Hearing The Pulitzers

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer from an earlier generation winning a Pulitzer in the twilight of his career. What will they think of Stringmusic? If you'd like more information about Morton Gould, we recommend: Developing Variation in the Late Work of Morton Gould and Why It MattersMorton Gould: His Life and Music

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss one of the composers Dave wishes he had met, Gunther Schuller. But does Schuller's winning work Of Reminiscences and Reflections live up to his high expectations? If you'd like more information about Gunther Schuller, we recommend: A Life in Pursuit of Music and BeautyGunther Schuller SocietyMusings

In this episode, Dave and Andrew consider one of the few concertos to win the Pulitzer Prize, this time for an instrument whose sound some critics claimed grew "tiresome." Will they agree? And what famous composer's music is quoted in the piece? If you'd like more information about Christopher Rouse, we recommend: This interview with Joe AlessiSymmetry and Narrative in Christopher Rouse's Trombone Concerto with white space waiting (an original composition for chamber orchestra)Christopher Rouse: An Overview

In this episode, Dave and Andrew address one of the most controversial awards in Pulitzer history. What happened in 1992 and was Wayne Peterson's music worthy of the ruckus that grew around it? If you'd like more information about Wayne Peterson, we recommend: Obituary of the composer in the New York Times.professional management servicerecording

In this episode, Dave and Andrew are joined by Howard Pollack, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Music at the University of Houston. Dr. Pollack is the author of acclaimed biographies of several Pulitzer Prize winners from the early years, including a recent biography of two-time winner Samuel Barber. About Howard Pollack

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the second Pulitzer Prize in music won by a female composer, Shulamit Ran for her Symphony, in 1991. What will they think about this fourth freely-atonal work in a row to win the prize? And what snags did they run into researching this episode? As mentioned in the podcast, here is Shulamit Ran performing with the New York Philharmonic in 1965: If you'd like more information on Shulamit Ran, we recommend: Between Two Cultures: A Conversation with Shulamit RanCasting Musical Spells: Time, Passion, and Inevitability in the Music of Shulamit Ran

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer who played with Benny Goodman as a jazz pianist, and then embraced Arnold Schoenberg's musical ideas as a member of the academy. What kind of music does that concoction create? Listen to this episode on Duplicates, Powell's winning piece for two pianos and orchestra. If you'd like more information about Mel Powell, we recommend: Constructing a Relevant Past: Mel Powell's Beethoven AnalogsFinally, you might like to see Mel Powell in action with Benny Goodman:

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a work for string orchestra that Kyle Gann opined was the first experimental composition to win the Pulitzer since Charles Ives. Given how much Dave loves Ives, how does he react to Whispers Out of Time? How does the piece fit in the context of music written in the late 1980s? If you'd like more information about Roger Reynolds, we recommend: American Music in the 20th Century Roger Reynolds's "Ideals and Realities: A Composer in America

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with 1988 Pulitzer Prize Winner William Bolcom. What is the difference between the Etudes and the New Etudes? What impact did John Cage have on his career? And who is answering the phone? We hope you enjoy hearing from him about these insights and many more!

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first solo piano work to ever win a Pulitzer Prize. And they try to answer the question–if these are "new" etudes, what are the "old" etudes? They also examine how Bolcom incorporates various styles and techniques into the etudes, and ponder the set's historical place among other etude collections. If you'd like more information about William Bolcom, we recommend: Revolutionary Etudes: The Expansion of Piano Technique Exploited in the Twelve New Etudes of William BolcomWilliam Bolcom's websiteAnd if you'd like to read Dave's interview with Marc-André Hamelin (who premiered the entire set), you can find it here.

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with Pulitzer Winner John Harbison. Why did he decide to play the tuba? What was it like to study composition with two-time winner Walter Piston? What was the impetus for looking at the darker side of Christmas in The Flight Into Egypt? We hope you enjoy hearing from him about these insights and many more!

In this episode Dave and Andrew discuss a composer known for his eclecticism, who writes music that features the influence of jazz, Stravinskian neoclassicism, Schoenbergian serialism, and a variety of popular idioms. But will that mixture of styles win them over when applied to a Biblical text about the "dark side" of Christmas? If you'd like more information about Harbison, we recommend: Brian GalanteJohn Harbison's The Flight into Egypt: An Analysis for PerformanceJohn Harbison and His Musicprofile

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss someone they know primarily as a music theorist. George Perle is celebrated for his theoretical work on twelve-tone theory and Alban Berg's music, but how does he stack up as a composer? And what do they think of the first woodwind quintet to win a Pulitzer? For more information about George Perle, we recommend: Twelve-Tone TonalityVol IVol II George Perle: Man, Composer, and Theorist

In this episode, Dave and Andrew continue discussing the streak of Neo-Romantic winners of the Pulitzer Prize in music with Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun. But will this symphony win them over? For more information about Stephen Albert, we recommend: The Pastoral After Environmentalism: Nature and Culture in Stephen Albert'sSymphony: RiverRunStephen Albert's Website

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer associated with New Romanticism. But is that label reductive or does it accurately describe Bernard Rands's music? How about this song cycle based on poems about the sun? If you'd like more information about Rands, we recommend: Horizons ’83, Meet the Composer, andNew Romanticism’s New MarketplaceBruce Duffie's interview

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with Pulitzer Winner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. What did she learn studying at Florida State University and with former Pulitzer winners Roger Sessions and Elliott Carter? And why does she have a framed "Peanuts" cartoon in her studio? We hope you enjoy hearing from her about these insights and more!

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first female Pulitzer Prize winner, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, who wrote a symphony of all things. What will they think about the first symphony to win the prize since Walter Piston's Symphony No. 7 back in 1961? As promised in the episode, here's Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's appearance in Peanuts. If you'd like more information about Zwilich, we recommend: Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Symphony No. 1: Developing Variation in the 1980sInterview with Ellen Taaffe Zwilichwebsite

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the third winner of the Pulitzer Prize to study with Horatio Parker at Yale, Roger Sessions, for his Concerto for Orchestra. Since the other two winners were Charles Ives and Quincy Porter, it isn't a shock that Sessions was 85 years old when he won. What will they think about this blast from the past? If you'd like to learn more about Roger Sessions, we recommend: Roger Sessions on Music: Collected EssaysRoger Sessions: A Biography The Correspondence of Roger SessionsThe Roger Sessions Society

In this episode, Dave and Andrew cover the fourth and final time (so far) that the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. Unlike 1965, which was the last year they didn't award the prize, 1981 wasn't mired in controversy. So why did the Pulitzer Board not award a prize and what should have won? As a bonus, Dave and Andrew also discuss lessons learned after covering 40 years of the Pulitzer Prize and make predictions for what's to come!

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer Aaron Copland called a "rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift." Will they agree with Copland about David Del Tredici's In Memory of a Summer Day? If you'd like more information about David Del Tredici, we recommend: issue on New TonalityJ. D. Dolan's articleJames E. Chute's dissertationinterview