Cathy Berberian
Encyclopedia
Catherine Anahid Berberian (July 4, 1925 – March 6, 1983) was an American soprano and composer. She interpreted contemporary avant-garde music composed, among others, by Luciano Berio
, Bruno Maderna
, John Cage
, Henri Pousseur
, Sylvano Bussotti
, Darius Milhaud
, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati
, Igor Stravinsky
.
She also interpreted works by Claudio Monteverdi
, Heitor Villa-Lobos
, Kurt Weill
, Philipp Zu Eulenburg, The Beatles
, folk songs from Armenia, also by the musical analyst Komitas Vartabed, and her own compositions. Her best known work is Stripsody (1966), in which she exploits her vocal technique using comic book
sounds (onomatopoeia).
to Armenian
parents, Yervant and Louise Berberian. The elder of two children, she spent the first 12 years of her life in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The family moved to New York City
in 1937 where she graduated from Manhattan
's Julia Richman High School for Girls. From an early age, she showed an interest in Armenian folk music and dance as well as traditional opera
. While still in high school, she was the director and soloist of the Armenian Folk Group in New York City. For a time, she was an undergraduate at New York University
, but left to take evening classes in theatre and music at Columbia University, working during the day to support her studies. She went on to study music in Paris
with Marya Freund in 1948, and in 1949 she went to Milan to study singing at the Milan Conservatory
with Giorgina del Vigo. In 1950, she received a Fulbright scholarship
to continue her studies there. Although she had appeared in several student productions, radio broadcasts and informal concerts during the early 1950s, she made her formal debut in 1957 at Incontri Musicali, a contemporary music festival in Naples
. The following year her performance of John Cage
's Aria with Fontana Mix in its world premiere, established her as a major exponent of contemporary vocal music. Her American debut came in 1960 at the Tanglewood Music Festival
where she premiered Circles
by the Italian composer Luciano Berio
.
From 1950 to 1964 Berberian was married to Luciano Berio, whom she met when they were students at the Milan Conservatory. They had one daughter, Cristina Luisa, born in 1953. Berberian became Berio's muse both during and after their marriage. He deconstructed her voice in Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) (1958) and wrote his Circles (1960), Folk Songs
(1964), Sequenza III for woman's voice
(1965), and Recital I (for Cathy)
(1972) for her.
Sylvano Bussotti
, John Cage
, Hans Werner Henze
, William Walton
, Igor Stravinsky
, and Anthony Burgess
also composed works for her voice. Although Berberian always remained based in Milan from the time of her studies there, she taught at both Vancouver University and the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne
during the 1970s. Cathy Berberian died in a Rome hotel of an apparent heart attack, aged 57. Following her death Berio composed Requies: in memoriam Cathy Berberian which premiered in Lausanne
on 26 March 1984.
She is mentioned in the Steely Dan
song "Your Gold Teeth" from the 1973 album Countdown to Ecstasy
:
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
, Bruno Maderna
Bruno Maderna
Bruno Maderna was an Italian conductor and composer. For the last ten years of his life he lived in Germany and eventually became a citizen of that country.-Biography:...
, 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...
, Henri Pousseur
Henri Pousseur
Henri Pousseur was a Belgian composer.-Biography:Pousseur studied at the Academies of Music in Liège and in Brussels from 1947 to 1953. He was closely associated with Pierre Froidebise and André Souris...
, Sylvano Bussotti
Sylvano Bussotti
Sylvano Bussotti is an Italian composer of contemporary music whose work is unusually notated and often creates special problems of interpretation.Born in Florence, Bussotti learned to play the violin as a child, becoming a prodigy...
, Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati
Roman Haubenstock-Ramati
Roman Haubenstock-Ramati was a composer and music editor who worked in Kraków, Tel Aviv and Vienna.Haubenstock-Ramati studied composition, music theory, violin and philosophy in Kraków and Lemberg from 1937 to 1940. Among his teachers were Artur Malawski and Józef Koffler. From 1947 to 1950 he was...
, Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
.
She also interpreted works by Claudio 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...
, Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
, Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
, Philipp Zu Eulenburg, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, folk songs from Armenia, also by the musical analyst Komitas Vartabed, and her own compositions. Her best known work is Stripsody (1966), in which she exploits her vocal technique using comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
sounds (onomatopoeia).
