John W. Downey
Encyclopedia
John W. Downey was a contemporary classical composer, conductor
, pianist
and educator. His works have been performed extensively in Western and Eastern Europe, South America, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, Israel, Asia, Mexico and Canada, as well as throughout the United States.
, Downey earned a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University
and a Master of Music from the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University
, while working at night as a jazz pianist. Downey was later awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study with his mentors Honegger, Milhaud and Boulanger in Paris where he earned a Prix de Composition from the Paris Conservatoire National de Musique and a Ph.D. (Docteur es Lettres) from the University of Paris-Sorbonne. Given the honorable title of “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” for his scholarly achievements, Downey was knighted by the French government in 1980.
Downey inspired students of music, composition and theory at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for 35 years, before retiring in 1998 as Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Music. He was Founder and Director of the Wisconsin Contemporary Music Forum as well as Director of Theory for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
.
Downey has said, “I teach because I truly believe that I have an obligation to pass on to future generations the knowledge which I have been privileged to attain.”
Downey has been the recipient of many prestigious honors and commissions, some of which are from the National Endowment for the Arts
, Ford Foundation
, ASCAP, Copley Foundation, Millay Colony, Moebius Foundation, MacDowell Colony
, Hartt School of Music, Rutgers University
, Butler University
, University of Wisconsin, Bennington College
, Lawrence University
, Fine Arts Quartet
, Woodwind Arts Quartet, Milwaukee Symphony, Wisconsin Arts Board, Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
, MacDowell Club of Milwaukee and Wisconsin String Academy. His recording Agort was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
in 1973. In 1990, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters bestowed upon Downey the Walter Heinrichsen Award. He was a National Patron of Delta Omicron
, an international professional music fraternity.
Among the numerous composers with whom Downey had the opportunity to work are Copland, Tcherepnin, Rieti, Sessions, Messiaen and Krenek. Lukas Foss, Zdenek Macal, Margery Deutsch, Izler Solomon and Pierre-Michel LeConte are just some of the conductors who have performed his music. Many individual performers have commissioned works from Downey including George Sopkin, Erie Mills, Geoffrey Simon, Yolanda Marculescu, Jeffrey Peterson, Stanley DeRusha, Daniel Neesley, Harvey Phillips, Stephen Basson, Robert Thompson, Gary Karr and Tom Stacey.
Author of La Musique populaire dans l’Oeuvre de Bela Bartok, Downey is listed in Who’s Who in America, the International Who’s Who in Music, Dictionary of International Biography, Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, and The New Grove Dictionary of American Music.
Downey often collaborated with his wife of 48 years, Irusha Downey, a linguist, translator, pianist and poet who preceded him in death in 2000. Her poem A Dolphin, set to music by Downey, is one of his most frequently performed compositions. She also performed Adagio Lyrico for two pianos with Downey.
Downey’s compositions have been recorded on the Orion, Composers’ Recordings, Gasparo, Cala, Heritage and Chandos record labels.
John Downey died on December 18, 2004.
Chant to Michaelangelo (1958)
Octet for Winds (1958)
Eastlake Terrace for Piano (1959)
Pyramids for Piano (1961)
String Quartet No. 1 (1962)
Sonata for Violin, Cello and Piano (1966)
Jingalodeon (1968)
Agort for Woodwind Quintet (1971)
Almost 12 for Chamber Orchestra (1971)
Symphonic Modules Five for Orchestra (1972)
What if? for SATB Chorus, Brass Octet and Percussion (1973)
A Dolphin for Tenor and Chamber Ensemble (1974)
String Quartet No. 2 (1976)
High Clouds and Soft Rain for 24 Flutes (1977)
Lydian Suite for Cello (1978)
The Edge of Space / Fantasy for Bassoon and Orchestra (1978)
Silhouette for Double Bass (1980)
Duo for Oboe and Harpsichord (1981)
Portrait No. 3 for Flute and Piano (1984)
Prayer for Violin, Viola and Cello (1984)
Declamations (1985)
Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (1987)
Recombinance for Contrabass and Piano (1989)
Call for Freedom for Symphonic Winds (1990)
Fanfare for Freedom for Winds and 2 Harps (1991)
Ode to Freedom for Orchestra (1993)
For Those Who Suffered (Yad Vashem - An Impression) (1994)
Ode to Freedom for Wind Ensemble (1995)
Soliloquy for English Horn (1996)
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, 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:...
and educator. His works have been performed extensively in Western and Eastern Europe, South America, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, Israel, Asia, Mexico and Canada, as well as throughout the United States.
