Peter Schat
Encyclopedia
Peter Schat was a Dutch
composer
.
Schat studied composition with Kees van Baaren
at the conservatories in Utrecht
and The Hague
from 1952 until 1958, and then went on to study in London with Mátyás Seiber
in 1959 and with Pierre Boulez
in Basle in 1960–61. His early training with van Baaren and Seiber disposed him toward twelve-tone technique
, and his earliest compositions, such as the Introductie en adagio in oude stijl (1954) and the Septet (1957), combine traditional forms with dodecaphony. Boulez, however, led him to a more radical, strict form of serialism
, and he was regarded in the Netherlands as one of the outstanding representatives of the avant garde (Groot 2001). While still a student he created his opus 1, Passacaglia and Fugue for organ (1954), and Septet (1957). In 1957 he also won the Gaudeamus International Composers Award
.
In the late sixties Schat became associated with the radical student movement, and was involved in the notorious 1969 "notenkrakersactie" (Nutcracker Action) in which a group of activists interrupted a concert by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, demanding an open discussion of music policy (Beer 1994). That same year, Schat contributed, together with the composers Reinbert de Leeuw, Louis Andriessen
, Jan van Vlijmen, and Misha Mengelberg
, and the writers Harry Mulisch
and Hugo Claus
, in Reconstructie, a sort of opera, or "morality" theatre work, about the conflict between American imperialism and liberation (Groot 2001).
In February 1969 he co-founded the Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music (STEIM) in Amsterdam. Among his most widely noted works are Thema (from 1970) and To You (from 1972). To You was performed at the Holland Festival
.
The 1970s also brought Schat's most distinctive contribution to 20th century music theory, the "tone clock". It lends its name to a translation of his collected essays, The Tone Clock (Contemporary Music Studies) (1993, ISBN 3-7186-5369-9).
Schat died in 2003 from cancer.
Choir music
Opera and music theater
Piano music
Other
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
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...
.
Schat studied composition with Kees van Baaren
Kees van Baaren
Kees van Baaren was a Dutch composer and teacher.Van Baaren was born in Enschede. His early studies were in Berlin with Rudolph Breithaupt and Friedrich Koch at the Stern conservatory. After returning to the Netherlands in 1929, he studied with Willem Pijper...
at the conservatories in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
from 1952 until 1958, and then went on to study in London with Mátyás Seiber
Mátyás Seiber
Mátyás György Seiber was a Hungarian-born composer who lived and worked in England from 1935 onward.-Career:Seiber was born in Budapest, and studied there with Zoltán Kodály, with whom he toured Hungary collecting folk songs. In 1928, he became director of the jazz department at the Hoch...
in 1959 and with Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
in Basle in 1960–61. His early training with van Baaren and Seiber disposed him toward twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
, and his earliest compositions, such as the Introductie en adagio in oude stijl (1954) and the Septet (1957), combine traditional forms with dodecaphony. Boulez, however, led him to a more radical, strict form of serialism
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
, and he was regarded in the Netherlands as one of the outstanding representatives of the avant garde (Groot 2001). While still a student he created his opus 1, Passacaglia and Fugue for organ (1954), and Septet (1957). In 1957 he also won the Gaudeamus International Composers Award
Gaudeamus International Composers Award
The Gaudeamus International Composers Award is a European award issued by the Music Center the Netherlands...
.
In the late sixties Schat became associated with the radical student movement, and was involved in the notorious 1969 "notenkrakersactie" (Nutcracker Action) in which a group of activists interrupted a concert by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, demanding an open discussion of music policy (Beer 1994). That same year, Schat contributed, together with the composers Reinbert de Leeuw, Louis Andriessen
Louis Andriessen
Louis Andriessen is a Dutch composer and pianist based in Amsterdam. He teaches composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague...
, Jan van Vlijmen, and Misha Mengelberg
Misha Mengelberg
Misha Mengelberg is a Dutch jazz pianist and composer. He won the Gaudeamus International Composers Award in 1961.-Biography:...
, and the writers Harry Mulisch
Harry Mulisch
Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch was a Dutch author. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems and philosophical reflections. These have been translated into more than 20 languages....
and Hugo Claus
Hugo Claus
Hugo Maurice Julien Claus was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms. Claus' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama, the novel, and poetry; he also left a legacy as a painter and film director...
, in Reconstructie, a sort of opera, or "morality" theatre work, about the conflict between American imperialism and liberation (Groot 2001).
In February 1969 he co-founded the Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music (STEIM) in Amsterdam. Among his most widely noted works are Thema (from 1970) and To You (from 1972). To You was performed at the Holland Festival
Holland Festival
The Holland Festival is The Netherlands' oldest and largest performing arts festival, and takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theater, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and architecture were added to the festival roster...
.
The 1970s also brought Schat's most distinctive contribution to 20th century music theory, the "tone clock". It lends its name to a translation of his collected essays, The Tone Clock (Contemporary Music Studies) (1993, ISBN 3-7186-5369-9).
Schat died in 2003 from cancer.
Composition
Chamber music- Octet (1958)
- Improvisations and symphonies (1960)
- Signalement (1961)
- First essay on electrocution (1966)
- Hypothema (1969)
Choir music
- The fall (1960)
- The fifth season (1973)
- Breath (1984)
- An Indian requiem (1995)
Opera and music theater
- Labyrint (1966)
- Reconstructie (1969)
- Houdini (1977)
- Aap verslaat de knekelgeest (1980)
- Symposion (1989)
Piano music
- Variations (1956)
- Inscriptions (1959)
- Anathema (1969)
- Polonaise (1981)
Other
- Passacaglia en Fuga (1954)
- Thema (1970)
- To you (1972)
- Canto General
- Kind en Kraai
- De Hemel (1991)
Sources
- Beer, Roland de. 1994. "Tegen de toplaag, tegen de kunstpausen Het stille, cruciale effect van de Notenkrakeractie". De Volkskrant (11 November).
- Dufallo, RichardRichard DufalloRichard John Dufallo was an American clarinetist, author, and conductor with a broad repertory. He is most known for his interpretations of contemporary music...
. 1989. Trackings: Composers Speak with Richard Dufallo. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 019505816X. - Groot, Rokus de. 2001. "Schat, Peter". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley SadieStanley SadieStanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
and John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (professor of music)John Tyrrell was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in 1942. He studied at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Brno. In 2000 he was appointed Research Professor at Cardiff University....
. London: Macmillan Publishers. - Leeuw, Ton de. 1960. "New Trends in Modern Dutch Music". Sonorum Speculum, no. 4:131–33.