George Balch Wilson
Encyclopedia
George Balch Wilson is an American composer
who is particularly known for his contributions to electronic music
. In 1955 he won the Prix de Rome
for composition. He taught for more than 30 years on the faculty of the University of Michigan
where he notably founded and directed the school's electronic music studio. Upon his retirement he was made a professor emeritus.
, Wilson grew up in Lincoln
. His father was an amateur flutist and clarinet
ist and his mother was a pianist
who had earned money for his family accompanying silent film
s during the Great Depression
. His parents often played duets together at home and took Wilson to local concerts by ensembles like the Lincoln Symphony. He also received music lessons from them. Although this exposure instilled a love for music within Wilson, the nervousness of public performance led to his eventual refusal to pursue further musical studies in his childhood. He later took piano lessons intermittently during his teenage years. His father was also the only doctor for many miles around, and thus the family intercated with the local Sioux commnunity. This was the beginning of Wilson's life-long fascination with the art, history and languages of the Sioux, Hopi and Navaho cultures.
As a boy, Wilson developed an interest in photography
and at the age of 12 he began working for the Lincoln regional office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service
as a photo lab technician. At the age of 13 his family moved to Denver, Colorado
where he worked as a lab technician for a portrait photographer while attending high school. At the age of 18 he became a radio operator gunner in the United States Air Force
for a short time before being re-assigned to the teaching staff at the Air Force Photographic School at Lowery Field. He became burned out on the business of photography while working there, coming to the realization that his real passion was music.
(UM) through funds provided by the G.I. Bill. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Music
, a Master of Music
, and a Doctor of Music
, all in music composition, from the UM. Among his teachers as the UM were Percy Price, Homer Keller
, and Ross Lee Finney
. In 1953 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship which enabled him to pursue studies in Belgium and France. He notably studied with Jean Absil
at the Brussels Conservatory
and with Nadia Boulanger
in both Paris and at the Fontainebleau Schools
. He was awarded the Prix de Rome
in 1955 which further extended his studies in Europe through 1958. During that time he pursued studies in Italy in electronic music
. He later pursued further studies in that field with Milton Babbitt
, Mario Davidovsky
, Otto Leuning, and Vladimir Ussachevsky
at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center.
at the UM as a teaching fellow while working on his masters degree. In 1962 he founded the UM's electronic music studio through funds provided by the Rackham Graduate School, directing the studio for the next 30 years. He patterned the studio after the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. In 1992 Wilson produced a concert in honor of the studio with works from many of the University's composition students at the time, including Evan Chambers, Leslie Hogan, Michael Angell and others. He was involved in Ann Arbor's experimental music and performance scene from the 1960s, participating in large installation pieces which involved quadrophonic music in downtown parking structures, or filling the halls of the University of Michigan Music School with inflatable plastic hallways, complete with electro-acoustic music piped in. For many years he drove about town in a green VW bug, which he occasionally drove through the center of the (pedestrian) Diag. His notable students include John Burke
, Katt Hernandez
, George Crumb
, Andrew Paul MacDonald
, Evan Chambers
, Frank Ticheli, and Gérard Pape
.
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...
who is particularly known for his contributions to electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. In 1955 he won the Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
for composition. He taught for more than 30 years on the faculty of 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 he notably founded and directed the school's electronic music studio. Upon his retirement he was made a professor emeritus.
Early life
Born in Grand Island, NebraskaGrand Island, Nebraska
Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 48,520 at the 2010 census.Grand Island is home to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center which is the sole agency responsible for training law enforcement officers throughout the state,...
, Wilson grew up in Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
. His father was an amateur flutist and clarinet
Clarinet
The 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...
ist and his mother was a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
who had earned money for his family accompanying silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. His parents often played duets together at home and took Wilson to local concerts by ensembles like the Lincoln Symphony. He also received music lessons from them. Although this exposure instilled a love for music within Wilson, the nervousness of public performance led to his eventual refusal to pursue further musical studies in his childhood. He later took piano lessons intermittently during his teenage years. His father was also the only doctor for many miles around, and thus the family intercated with the local Sioux commnunity. This was the beginning of Wilson's life-long fascination with the art, history and languages of the Sioux, Hopi and Navaho cultures.
As a boy, Wilson developed an interest in photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and at the age of 12 he began working for the Lincoln regional office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service
Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Natural Resources Conservation Service , formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service , is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and managers.Its name was changed in 1994 during the Presidency of...
as a photo lab technician. At the age of 13 his family moved to Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
where he worked as a lab technician for a portrait photographer while attending high school. At the age of 18 he became a radio operator gunner in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
for a short time before being re-assigned to the teaching staff at the Air Force Photographic School at Lowery Field. He became burned out on the business of photography while working there, coming to the realization that his real passion was music.
Education
In 1947 Wilson entered the music program at the University of MichiganUniversity 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...
(UM) through funds provided by the G.I. Bill. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
, a Master of Music
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
, and a Doctor of Music
Doctor of Music
The Doctor of Music degree , like other doctorates, is an academic degree of the highest level. The D.Mus. is intended for musicians and composers who wish to combine the highest attainments in their area of specialization with doctoral-level academic study in music...
