William Allaudin Mathieu (born 1937) is a composer,

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

, choir director,

music teacher Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

, and author. He began studying piano at the age of six, and began recording his music and compositions in the 1970s on his record label, Cold Mountain Music. Mathieu has composed and recorded solo piano works, chamber pieces, choral music, and song cycles, and he has written four books on music, music theory, and how to live a musical life.

Career

Mathieu studied jazz composition with William Russo from 1954 to 1958; Eurocentric music with Easley Blackwood from 1963 to 1967; Middle Eastern music with Nubian master musician Hamza El Din from 1971 to 2004, with whom he also collaborated; and raga with North Indian vocalist

Pandit Pran Nath Pandit Pran Nath (Devanagari: पंडित प्राणनाथ) (3 November 1918 – 13 June 1996) was an Indian classical singer and master of the Kirana gharana singing style. Promoting traditional raga principles, Nath exerted ...

from 1973 to 1996. Mathieu's recordings reflect the integration of these and many other influences. In the late 1950s and early 1960s (as Bill Mathieu), he spent several years as an arranger and composer for

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though Ke ...

and

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was ba ...

orchestras. Kenton's album ''

Standards in Silhouette ''Standards in Silhouette'' is an album recorded in September 1959 by Stan Kenton and his orchestra. The entire set of arrangements for the LP were written by Bill Mathieu. This recording stands alone in approach and style; Kenton himself only ...

'' consists entirely of Mathieu's arrangements and revealed the young Mathieu (then 22 years of age) to be an adept manipulator of compositional materials. He was one of the founders and the musical director for

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...

in Chicago, the first ongoing improvisational theater troupe in the United States, and was later the musical director for The Committee, an improv theater in San Francisco that was an offshoot of The Second City. In the 1970s, he was on the faculties of

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) 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 mus ...

and

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was r ...

. In 1969, Mathieu founded the Sufi Choir in San Francisco among followers of Samuel L. Lewis, and he directed the choir until 1982. Mathieu enjoys sharing his tuning expertise with others, including beginners — and especially those who are convinced they are tone-deaf. “Nobody is tone-deaf,” he claims. He has regularly trained his “Tone-Deaf Choirs” to sing in tune, often in public. He now devotes himself to practice, performance, recording, composition, teaching, and writing from his home near Sebastopol, California.

Early life

Mathieu was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was Aron M. Mathieu (1907-1996), publisher and founder of ''Minicam'' (later retitled

Modern Photography ''Modern Photography'' was a popular American photo magazine published and internationally distributed for 52 years from New York City. An unrelated ''Modern Photography'' magazine was published in Taiwan from 1976. History ''Minicam'' The o ...

) in 1937, editor at

Writer's Digest ''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles. History ''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 under ...

for three decades, and founder of the

Writer's Market ''Writer's Market'' (''WM'') is an annual resource book for writers who wish to sell their work. The publication is released by ''Writer's Digest'' Books and usually hits bookstores around the summer time of each year. ''Writer's Market'' was fir ...

franchise. His mother was Rosella Feher Mathieu (1906-2008), noted authority on herbs, and author of ''Herb Grower's Complete Guide'' (1950), one of the first books in the United States on growing and cooking with herbs. In Cincinnati, Mathieu attended Kennedy-Silverton Elementary School (1942-1949) and Walnut Hills High School (1949-1954). In Chicago, he attended University of Chicago (1954-1958), earning a BA degree.

