Betty Freeman
Encyclopedia
Betty Wishnick-Freeman was an American
philanthropist and photographer.
Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois
. At the age of three she moved with her parents and two brothers to Brooklyn
, attending high school in New Rochelle, New York
. Her father was a chemical engineer who had graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology
, and her mother was a mathematics teacher and graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Betty Freeman was a graduate of Wellesley College (1942), where she majored in English literature with a minor in music. She had originally trained to be a concert pianist, practicing six to eight hours per day for twenty years, but eventually, by the mid-1960s, gave up this dream to pursue concert managing. Following her graduation she married and had four children, then later divorced and married the Italian sculptor and painter Franco Assetto
(1911-1991), with whom she lived half of each year in Turin
.
As of 2003, Freeman had made (since 1961) 432 grants and commissions to 81 composers, often early in their careers. The composers she assisted include Lou Harrison
, John Cage
, La Monte Young
, Philip Glass
, Steve Reich
, John Adams, Anders Hillborg, Pierre Boulez
, Harrison Birtwistle
, Virgil Thomson
, Helmut Lachenmann
, and Kaija Saariaho
. John Cage dedicated his Freeman Etudes
to her (although she did not commission them),, Lou Harrison dedicated his Serenade for Betty Freeman and Franco Assetto to Freeman and her husband, Steve Reich dedicated Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards (1979) and Vermont Counterpoint (1982) to her, and John Adams's opera Nixon in China
(1985-87) was dedicated to her. The American gamelan
Si Betty, built by Harrison and William Colvig
in 1979, was named for Freeman. Bequeathed by Harrison to long-time collaborator and composer Jody Diamond
, it has been housed at Harvard University
since 2007.
In 1972 Freeman produced a documentary film about the composer and instrument builder Harry Partch
, entitled The Dreamer That Remains.
She wrote books about the American artists Clyfford Still
and Sam Francis
. She was also an art collector.
She lived in Beverly Hills, California
and died in Los Angeles
, California
on January 4, 2009, at the age of 87.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philanthropist and photographer.
Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. At the age of three she moved with her parents and two brothers to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, attending high school in New Rochelle, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Her father was a chemical engineer who had graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
, and her mother was a mathematics teacher and graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Betty Freeman was a graduate of Wellesley College (1942), where she majored in English literature with a minor in music. She had originally trained to be a concert pianist, practicing six to eight hours per day for twenty years, but eventually, by the mid-1960s, gave up this dream to pursue concert managing. Following her graduation she married and had four children, then later divorced and married the Italian sculptor and painter Franco Assetto
Franco Assetto
Franco Assetto was an Italian sculptor and painter, who lived in the United States for much of his life.His early work anticipated Pop Art....
(1911-1991), with whom she lived half of each year in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
.
As of 2003, Freeman had made (since 1961) 432 grants and commissions to 81 composers, often early in their careers. The composers she assisted include Lou Harrison
Lou Harrison
Lou Silver Harrison was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison...
, John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, La Monte Young
La Monte Young
La Monte Thornton Young is an American avant-garde composer, musician, and artist.Young is generally recognized as the first minimalist composer. His works have been included among the most important and radical post-World War II avant-garde, experimental, and contemporary music. Young is...
, Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
, Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
, John Adams, Anders Hillborg, Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
, Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...
, Virgil Thomson
Virgil Thomson
Virgil Thomson was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music...
, Helmut Lachenmann
Helmut Lachenmann
Helmut Lachenmann is a German composer associated with musique concrète instrumentale.-Life and works:...
, and Kaija Saariaho
Kaija Saariaho
Kaija Saariaho is a Finnish composer.Kaija Saariaho studied composition in Helsinki, Freiburg and Paris, where she has lived since 1982. Her studies and research at IRCAM have had a major influence on her music and her characteristically luxuriant and mysterious textures are often created by...
. John Cage dedicated his Freeman Etudes
Freeman Etudes
Freeman Etudes are a set of etudes for solo violin composed by John Cage. Like the earlier Etudes Australes for piano, these works are incredibly complex, nearly impossible to perform, and represented for Cage the "practicality of the impossible" as an answer to the notion that resolving the...
to her (although she did not commission them),, Lou Harrison dedicated his Serenade for Betty Freeman and Franco Assetto to Freeman and her husband, Steve Reich dedicated Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards (1979) and Vermont Counterpoint (1982) to her, and John Adams's opera Nixon in China
Nixon in China (opera)
Nixon in China is an opera in three acts by John Adams, with a libretto by Alice Goodman. Adams' first opera, it was inspired by the 1972 visit to China by US President Richard Nixon. The work premiered at the Houston Grand Opera on October 22, 1987, in a production by Peter Sellars with...
(1985-87) was dedicated to her. The American gamelan
American gamelan
American gamelan could refer to both instruments and music; the term has been used to refer to gamelan-style instruments built by Americans, as well as to music written by American composers to be played on gamelan instruments...
Si Betty, built by Harrison and William Colvig
William Colvig
William Colvig was an electrician and amateur musician who was the partner for 33 years of composer Lou Harrison, whom he met in San Francisco, California in 1967...
in 1979, was named for Freeman. Bequeathed by Harrison to long-time collaborator and composer Jody Diamond
Jody Diamond
Jody Diamond is an American composer, performer, writer, publisher, editor, and educator. She specializes in traditional and new music for Indonesian gamelan and is active internationally as a scholar, performer, and publisher.-Biography:She received a B.A. from the University of California,...
, it has been housed at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
since 2007.
In 1972 Freeman produced a documentary film about the composer and instrument builder Harry Partch
Harry Partch
Harry Partch was an American composer and instrument creator. He was one of the first twentieth-century composers to work extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for custom-made instruments that he built himself, tuned in 11-limit just intonation.-Early...
, entitled The Dreamer That Remains.
She wrote books about the American artists Clyfford Still
Clyfford Still
Clyfford Still was an American painter, and one of the leading figures of Abstract Expressionism.-Biography:...
and Sam Francis
Sam Francis
Samuel Lewis Francis was an American painter and printmaker.-Early life:...
. She was also an art collector.
She lived in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
and died in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on January 4, 2009, at the age of 87.
Books
- 1996 - Music People & Others: 99 Photographs From the Contemporary Music World. Issued in conjunction with the exhibition "Betty Freeman: Music People & Others," held at the Royal Festival Hall in London from April 12 to June 16, 1996. SalzburgSalzburg, GermanySalzburg is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
[Germany]; New York: Festival Press. (Originally published as an exhibition catalog in 1987 by Gabriele Mazzotta (Milan); text by Daniela Palazzoli; text in English and Italian.)
Films
- 1995 - Musical Outsiders: An American Legacy - Harry Partch, Lou Harrison, and Terry Riley. Directed by Michael Blackwood.
- 2005 - Betty Freeman: A Life for the Unknown. Directed by Paul Fenkart. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459079/
External links
- http://www.meetthecomposer.org/node/1165
- Betty Freeman Papers page
- Betty Freeman Papers page
- Death notice from Slipped Disc, an ARTSJOURNAL weblog
- Obituary
Interviews
- Betty Freeman interview
- Betty Freeman interview from New Music Box