Biography
A native of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Downey earned a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
and a Master of Music from the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
, while working at night as a jazz pianist. Downey was later awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study with his mentors Honegger, Milhaud and Boulanger in Paris where he earned a Prix de Composition from the Paris Conservatoire National de Musique and a Ph.D. (Docteur es Lettres) from the University of Paris-Sorbonne. Given the honorable title of “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” for his scholarly achievements, Downey was knighted by the French government in 1980.
Downey inspired students of music, composition and theory at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for 35 years, before retiring in 1998 as Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Music. He was Founder and Director of the Wisconsin Contemporary Music Forum as well as Director of Theory for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra is a youth orchestra in Milwaukee. This is MYSO's 54th year of offering highest level of training in ensemble musicianship to motivated young people from diverse backgrounds across southeastern Wisconsin....
.
Downey has said, “I teach because I truly believe that I have an obligation to pass on to future generations the knowledge which I have been privileged to attain.”
Downey has been the recipient of many prestigious honors and commissions, some of which are from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, ASCAP, Copley Foundation, Millay Colony, Moebius Foundation, 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...
, Hartt School of Music, Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
, University of Wisconsin, Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
, Lawrence University
Lawrence University
Lawrence University is a selective, private liberal arts college with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Lawrence University is known for its rigorous academic environment. Founded in 1847, the first classes were held on November 12, 1849...
, Fine Arts Quartet
Fine Arts Quartet
The Fine Arts Quartet, a distinguished chamber music ensemble founded in Chicago, USA in 1946 by Leonard Sorkin and George Sopkin, has an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy. It is one of the few to have recorded and toured internationally for over half a...
, Woodwind Arts Quartet, Milwaukee Symphony, Wisconsin Arts Board, Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra is a youth orchestra in Milwaukee. This is MYSO's 54th year of offering highest level of training in ensemble musicianship to motivated young people from diverse backgrounds across southeastern Wisconsin....
, MacDowell Club of Milwaukee and Wisconsin String Academy. His recording Agort was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1973. In 1990, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters bestowed upon Downey the Walter Heinrichsen Award. He was a National Patron of Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
, an international professional music fraternity.
Among the numerous composers with whom Downey had the opportunity to work are Copland, Tcherepnin, Rieti, Sessions, Messiaen and Krenek. Lukas Foss, Zdenek Macal, Margery Deutsch, Izler Solomon and Pierre-Michel LeConte are just some of the conductors who have performed his music. Many individual performers have commissioned works from Downey including George Sopkin, Erie Mills, Geoffrey Simon, Yolanda Marculescu, Jeffrey Peterson, Stanley DeRusha, Daniel Neesley, Harvey Phillips, Stephen Basson, Robert Thompson, Gary Karr and Tom Stacey.
Author of La Musique populaire dans l’Oeuvre de Bela Bartok, Downey is listed in Who’s Who in America, the International Who’s Who in Music, Dictionary of International Biography, Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, and The New Grove Dictionary of American Music.
Downey often collaborated with his wife of 48 years, Irusha Downey, a linguist, translator, pianist and poet who preceded him in death in 2000. Her poem A Dolphin, set to music by Downey, is one of his most frequently performed compositions. She also performed Adagio Lyrico for two pianos with Downey.
Downey’s compositions have been recorded on the Orion, Composers’ Recordings, Gasparo, Cala, Heritage and Chandos record labels.
John Downey died on December 18, 2004.
Works
Adagio Lyrico for Two Pianos (1953)Chant to Michaelangelo (1958)
Octet for Winds (1958)
Eastlake Terrace for Piano (1959)
Pyramids for Piano (1961)
String Quartet No. 1 (1962)
Sonata for Violin, Cello and Piano (1966)
Jingalodeon (1968)
Agort for Woodwind Quintet (1971)
Almost 12 for Chamber Orchestra (1971)
Symphonic Modules Five for Orchestra (1972)
What if? for SATB Chorus, Brass Octet and Percussion (1973)
A Dolphin for Tenor and Chamber Ensemble (1974)
String Quartet No. 2 (1976)
High Clouds and Soft Rain for 24 Flutes (1977)
Lydian Suite for Cello (1978)
The Edge of Space / Fantasy for Bassoon and Orchestra (1978)
Silhouette for Double Bass (1980)
Duo for Oboe and Harpsichord (1981)
Portrait No. 3 for Flute and Piano (1984)
Prayer for Violin, Viola and Cello (1984)
Declamations (1985)
Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (1987)
Recombinance for Contrabass and Piano (1989)
Call for Freedom for Symphonic Winds (1990)
Fanfare for Freedom for Winds and 2 Harps (1991)
Ode to Freedom for Orchestra (1993)
For Those Who Suffered (Yad Vashem - An Impression) (1994)
Ode to Freedom for Wind Ensemble (1995)
Soliloquy for English Horn (1996)