 1959 (1959), orchestra *Contrastes No. 1 (1960), string orchestra and electronic sounds *Electronic Study No. 1 (1961) ''

'' *Piano 1961 (1961), orchestra *Electronic Study No. 2 (1962) *Synchronisms No. 1 (1962), flute and electronic sound *Trio for Clarinet, Trumpet, and Viola (1962) *Synchronisms No. 2 (1964), flute, clarinet, violin, cello and tape *Synchronisms No. 3 (1964), cello and electronic sound *Electronic Study No. 3 (1965) *Inflexions (1965), chamber ensemble *Junctures (1966), flute, clarinet, and violin *Synchronisms No. 4 (1966), chorus and tape *Music for Solo Violin (1968) *Synchronisms No. 5 (1969), percussion players and tape * Synchronisms No. 6 (1970), piano and electronic sound (won 1971 Pulitzer Prize) *Chacona (1971), violin, cello, and piano *Transientes (1972), orchestra *Ludus 2 (1973), flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano *Synchronisms No. 7 (1974), orchestra and tape *Synchronisms No. 8 (1974), woodwind quintet and tape *Scenes from Shir ha-Shirim (1975), soprano, two tenors, bass soli and chamber ensemble *String Quartet No. 3 (1976) *Pennplay (1979), sixteen players *Consorts (1980), symphonic band *String Quartet No. 4 (1980) *String Trio (1982), violin, viola, violoncello *Romancero (1983), soprano, flute (piccolo, alto flute), clarinet (bass clarinet), violin and violoncello *Divertimento (1984), cello and orchestra *Capriccio (1985), two pianos *Salvos (1986), flute (piccolo, alto flute), clarinet, harp, percussion, violin and cello *Quartetto (1987), flute, violin, viola and violoncello *Synchronisms No. 9 (1988), violin and tape *Biblical Songs (1990), soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano *Concertante (1990), string quartet and orchestra *Simple Dances (1991–2001), flute (piccolo, alto flute), two percussion, piano, and cello *Synchronisms No. 10 (1992), guitar and electronic sounds *Shulamit's Dream (1993), soprano and orchestra *Festino (1994), guitar, viola, violoncello, contrabass *Concertino (1995), violin and chamber orchestra *Flashbacks (1995), flute (piccolo and alto flute), clarinet (bass clarinet), violin violoncello, piano and percussion *Quartetto No. 2 (1996), oboe, violin, viola, violoncello *String Quartet No. 5 (1998) *Quartetto No. 3 (2000), piano, violin, viola, and violoncello *Cantione Sine Textu (2001), soprano and chamber ensemble *RecitAndy (2001), cello *Duo Capriccioso (2003), piano and violin *Sefarad: Four Spanish- Ladino Folkscenes (2004), baritone voice, flute (piccolo, alto flute), clarinet (bass clarinet), percussion, violin and cello *Quartetto No. 4 (2005), clarinet, violin, viola and cello *Synchronisms No. 11 (2005), contrabass and tape *Synchronisms No. 12 (2006), clarinet and tape *Piano Septet (2007) *Divertimento for 8 ‘Ambiguous Symmetries’ (2015), flute, clarinet, percussion, violin, viola, cello, bass, piano *String Quartet No. 6 ("Fragments")(2016)

Discography

*''Works by Martin Brody, Mario Davidovsky, Miriam Gideon, Rand Steiger, Chinary Ung'', New World Records, New World 80412–2. Release date: December 8, 1992. **''Synchronisms No. 6''; Fred Bronstein, Piano. *''Korf: Symphony No.2/Davidovsky: Divertimento/Wright: Night Scenes'', New World Records, New World 80383–2. Release date: December 8, 1992. **''Divertimento''; Fred Sherry, cello; Riverside Symphony, George Rothman conducting. *''Flashbacks: Music by Mario Davidovsky'', Bridge Records, Bridge 9097. Release date: June 27, 2000. **''Flashbacks''; The New York New Music Ensemble. **''Festino''; Speculum Musicae. **''Romancero''; Susan Narucki, soprano; Speculum Musicae. **''Quartetto No. 2''; Peggy Pearson, oboe; Bayla Keyes, violin; Mary Ruth Ray, viola; Rhonda Rider, violoncello. **''Synchronisms No. 10''; David Starobin, guitar. **''String Trio''; Speculum Musicae. *''Mario Davidovsky: 3 Cycles on Biblical Texts''; Susan Narucki, soprano; Riverside Symphony, George Rothman conducting; Bridge Records, Bridge 1112. Release Date: July 30, 2002. **''Shulamit's Dream''. **''Scenes from Shir ha-Shirim''. **''Biblical Songs''. *''Harvard Composers'', Mendelssohn String Quartet, BIS Records, BIS-SACD-1264. Release date: September 9, 2003. **''String Quartet No. 5''. *''Salvos: Chamber Music of Mario Davidovsky'', Empyrean Ensemble; Susan Narucki, soprano. Arabesque Records, Arabesque Z6777. Release date: January 6, 2004. **''Simple Dances''. **''Cantione Sine Textu''. **''Quartetto''. **''Salvos''. **''String Trio''. *''The Music of Mario Davidovsky, Vol. 3'', Bridge Records, Bridge 9171. Release date: September 1, 2005. **''Synchronisms No. 5''; The Manhattan School of Music Percussion Ensemble, Jeffrey Milarsky, conductor. **''Synchronisms No. 6'' Aleck Karis, piano. **''Synchronisms No. 9''; Curtis Macomber, violin. **''Chacona''; Curtis Macomber, violin; Eric Bartlett, cello; Aleck Karis, piano. **''Quartetto''; Susan Palma Nidel, flute; Curtis Macomber, violin; Maureen Gallagher, viola; Eric Bartlett, violoncello. **''Duo Capriccioso''; Curtis Macomber, violin; Aleck Karis, piano.

Notable students

References

External links

"Electronic Study No. 3, In Memoriam Edgar Varèse"

, recording, from ''Aspen'', no. 4, The McLuhan issue; via

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* – RealAudio streams of three works by the composer *Performance on 2006-10-22 by Lynn Kuo of Synchronisms No. 9: , . * (includes video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Davidovsky, Mario 1934 births 2019 deaths American contemporary classical composers Argentine classical composers American male classical composers Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Pulitzer Prize for Music winners Jewish Argentine musicians Jewish classical musicians Argentine people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Argentine emigrants to the United States Harvard University faculty Manhattan School of Music faculty University of Michigan faculty Pupils of Aaron Copland Pupils of Milton Babbitt Musicians from Buenos Aires Province 20th-century Argentine artists 21st-century American composers 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Mannes College The New School for Music faculty 20th-century American composers University of Buenos Aires alumni