Daniel Felsenfeld
Encyclopedia
Daniel Felsenfeld is a composer
of contemporary classical music
and a writer.
, raised primarily in Southern California
and currently resides in Brooklyn
with his wife, writer Elizabeth Isadora Gold. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara
where he got his undergraduate degree in composition
studying with Margaret Meyer. He did his Masters and Doctoral work at the New England Conservatory where he studied with Arthur Berger
and Lee Hyla
. He is also an author, having written three books published by Amadeus Press as well as hundreds of articles. In 2007 he was the subject of a "Talk of the Town" piece in The New Yorker
magazine because many writers whom he met at the MacDowell Colony
used his last name in their novels, most notably Michael Chabon
in The Yiddish Policemen's Union
. He teaches at City College of New York
.
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 contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
and a writer.
Biography
Felsenfeld was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, raised primarily in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
and currently resides in 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...
with his wife, writer Elizabeth Isadora Gold. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
where he got his undergraduate degree in composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
studying with Margaret Meyer. He did his Masters and Doctoral work at the New England Conservatory where he studied with Arthur Berger
Arthur Berger
Arthur Victor Berger was an American composer who has been described as a New Mannerist.-Biography:Born in New York City, of Jewish descent, Berger studied as an undergraduate at New York University, during which time he joined the Young Composer's Group, as a graduate student under Walter Piston...
and Lee Hyla
Lee Hyla
Lee Hyla is an American classical music composer.Lee Hyla was born in Niagara Falls, New York, and grew up in Greencastle, Indiana...
. He is also an author, having written three books published by Amadeus Press as well as hundreds of articles. In 2007 he was the subject of a "Talk of the Town" piece in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine because many writers whom he met at the MacDowell Colony
MacDowell Colony
The MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
used his last name in their novels, most notably Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
in The Yiddish Policemen's Union
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a 2007 novel by American author Michael Chabon. The novel is a detective story set in an alternative history version of the present day, based on the premise that during World War II, a temporary settlement for Jewish refugees was established in Sitka, Alaska, in...
. He teaches at City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
.
Orchestral music
- The DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
Soul Symphony (2008, with Larry Gold) for orchestra, chorus, rock band, and four soul singers - Insomnia Redux; 4am (2005) for orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
- Thursday Night OvertureOvertureOverture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
(1999) for chamber orchestra - The Bridge (2003) for sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and chamber orchestra - Summer and All it Brings (2002) solo cantata for soprano, narrator and chamber orchestra
- Busmeat: A Parable (1998) for orchestra
- Nicotine Sinfonietta (1997 for chamber orchestra
- Bad Coffee Serenade (1994) concerto for violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and chamber orchestra
Opera
- The Last of Manhattan (2004) for singers and chamber ensemble, librettoLibrettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Ernest HilbertErnest HilbertErnest Hilbert is an American poet, critic, and editor born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1970.-Biography:Hilbert graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Rutgers University in 1993. He also received a Master's Degree and Doctorate in English Literature... - Summer and All it Brings (2002) for soprano, narrator, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
and celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, libretto by Ernest Hilbert - Thursday Night: Suite from an Abandoned Opera (1999) for singers and chamber orchestra
Chamber music
- "You.Have.No.Idea" (2009–10) for string quartet
- All Work and No Play (2007) for piccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
and piano - Life Shrinks (2007) for piano, cello and percussion—music for dance
- Living Room Suite (2006) for string trioString trioA string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. The term is generally used with reference to works of chamber music from the Classical period to the present.-History:...
- For Stephanie (2006) for string quartet
- First Scenes from Red Room (2006) for violin and piano
- From MaldororMaldororMaldoror is a music project consisting of Mike Patton and Masami Akita, also known as Merzbow. The name is derived from a nineteenth century novel entitled Les Chants de Maldoror by the Comte de Lautréamont, the pseudonym of the writer Isidore Lucien Ducasse.The project formed when Patton was on...
(2003) for flute, oboe, piano and narrator - I Conquered Egypt (2000) for piano trio
- Let Me Out (1999) for timpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, cello and bass clarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet... - Live ‘Til Twilight (1999) for cello and piano
- Fast Living (1999) for cello and percussion
- Cultivating Cool (1999) for flute, clarinet, trumpet, piano, percussion and double bass
- Smoking My Diploma (1998) for oboeOboeThe 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...
