Avo Sõmer
Encyclopedia
Avo Somer is an American musicologist music theorist, and composer
, of Estonian birth.
Avo Sõmer emigrated from Estonia with his parents in 1944, when he was ten years old, first to Germany and then to the United States. He had already begun playing the piano as a child in Pärnu. In Germany he took some piano lessons and instruction in theory, and began to compose, but systematic instruction in music came only later. He majored in music education, piano performance, and composition at Wayne State University
in Detroit, Michigan
, followed by graduate studies at the University of Michigan
where, in 1957, he earned an M. A. with a thesis on Monteverdi
’s madrigals, and then, in 1963, a PhD with a dissertation “The Keyboard Music of Johann Jakob Froberger
” (Maimets 2000). In 1962 he joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut
, where he remained until his retirement in 2000. Since that time he has increased his activity as a writer, and has spoken at conferences in Estonia on the music of Eduard Tubin
, twentieth-century music in general, and the theories of Heinrich Schenker
.
He is best known for his analytical publications on early twentieth-century music, especially that of Debussy
and the Estonian symphonist, Eduard Tubin, though his unpublished Ph. D. dissertation remains a respected work among Froberger researchers down to the present time.
As a composer, Sõmer participated in Karlheinz Stockhausen
’s composition studio at the Darmstädter Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in 1967, contributing the oboe
part to Ensemble (Gehlhaar 1968). He says this was a "significant moment" for him, but "mainly in a negative sense," because it made him realize he did not wish to continue with avant-garde music. Instead, he adopted a style close to that of the late works of Béla Bartók
, with just a glimpse of the string quartets of Elliott Carter
(Remme 2001).
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, of Estonian birth.
Avo Sõmer emigrated from Estonia with his parents in 1944, when he was ten years old, first to Germany and then to the United States. He had already begun playing the piano as a child in Pärnu. In Germany he took some piano lessons and instruction in theory, and began to compose, but systematic instruction in music came only later. He majored in music education, piano performance, and composition at Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, followed by graduate studies at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where, in 1957, he earned an M. A. with a thesis on Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
’s madrigals, and then, in 1963, a PhD with a dissertation “The Keyboard Music of Johann Jakob Froberger
Johann Jakob Froberger
Johann Jakob Froberger was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. He was among the most famous composers of the era and influenced practically every major composer in Europe by developing the genre of keyboard suite and contributing greatly to the exchange of musical...
” (Maimets 2000). In 1962 he joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, where he remained until his retirement in 2000. Since that time he has increased his activity as a writer, and has spoken at conferences in Estonia on the music of Eduard Tubin
Eduard Tubin
-Life:Tubin was born in Torila, Governorate of Livonia, Estonia. Both his parents were music lovers, and his father played trumpet and trombone in the village band. His first taste of music came at school where he learned flute and balalaika. Later, his father swapped a cow for a piano, and the...
, twentieth-century music in general, and the theories of Heinrich Schenker
Heinrich Schenker
Heinrich Schenker was a music theorist, best known for his approach to musical analysis, now usually called Schenkerian analysis....
.
He is best known for his analytical publications on early twentieth-century music, especially that of Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
and the Estonian symphonist, Eduard Tubin, though his unpublished Ph. D. dissertation remains a respected work among Froberger researchers down to the present time.
As a composer, Sõmer participated in Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
’s composition studio at the Darmstädter Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in 1967, contributing the oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
part to Ensemble (Gehlhaar 1968). He says this was a "significant moment" for him, but "mainly in a negative sense," because it made him realize he did not wish to continue with avant-garde music. Instead, he adopted a style close to that of the late works of Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
, with just a glimpse of the string quartets of Elliott Carter
Elliott Carter
Elliott Cook Carter, Jr. is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1930s, and then returned to the United States. After a neoclassical phase, he went on to write atonal, rhythmically complex music...
(Remme 2001).
Musicological and analytical works
- 1957. "The Madrigals of Monteverdi: A Study of Changing Styles and Forms." M. A. Thesis. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
- 1963. "The Keyboard Music of Johann Jakob Froberger." Ph. D. diss. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
- 1995. "Chromatic Third-Relations and Tonal Structure in the Songs of Debussy." Music Theory Spectrum 17, No. 2. (Autumn,): 215–41.
- 1999. "Imagery, digression, and coherence in Etude pour les agrements of Debussy." In A Composition as a Problem 2, edited by Mart Humal, 93–108. Tallinn: Eesti Muusikaakadeemia.
- 2000. "Süntaktilised kujundid Debussy sonaatides" [Syntactical structures in Debussy's sonatas]. In Töid muusikateooria alalt 1, edited by Mart Humal, 61–90. Tallinn: Scripta Musicalia.
- 2001. "'Leinalaulu teisenemised': Tonaalsed kujundid atonaalsel heliväljal Eduard Tubina Kaheksandas sümfoonias" ["Metamorphoses of Grief": Tonal Figures in an Atonal Field in the Symphony No. 8 of Tubin]. Rahvusvahelise Eduard Tubina Ühingu aastaraamat 1.
- 2003. "Orpheus ja Pierrot: 20. sajandi algusaastate uue muusika tahke" [Orpheus and Pierrot: Aspects of Early Twentieth-Century Music]. Akadeemia no. 3:565–86.
- 2003. “Lyricism and sentence formation in the earlier symphonies of Eduard Tubin.” Rahvusvahelise Eduard Tubina Ühingu Aastaraamat/ Yearbook of the International Eduard Tubin Society 3, pp. 49-58. Tallinn: International Eduard Tubin Society.
- 2004. "Fantasque, ironique: An interpretation of the "Serenade" of Debussy's Cello Sonata." In A Composition as a Problem 4, no. 1, edited by Mart Humal. Tallinn: Eesti Muusikaakadeemia.
- 2004. "Muusika loomise ja analüüsi seostest" [Relationships between composing and analyzing the music] . In Mõeldes muusikast: Sissevaateid muusikateadusesse [Thoughts on music: Insights into musicology] , edited by Jaan Ross and Kaire Maimets, 191–207. Tallinn: Varrak.
- 2005. "Musical Syntax in the Sonatas of Debussy: Phrase Structure and Formal Function". Music Theory Spectrum.27, no. 1 (Spring): 67–96. abstract
- 2006. “Interpreting Thematic Reprise and Transformation in Late Debussy.” Paper presented at the Fifth International Conference on Music Theory, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, September 28–30.
Compositions (selective list)
- Concertino, for flute,clarinet, bassoon, piano, percussion, violin, and cello (1964)
- Ensemble, oboe part in a collaborative composition, supervised by Karlheinz Stockhausen, for 12 instruments, tapes, and live electronics (1967)
- Eight Preludes, for piano (1974)
Sources
- Gehlhaar, Rolf. 1968. Zur Komposition Ensemble: Kompositionsstudio Karlheinz Stockhausen, Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt 1967. Darmstädter Beiträge zur Neuen Musik 11. Edited by Ernst Thomas. Mainz: B. Schott’s Söhne. (Text in both German and English.)
- Maimets, Kaire. 2000. "Images: Rondes d’automne: Sõmeri ja Schenkeri teemadel."
- Remme, Anneli. 2001. "Debussy, Tubin, Ravi Shankar—Tähtis on elamus muusikast: Intervjuu muusikaprofessor Avo Sõmeriga."