1986
for
Clarinet and Violin
William Schuman
Charles Neidich
1985 Clarinet Competition
William Schuman was a composer and a major figure in American arts administration. His cantata A Free Song received the 1943 Pulitzer Prize. He served as president of Juilliard and Lincoln Center, while continuing a compositional career spanning orchestral, chamber and vocal music.
William Schuman was an American composer and arts administrator whose work helped shape musical institutions as well as the concert repertory. Born in New York, he played violin and banjo in a jazz ensemble as a young man before studying at Columbia University Teachers College and with Roy Harris at Juilliard. His cantata A Free Song received the 1943 Pulitzer Prize. As president of the Juilliard School, he promoted changes in musical education and oversaw the establishment of the Juilliard String Quartet. In 1962 he became president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. His music draws on American popular traditions while exploring dissonance, rhythmic energy and varied instrumental colors.