Discography

Solo piano improvisations

*''Transparencies'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2019) *''Songs of Samsara'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2009) *''Narratives'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2002)

Multitrack compositions

* ''Streaming Wisdom/In the Wind'' (Cold Mountain Music, compilation; remastered 2004) * ''Second Nature'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1983; remastered 2004) * ''In the Wind'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1983) * ''Streaming Wisdom'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1981)

Piano compositions

* ''Magic Clavier Book II – Seven Etudes in Modulating Modality'' Noam Lemish, piano (Cold Mountain Music, 2018) * ''Magic Clavier Book I – Twelve Etudes in Extended Modality'' Noam Lemish, piano, and ''Seven Solo and Duo Improvisations'' Noam Lemish and W. A. Mathieu, piano (Cold Mountain Music, 2015) * ''5:4 – Compositions for Piano'', Marilyn Morales, piano solo, "The Poet Variations" on a theme by

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

; Kirk Whipple & Marilyn Morales, piano duo, "Five Poems / Four Hands"; W. A. Mathieu & Kirk Whipple, piano duo, "Four Improvisations / Twenty Fingers" (Cold Mountain Music, 2015) *''Three Compositions for Piano'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2002) *''Lakes & Streams'' (The Relaxation Company – CD587, 1993) *''Piano Celebration'' (Vital Body 6509, 1992) *''Available Light'' (

Windham Hill Windham Hill Records was an independent record label that specialized in instrumental acoustic music. It was founded by guitarist William Ackerman and Anne Robinson (née McGilvray) in 1976 and was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The label was ...

, 1987) *''Listening to Evening'' (Sona Gaia, 1985)

Instrumental compositions

* ''First String Quartet'', The Galax Quartet (Cold Mountain Music, 2016) * ''Compositions for Guitar'', Mobius Trio, with Justin Houchin "Six Ellipses for Four Guitars", and "Lattice Work (Lattice-Işi)", Tolgahan Çoğulu, microtonal guitar) (Cold Mountain Music, 2016)

Song cycles

* ''Café Hafiz – Twenty-One Songs for Your Serious Entertainment'', with Devi Mathieu, soprano (Cold Mountain Music, 2014) * ''Antiphons Across Time / Flower of the Maiden – The Music of

Hildegard von Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

'', with Trio Ephemeros (Devi Mathieu, W. A. Mathieu,

Shira Kammen Shira Kammen is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. She received her degree in music from the University of California, Berkeley and studied vielle with Margriet Tindemans. She has performed and taught throughout the world and has played on se ...

) (Cold Mountain Music, 2013) * ''For All'' ~ six tracks on ''On Cold Mountain: Songs on Poems of Gary Snyder'', with Karen Clark, contralto + Galax Quartet (

Innova Recordings Innova Recordings is the independent record label of the non-profit American Composers Forum based in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1982 to document the winners of the McKnight Fellowship offered by its parent organization, the Minneso ...

, 2011) * ''The Indian Parrot'' (Mutable Music, 2006) * ''If the Sun Could Sing'', with Trio Ephemeros (Devi Mathieu, W. A. Mathieu,

) (unpublished, 2006) * ''Rumi and Strings'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2005) * ''Say I Am You - Four Song Cycles from the Poetry of Jelaluddin Rumi'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2003)

Improvisational collaborations

* ''Full Bloom – Trios for Piano and Percussion'', with George Marsh and Jennifer Wilsey (Cold Mountain Music, 2014) * ''The Bloom – Trios for Piano and Percussion'', with George Marsh and Jennifer Wilsey (Cold Mountain Music, 2011) * ''Centerpeace'', 2010 collaboration with Andrew York * ''The Ghost Opera'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2006), with the Ghost Opera Company formed at the

* ''Game/No Game'' with George Marsh (Mutable Music, 2004) * ''This Marriage'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2002)

Collaborations

* ''On Cold Mountain: Songs on Poems of Gary Snyder'', Karen Clark, contralto + Galax Quartet (composers Fred Frith, W. A. Mathieu, Robert Morris, Roy Whelden) (

, 2011)

Big Band jazz

* With

: ''

Standards In Silhouette ''Standards in Silhouette'' is an album recorded in September 1959 by Stan Kenton and his orchestra. The entire set of arrangements for the LP were written by Bill Mathieu. This recording stands alone in approach and style; Kenton himself only ...

