Leopold Spinner
Encyclopedia
Leopold Spinner was a Ukrainian
-born, British
-domiciled composer
and editor
.
n parentage in Lemberg (now Lviv
, Ukraine). From 1926 to 1930 he studied composition in Vienna
with Paul Amadeus Pisk and afterwards began to attract international attention with works which were performed at the ISCM Festivals or awarded prizes. Nevertheless from 1935 to 1938 he underwent a second period of study, as a pupil of Anton Webern
. He may be regarded as a representative of the so-called Second Viennese School
. In 1939 Spinner emigrated to England and spent the war years in Yorkshire, working part of the time as a lathe operator in a locomotive factory in Bradford
. Afterwards he worked as a music-copyist, moving to London in 1954. From 1958 until his retirement in 1975 he was an Editor for Boosey & Hawkes
Music Publishers, where his skills and exactitude were highly praised by Stravinsky
.
’s 70th birthday (1944), a Piano Concerto (1947, later revised as a Concerto for piano with chamber orchestra), a Violin Concerto (1953–55, though this remained in pencil score), Prelude and Variations dedicated to Stravinsky (1962), Ricercata for orchestra (1965), Cantatas on poems of Nietzsche (1951) and on German folksong texts (1964), string quartets, trios, works for violin and piano, solo piano pieces, several sets of songs and some arrangements of Irish folksongs. His last work was a Chamber Symphony (1977-9).
(on which he also wrote a significant textbook, A Short Introduction to the Technique of Twelve-tone Composition, published 1960). His early works, up to and including the Zwei kleine Stücke, are clearly influenced by Berg
and middle-period Schoenberg. From the mid-1930s the general idiom, expressive intensity, dramatic economy and impeccable craftsmanship bear witness to his admiration for his teacher Webern – and, through Webern, for the whole Austro-German tradition from Bach
onwards. Spinner himself carried that tradition a stage further. While retaining the purity and thematically essentialized textures of Webern, his works show a concern for larger and bolder gestures than Webern’s norm. In his later music, beginning with the perhaps ironically named Sonatina for piano, the expressive pressure applied to strict motivic working results in a wholly individual style of almost explosive force.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
-born, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-domiciled composer
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...
and editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
.
Biography
Spinner was born of AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n parentage in Lemberg (now Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, Ukraine). From 1926 to 1930 he studied composition in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
with Paul Amadeus Pisk and afterwards began to attract international attention with works which were performed at the ISCM Festivals or awarded prizes. Nevertheless from 1935 to 1938 he underwent a second period of study, as a pupil of Anton Webern
Anton Webern
Anton Webern was an Austrian composer and conductor. He was a member of the Second Viennese School. As a student and significant follower of Arnold Schoenberg, he became one of the best-known exponents of the twelve-tone technique; in addition, his innovations regarding schematic organization of...
. He may be regarded as a representative of the so-called Second Viennese School
Second Viennese School
The Second Viennese School is the group of composers that comprised Arnold Schoenberg and his pupils and close associates in early 20th century Vienna, where he lived and taught, sporadically, between 1903 and 1925...
. In 1939 Spinner emigrated to England and spent the war years in Yorkshire, working part of the time as a lathe operator in a locomotive factory in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. Afterwards he worked as a music-copyist, moving to London in 1954. From 1958 until his retirement in 1975 he was an Editor for Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind musical instruments....
Music Publishers, where his skills and exactitude were highly praised by Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
.
Compositions
From 1926 to his death in London in 1980 Spinner steadily and painstakingly built up an individual body of work, adapting and renewing classical forms along the lines (but eventually, much further) that had been indicated by his teacher Webern. They include an early Symphony for small orchestra (1933), an Ouvertüre in honour of SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
’s 70th birthday (1944), a Piano Concerto (1947, later revised as a Concerto for piano with chamber orchestra), a Violin Concerto (1953–55, though this remained in pencil score), Prelude and Variations dedicated to Stravinsky (1962), Ricercata for orchestra (1965), Cantatas on poems of Nietzsche (1951) and on German folksong texts (1964), string quartets, trios, works for violin and piano, solo piano pieces, several sets of songs and some arrangements of Irish folksongs. His last work was a Chamber Symphony (1977-9).
Technique
Almost all Spinner’s music was written according to the twelve-tone techniqueTwelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
(on which he also wrote a significant textbook, A Short Introduction to the Technique of Twelve-tone Composition, published 1960). His early works, up to and including the Zwei kleine Stücke, are clearly influenced by Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
and middle-period Schoenberg. From the mid-1930s the general idiom, expressive intensity, dramatic economy and impeccable craftsmanship bear witness to his admiration for his teacher Webern – and, through Webern, for the whole Austro-German tradition from Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann 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...
onwards. Spinner himself carried that tradition a stage further. While retaining the purity and thematically essentialized textures of Webern, his works show a concern for larger and bolder gestures than Webern’s norm. In his later music, beginning with the perhaps ironically named Sonatina for piano, the expressive pressure applied to strict motivic working results in a wholly individual style of almost explosive force.