Biography
Cathy Berberian was born in Attleboro, MassachusettsAttleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States and is immediately north of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers, Attleboro had a population of 42,068 at the 2000 census, and a population of 43,645 as of...
to Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
parents, Yervant and Louise Berberian. The elder of two children, she spent the first 12 years of her life in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The family moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1937 where she graduated from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Julia Richman High School for Girls. From an early age, she showed an interest in Armenian folk music and dance as well as traditional opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. While still in high school, she was the director and soloist of the Armenian Folk Group in New York City. For a time, she was an undergraduate at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, but left to take evening classes in theatre and music at Columbia University, working during the day to support her studies. She went on to study music in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with Marya Freund in 1948, and in 1949 she went to Milan to study singing at the Milan Conservatory
Milan Conservatory
The Milan Conservatory is a college of music which was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. It opened the following year with premises in the cloisters of the Baroque church of Santa Maria della Passione. There were initially 18 boarders,...
with Giorgina del Vigo. In 1950, she received a Fulbright scholarship
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
to continue her studies there. Although she had appeared in several student productions, radio broadcasts and informal concerts during the early 1950s, she made her formal debut in 1957 at Incontri Musicali, a contemporary music festival in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. The following year her performance of 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...
's Aria with Fontana Mix in its world premiere, established her as a major exponent of contemporary vocal music. Her American debut came in 1960 at the Tanglewood Music Festival
Tanglewood Music Festival
The Tanglewood Music Festival is a music festival held every summer on the Tanglewood estate in Lenox, Massachusetts in the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts....
where she premiered Circles
Circles (Berio)
Circles is a composition for female voice, harp and two percussionists by the Italian composer Luciano Berio. Written in 1960 Circles is a setting of three poems by E. E. Cummings.-Context of the composition:...
by the Italian composer Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
.
From 1950 to 1964 Berberian was married to Luciano Berio, whom she met when they were students at the Milan Conservatory. They had one daughter, Cristina Luisa, born in 1953. Berberian became Berio's muse both during and after their marriage. He deconstructed her voice in Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) (1958) and wrote his Circles (1960), Folk Songs
Folk Songs (Berio)
Folk Songs is a song cycle by the Italian composer Luciano Berio composed in 1964. It consists of arrangements of folk music from various countries and other songs, forming "a tribute to the extraordinary artistry" of the American singer Cathy Berberian, a specialist in Berio's music. It is scored...
(1964), Sequenza III for woman's voice
Sequenza
Sequenza is the name borne by fourteen compositions for solo instruments or voice by Luciano Berio. The word "sequenza" means "sequence" in Italian. The pieces, which often call for extended techniques, are:*Sequenza I Sequenza is the name borne by fourteen compositions for solo instruments or...
(1965), and Recital I (for Cathy)
Recital I (for Cathy)
Recital I is a stage work by the Italian composer Luciano Berio. It was written for Cathy Berberian, with whom Berio was married from 1950 to 1964, and is scored for vocalist, two pianos, harpsichord and chamber orchestra...
(1972) for her.
Sylvano Bussotti
Sylvano Bussotti
Sylvano Bussotti is an Italian composer of contemporary music whose work is unusually notated and often creates special problems of interpretation.Born in Florence, Bussotti learned to play the violin as a child, becoming a prodigy...
, 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...
, Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
, William Walton
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
, Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, and Anthony Burgess
Anthony Burgess
John Burgess Wilson – who published under the pen name Anthony Burgess – was an English author, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. The dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange is Burgess's most famous novel, though he dismissed it as one of his lesser works...
also composed works for her voice. Although Berberian always remained based in Milan from the time of her studies there, she taught at both Vancouver University and the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
during the 1970s. Cathy Berberian died in a Rome hotel of an apparent heart attack, aged 57. Following her death Berio composed Requies: in memoriam Cathy Berberian which premiered in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
on 26 March 1984.
She is mentioned in the Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
song "Your Gold Teeth" from the 1973 album Countdown to Ecstasy
Countdown to Ecstasy
Countdown to Ecstasy is the second album by rock group Steely Dan, released in July 1973. The album was written and recorded in rushed sessions between live concerts and produced two Billboard Hot 100 hits, "Show Biz Kids" and "My Old School".-History:...
:
- "Even Cathy Berberian knows / There's one roulade she can't sing."
Discography
- The fairy Queen Suite (Angelicum, 1957) by Henry Purcell, orchestra conducted by Bruno Maderna.