, all in music composition, from the UM. Among his teachers as the UM were Percy Price, Homer Keller
Homer Keller
Homer T. Keller was an American composer of contemporary classical music.He graduated from Oxnard Union High School in Oxnard, California in 1933, after which he attended the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Howard Hanson, obtaining B.M. and M.M. degrees...
, and Ross Lee Finney
Ross Lee Finney
Ross Lee Finney Junior was an American composer born in Wells, Minnesota who taught for many years at the University of Michigan. He studied with Nadia Boulanger, Edward Burlingame Hill, Alban Berg and Roger Sessions...
. In 1953 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship which enabled him to pursue studies in Belgium and France. He notably studied with Jean Absil
Jean Absil
Jean Absil was a Belgian modernist music composer, organist, and professor at the Brussels Conservatory.- Biography :...
at the Brussels Conservatory
Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussels)
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels is a drama and music college in Brussels, Belgium. An academy for acting and the arts, it has been attended by many of the top actors and actresses in Belgium such as Josse De Pauw, Luk van Mello and Luk De Konink....
and with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
in both Paris and at the Fontainebleau Schools
Fontainebleau Schools
The Fontainebleau Schools started in 1921 with the involvement of the United States in the First World War. At the instigation of General Pershing—who wished to improve the quality of US military band music—Walter Damrosch, then conductor of the New York Philharmonic, was asked to organize a...
. He was awarded the Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
in 1955 which further extended his studies in Europe through 1958. During that time he pursued studies in Italy in electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. He later pursued further studies in that field with Milton Babbitt
Milton Babbitt
Milton Byron Babbitt was an American composer, music theorist, and teacher. He is particularly noted for his serial and electronic music.-Biography:...
, Mario Davidovsky
Mario Davidovsky
Mario Davidovsky is an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the US, where he lives today...
, Otto Leuning, and Vladimir Ussachevsky
Vladimir Ussachevsky
Vladimir Kirilovitch Ussachevsky was a composer, particularly known for his work in electronic music.-Biography:...
at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center.
Career
Wilson joined the music composition faculty of the University of Michigan in 1959 while a doctoral student at the school. He had already taught undergraduate courses in music theoryMusic theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
at the UM as a teaching fellow while working on his masters degree. In 1962 he founded the UM's electronic music studio through funds provided by the Rackham Graduate School, directing the studio for the next 30 years. He patterned the studio after the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. In 1992 Wilson produced a concert in honor of the studio with works from many of the University's composition students at the time, including Evan Chambers, Leslie Hogan, Michael Angell and others. He was involved in Ann Arbor's experimental music and performance scene from the 1960s, participating in large installation pieces which involved quadrophonic music in downtown parking structures, or filling the halls of the University of Michigan Music School with inflatable plastic hallways, complete with electro-acoustic music piped in. For many years he drove about town in a green VW bug, which he occasionally drove through the center of the (pedestrian) Diag. 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...
, Katt Hernandez
Katt Hernandez
Katt Hernandez is a violinist living in Stockholm, Sweden with strong connection to Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. Katt's violin playing employs many virtuostic extended techniques, as well as microtones. Her influences range a vast gamut of music, and...
, George Crumb
George Crumb
George Crumb is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He is noted as an explorer of unusual timbres, alternative forms of notation, and extended instrumental and vocal techniques. Examples include seagull effect for the cello , metallic vibrato for the piano George Crumb (born...
, Andrew Paul MacDonald
Andrew Paul MacDonald
Andrew Paul MacDonald is a Canadian composer, guitarist, conductor, and music educator. His compositions have been performed in many countries including England, Norway, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Turkey, the United States and Australia, as well as in Canada by the Toronto Symphony...
, Evan Chambers
Evan Chambers
Evan Chambers is a composer, traditional Irish fiddler, and Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan. He received a Doctorate in music composition from the University of Michigan...
, Frank Ticheli, and Gérard Pape
Gérard Pape
Gérard Pape is a composer of electronic music, author, and psychologist. He is a former student of David Winkler, George Cacioppo, William Albright, and George Balch Wilson...
.
Selected works
- Adagio for strings and horns (1951)
- String Quartet in G (1952)
- Sonata for viola and piano (1952)
- Fantasy for violin and piano (1955–1956)
- Concatenations for 12 instruments (1969)
- Cornices, Architraves, and Friezes for cello solo
Sources
- http://sitemaker.umich.edu/livingmusic/view_by_scene&value1=Electronic&value2=Electronic&config=AjZQKet7kCtJnbxIIhabrM&mode=single&sortDirection0=Ascending&column2=scenethree&recordID=749321&comparisonType0=contains+(text+only)&comparisonType1=contains+(text+only)&comparisonType2=contains+(text+only)&sortDirection1=Ascending&sortDirection2=Descending&nextMode=list&joinCondition2=OR&joinCondition1=OR&column0=scene&column1=scenetwo&sortColumn0=informantlastname&sortColumn1=informantfirstandmiddlename&sortColumn2=date&value0=Electronic"Living Music" interview of George Balch Wilson at the American Music Institute]