'', (

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

#1394, 1960) * With

: ''

Piano in the Background ''Piano in the Background'' is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded and released on the Columbia label in 1960.Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, 1960) * ''Double Feature - Volume 2: The Stan Kenton Orchestra and The Nova Jazz Orchestra'', (Tantara Productions, 2011) * ''Concerto Nova & the Jazz Music of W. A. Mathieu'', Nova Jazz Orchestra (Nova Jazz Orchestra, 2014)

The Sufi Choir

* ''The Best of the Sufi Choir'' (Cold Mountain Music, 2004, 2020) * ''Remembrance'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1983; remastered, 2008; reissued on CD, 2011) * ''The Sufi Choir sings

Robert Bly Robert Elwood Bly (December 23, 1926 – November 21, 2021) was an American poet, essayist, activist and leader of the mythopoetic men's movement. His best-known prose book is '' Iron John: A Book About Men'' (1990), which spent 62 weeks on ...

's versions of

Kabir Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, ...

'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1980; remastered, 2008; reissued on CD, 2011) * ''Stone in the Sky'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1976; remastered, 2008; reissued on CD, 2011) * ''The Sufi Dance & Song Record'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1975; remastered, 2008; reissued on CD, 2011) * ''Cryin' for Joy'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1974; remastered, 2008; reissued on CD, 2011) * ''The Sufi Choir'' aka ''The Blue Album'' (Cold Mountain Music, 1973; remastered, 2008; reissued on CD, 2011)

Audio books

* ''The Listening Book and The Musical Life – Audio Edition]'', 2-CD set (Manifest Spirit, 2008)

Bibliography

* ''Bridge of Waves: What music is and how listening to it changes the world'' (2010)

Shambhala Publications Shambhala Publications is an independent publishing company based in Boulder, Colorado. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet". Ma ...

. . * ''The Listening Book: Discovering your own music'' (1991)

. . : An audio edition of ''The Listening Book'' was issued in 1991 by Shambhala Lion Editions. That audio material was remastered and issued along with new audio material read from ''The Musical Life'' in 2008 as a 2 CD set (W. A. Mathieu reads from ''The Listening Book'' and ''The Musical Life'') on Manifest Spirit Records. * ''The Musical Life: Reflections on what it is and how to live it'' (1994)

. . * ''Harmonic Experience: Tonal harmony from its natural origins to its modern expression'' (1997)

Inner Traditions Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...

Intl Ltd. . : ''Harmonic Experience'' (561 pages) offers a view of music theory that harmonizes Western and Eastern perspectives. Understanding can be actively enhanced by utilizing its

autodidact Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individu ...

ear-training Ear training or aural skills is a music theory study in which musicians learn to identify pitches, intervals, melody, chords, rhythms, solfeges, and other basic elements of music, solely by hearing. The application of this skill is analogous t ...

and

sight-singing In music, sight-reading, also called ''a prima vista'' (Italian meaning "at first sight"), is the practice of reading and performing of a piece in a music notation that the performer has not seen or learned before. Sight-singing is used to descri ...

exercises, especially using singing sargam syllables over a

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

such as a tamboura or possibly a Western fifth played in

just intonation In music, just intonation or pure intonation is the tuning of musical intervals as whole number ratios (such as 3:2 or 4:3) of frequencies. An interval tuned in this way is said to be pure, and is called a just interval. Just intervals (and ...

. Mathieu is described as Neo-Riemannian and he cites

Ernst Levy Ernst Levy (18 November 1895 – 19 April 1981) was a Swiss musicologist, composer, pianist and conductor. Life Born in Basel, Switzerland, Levy studied with Egon Petri and Raoul Pugno.. Entry: "Ernst Levy". David Dubal describes him as an ...

, who wrote of harmonic polarity and undertones, as an influence. The book has been praised by folk musician

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...

References

External links

ColdMountainMusic.com
Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathieu, William Allaudin 1937 births Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area Pupils of Easley Blackwood Jr. Pupils of Pran Nath (musician) Windham Hill Records artists 21st-century American male musicians