- Ora Mi Alzo and Autostrada music by Luciano Berio and words by Italo Calvino from Allez hop (Philips, 1960), orchestra conducted by Bruno Maderna
- Elegy for J.F.K. recorded on December 1964 and included in Recent Stravinsky-Conducted by the Composer (Columbia)
- Rounds with voice by Luciano Berio, included in the Lp Das Moderne Cembalo Der Antoinette Vischer (Wergo, 1965)
- Beatles Arias (Philips, 1966) published in France and UK (Polydor, 1967) with the same title. Published in USA as Revolution (Fontana Philips, 1966) and in Germany as Beatles arias for special fans (Philips, 1967)
- Roman Haubenstock-Ramati. Credential or think, think lucky (Wergo, 1967)
- Henri Pousseur-Michel Butor. Jeu de Miroirs de Votre Faust (Wergo, 1968)
- Claudio Monteverdi. L'Orfeo, as Messaggera and Speranza. Concertus musicus Wien conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Telefunken, 1969)
- Chem Grna Khagha and Karoun A , both especially recorded for the double Lp The music of Komitas (KCC, 1970) made to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Komitas Vartabed.
- magnifiCathy: the many voices of Cathy Berberian (Wergo 1971) recorded in Milan, Italy.
- Recital I for Cathy (RCA, 1973)
- Cathy Berberian at the Edinburgh Festival (RCA, 1974) published in USA as There are faires at the bottom of our garden (RCA, 1974)
- Claudio Monteverdi. L'incoronazione di Poppea, as Ottavia. Concertus musicus Wien conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Telefunken, 1974)
- Claudio Monteverdi. Lettera Amorosa-Lamento d'Arianna-Orfeo-Poppea (Telefunken, 1975)
- Wie einst in schoner'n Tagen-Salonmusik der Grunderzeit (EMI, 1976)
- William Walton. Façade and Façade 2 (OUP, 1980)
- Cathy Berberian's Second Hand Songs (TAT, 1981) recorded live on 17 and 18 October 1980 at the Theater Am Turm in Frankfurt, Germany.
Re-releases and compilations on CD
- magnifiCathy: the many voices of Cathy Berberian (1988)
- Ella Fitzgerald/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Cathy Berberian (Stradivarius, 1988) contains Bruno Maderna Hyperion. Live recording from the Festival di Musica Contemporanea in Venice. Recorded on 6 September 1964.
- Cathy Berberian interpreta Berio, Pousseur, Cage (Stradivarius, 1989). Contains live recordings dated 1966, 1967 and 1969.
- Luciano Berio: Passaggio/Visage (BMG Ricordi, 1991) contains Visage for magnetic tape and voice.
- Claudio Monteverdi. L'Orfeo (Teldec, 1992)
- Claudio Monteverdi. L'incoronazione di Poppea (Teldec, 1993)
- Nel labirinto della voce (Ermitage, 1993 and Aura, 2002)
- The Unforgettable Cathy Berberian (CO, 1993)
- Bruno Maderna. Musica elettronica (Stradivarius, 1994) contains Dimensioni II (Invenzioni su una voce).
- Berio: Recital I for Cathy/Folk Songs (BMG Classic, 1995)
- Cathy Berberian sings Monteverdi (Teldec, 1995)
- Hommage à Cathy Berberian (Accord, 1997)
- Beatles Arias (Telescopic, 2005)
- Berio Sequenza III/Chamber Music (Lilith, 2006). Also available on vynil.
Tributes by other artists
- Songs Cathy Sang (Atlantic, 1989) by Linda Hirst
- Cristina Zavalloni (Radio Popolare/Sensible Records, 2003)
- Salomix-Max: In Memoriam Cathy Berberian (Wergo, 2008) by Salome KammerSalome KammerSalome Kammer is a German actor, singer and cellist.- Professional career :Kammer was the fourth of six children. Her father was a Protestant pastor...
Further reading
- Vila, Marie Christine (2003). Cathy Berberian: Cant'actrice. Fayard. ISBN 2213617023
- Paull, Jennifer (2007). Cathy Berberian and Music's Muses . Jennifer Paull. ISBN 1847538894
External links
- CathyBerberian.com – official web site
- MVDaily.com: A musical enchantress On the anniversary of Cathy Berberian's death, Jennifer I. PaullJennifer (Irene) PaullJennifer Irène Paull is a musician, publisher, lecturer, and author.Jennifer Paull was born in Liverpool, England, 24 November 1944, as Jennifer Irène Schulcz. Her father changed the family name when she was 5. He was born in the Hungarian speaking regions of the Austro–Hungarian Empire...
remembers the legendary singer who cast musical spells - Cathy Berberian interview by Charles AmirkhanianCharles AmirkhanianCharles Amirkhanian is an American composer. He is a percussionist, sound poet, and radio producer of Armenian extraction. He is mostly known for his electroacoustic and text-sound music...
at her home in Milan, Italy, first broadcast on 1 November 1972 - Meirion-Bowen.com: Contemporary Cathy
- Frank's Vinyl Museum: Cathy Berberian: Revolution Beatles songs go baroque! An operatic first!