, cello and piano - Looking for Funny Dog (1998) for flute and organ
- O I LIKE the LIFE that I’m LEADING (1997) for flute and piano
- Something Very Serious (1995) for violin and piano
- Don’t Call me Sir (1994) for clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and piano - Bad Coffee Serenade (1994) for violin and piano
Solo music
- Obsession No. 1: Toscanini’s Glasses (2008) for solo piano
- The Cohen Variations (2009) for solo piano
- Insomnia Redux; 4am (2003) for solo piano
- A Dirty Little Secret (2003) for solo piano
- Air That Kills (2000) for solo violin
- Down to You is Up (1999) Three movements for solo piano
Vocal music
- "From Sleepless Nights" (2009) for mezzo-soprano and cello
- In My Craft and Sullen Art (2008) for soprano and piano
- The Poet’s Dream of Herself as a Young Girl (2008) for mezzo-soprano and piano trio
- Fall, Leaves, Fall (2007) for soprano and piano
- “Aria” from Magnificat (2007) for soprano and piano
- To a Cabaret Dancer (2007) for mezzo-soprano and piano
- Dry Sandwiches (2007) for soprano and piano
- Lines for Winter (2007) for tenor and piano
- You Want a Social Life, With Friends (2007) for baritone and piano
- Annus Mirabilis (2007) for bass and piano
- True Love (2007) for soprano and organ
- The Bridge (2003) cycle of five songs for soprano and piano; inspired by the poetry of W. H. AudenW. H. AudenWystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
and Ernest Hilbert, and The Bridge of San Luis ReyThe Bridge of San Luis ReyThe Bridge of San Luis Rey is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel, first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. It tells the story of several interrelated people who die in the collapse of an Inca rope-fiber suspension bridge in Peru, and the events that lead up to their being on the...
by Thornton WilderThornton WilderThornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,... - New Forms of Control (2000) for female voices, two synthesizers, and percussion
- I May Never Get Home (1999) cycle of seven songs for baritone and piano
- Thank You, Goodnight (1999) cycle of five songs for soprano and piano
- L’Envoi (1999) for soprano and piano
- Sunday Night (1999) for soprano and piano
- Elizabeth Among the Rains (1997) cycle of five songs for mezzo-soprano and piano
- From the Letters of Heloise (1996) for soprano, clarinet, bass clarinet, percussion and strings
- I Am Saturn (1997) cycle of three songs for soprano and piano
- Equals (1996) for soprano and string quartet
- Five Songs for Five Friends (1995) cycle of five songs for soprano and piano
Choral music
- Revolutions of Ruin (2008) for SATB chorus with soprano and baritone soloists and chamber orchestra
- Manhattan Choruses (2004) for SATB chorus and organ
Books
- Antonio VivaldiAntonio VivaldiAntonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
and the BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
Tradition, with Donna Getzinger - Benjamin BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
and Samuel BarberSamuel BarberSamuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
: Their Lives and Music - Johannes BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
and the Twilight of RomanticismRomanticismRomanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
, with Donna Getzinger - Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and German Opera - George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
and Music for Voices, with Donna Getzinger - Tchaikovsky: A Listener's Guide Book
- Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
and the Art of Baroque MusicBaroque musicBaroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
with Donna Getzinger - Charles IvesCharles IvesCharles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
and Aaron CoplandAaron CoplandAaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
—A Listener's Guide
Books with characters named after Felsenfeld
- The Yiddish Policemen's UnionThe Yiddish Policemen's UnionThe Yiddish Policemen's Union is a 2007 novel by American author Michael Chabon. The novel is a detective story set in an alternative history version of the present day, based on the premise that during World War II, a temporary settlement for Jewish refugees was established in Sitka, Alaska, in...
by Michael ChabonMichael ChabonMichael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review.... - The Secondhand World by Katherine Min
- At the Feet of the Divine by Benjamin AnastasBenjamin AnastasBenjamin Anastas is an American novelist, journalist and critic born in Gloucester, Massachusetts.Anastas started publishing his short fiction while a graduate student at the Iowa Writer's Workshop...
- Every Visible Thing by Lisa Carey
- Russell Wiley Is Out to Lunch by Richard Hine
- Upcoming novel by Ellen Slezak