Eugene Kurtz
Encyclopedia
Eugene Allen Kurtz was an American
composer of contemporary classical music
.
He received an M.A. in music from the Eastman School of Music
in 1949. His instructors included Arthur Honegger
, Darius Milhaud
, and Max Deutsch
. He served as a guest professor of composition at the University of Michigan
, the Eastman School of Music
, and several other universities. His notable students include John Burke
, Roger Briggs
and Robert Morris
.
His best known composition is The Last Contrabass in Las Vegas (1974), for double bass
and female narrator, which was composed for Bertram Turetzky
and his wife Nancy Turetzky, who have performed it frequently. He was also commissioned by Radio France
.
Kurtz was born in Atlanta and served in the U.S. Army during World War II
; he first arrived in France
in 1944. He settled in Paris in 1952, living there until his death there of a lung infection.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer 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:...
.
He received an M.A. in music from the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in 1949. His instructors included Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...
, 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...
, and Max Deutsch
Max Deutsch
Max Deutsch was an Austrian-French musical composer, conductor, and teacher.He was a pupil of Arnold Schoenberg and founded the theater Der Jüdische Spiegel in Paris. Here, many works of composers like Schoenberg, Anton Webern, or Alban Berg were debuted in France...
. He served as a guest professor of composition 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...
, the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
, and several other universities. His notable students include John Burke
John Burke (composer)
John Joseph Burke is a Canadian composer and music educator. As a composer he has written mainly works for chamber ensembles, and his music displays an acute sensitivity to instrumental balance and timbre...
, Roger Briggs
Roger Briggs
Roger Briggs is an American composer, conductor, pianist, and educator.- Biography :Roger Briggs, born and raised in Florence, Alabama, began playing the piano at age 8 and composing by age 11. His earliest teachers were Norman Hill and Walter Urben who taught at the University of North Alabama...
and Robert Morris
Robert Morris (composer)
Robert Morris is an American composer and music theorist.-Work in music theory:As a music theorist, Morris' work has bridged an important gap between the rigorously academic and the highly experimental. Born in Cheltenham, England in 1943, Morris received his musical education at the Eastman...
.
His best known composition is The Last Contrabass in Las Vegas (1974), for double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and female narrator, which was composed for Bertram Turetzky
Bertram Turetzky
Bertram Turetzky is a contemporary American double bass soloist, teacher, and author of The Contemporary Contrabass , a book that looked at a number of new and interesting ways of playing the double bass including featuring it as a solo performance vehicle with no other instrumental...
and his wife Nancy Turetzky, who have performed it frequently. He was also commissioned by Radio France
Radio France
Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
.
Kurtz was born in Atlanta and served in the U.S. Army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; he first arrived in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1944. He settled in Paris in 1952, living there until his death there of a lung infection.
External links
- Eugene Kurtz entry from International Who's Who in Music
- Eugene Kurtz biography
- Obituary (French)
- Eugene Kurtz remembrance
- Audio sample of The Last Contrabass in Las Vegas