Robert Cogan
Encyclopedia
Robert Cogan is an American music theorist, composer
and teacher, who seeks to challenge new domains of musical composition and theory.
He studied at the University of Michigan
(B.M., 1951; M.M., 1952); Princeton University
(M.F.A., 1956); Royal Conservatory of Brussels
; Berkshire Music Center, Tanglewood
; and the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
. His principal teachers included Nadia Boulanger
, Aaron Copland
, Ross Lee Finney
, Philippe Jarnach and Roger Sessions
.
For more than three decades Robert Cogan has been Chair of Graduate Theoretical Studies and Professor of Composition at New England Conservatory, Boston
. He has also been a visiting Professor at the Berkshire Music Center; at State University of New York at Purchase
; at the Central Conservatory of Music
, Beijing
, and Shanghai Conservatory; and at IBM Research
.
As speaker and/or composer Robert Cogan has been programmed in Belgium, Brazil, Canada (Banff Festival), China, France (IRCAM
), Paris; Avignon and Nice Festivals), Germany (Darmstadt
summer school for new music]]; North and West German Radios; Zinzig Festival; University of Bielefeld), Great Britain (Universities of Edinburgh, London, and Southampton), Italy (Gubbio
and Prix Italia
festivals; Italian Society for Musical Analysis; Rockefeller Bellagio Study Center
), Korea (Seoul Arts Olympics), the Netherlands (International Computer Music Association
), Russia, Sweden (Swedish Institute for Electronic Music), Switzerland (Montanea Festival), and Yugoslavia (Belgrade Radio-Television). In the United States he has appeared under the auspices of the American Society for Aesthetics
; College Music Society; Ford, Morse
, Rockefeller, and Rothschild Foundations; International Association for Semiotics; League of Composers
; Music Educators National Conference
; Music Teachers National Association
; Society of Composers; Society for Ethnomusicology
; and Society for Music Theory
; as well as in universities throughout North America.
Performers of Robert Cogan's works include the conductors Tamara Brooks, Lorna Cooke de Varon, John Heiss, Jacques-Louis Monod, Fredrick Prausnitz, Gunther Schuller
, and Leopold Stokowski
; the Cleveland Orchestra
, Hamburg Radio, and RIAS Berlin orchestras; pianists Geoffrey Burleson
, Marilyn Crispell
, David Del Tredici
, David Hagan, Robert Henry, and Ellen Polansky; instrumentalists Esther Lamneck, Alexei Ludewig, and Stephanie Key; and singers Jan De Gaetani, Joan Heller, Jane Bryden, and Maria Tegzes. His music appears on the Delos, Golden Crest, Leo, Music and Arts, Neuma, and Spectrum recording labels.
Robert Cogan resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts
with his partner, composer and theorist Pozzi Escot
.
He has also published in numerous journals including College Music Symposium, Interface, Journal of Music Theory, Musical Quarterly, Perspectives of New Music, and Sonus.
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 teacher, who seeks to challenge new domains of musical composition and theory.
He studied 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...
(B.M., 1951; M.M., 1952); Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(M.F.A., 1956); Royal Conservatory of Brussels
Royal Conservatory of 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....
; Berkshire Music Center, Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
; and the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. His principal teachers included 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...
, Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
, 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...
, Philippe Jarnach and Roger Sessions
Roger Sessions
Roger Huntington Sessions was an American composer, critic, and teacher of music.-Life:Sessions was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family that could trace its roots back to the American revolution. His mother, Ruth Huntington Sessions, was a direct descendent of Samuel Huntington, a signer of...
.
For more than three decades Robert Cogan has been Chair of Graduate Theoretical Studies and Professor of Composition at New England Conservatory, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. He has also been a visiting Professor at the Berkshire Music Center; at State University of New York at Purchase
State University of New York at Purchase
Purchase College, State University of New York, is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York system...
; at the Central Conservatory of Music
Central Conservatory of Music
The Central Conservatory of Music is the national leading music school in Beijing, China.Founded in 1950, the Conservatory offers courses to both Chinese nationals and foreign students, and caters for all levels from primary up to postgraduate programmes...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and Shanghai Conservatory; and at IBM Research
IBM Research
IBM Research, a division of IBM, is a research and advanced development organization and currently consists of eight locations throughout the world and hundreds of projects....
.
As speaker and/or composer Robert Cogan has been programmed in Belgium, Brazil, Canada (Banff Festival), China, France (IRCAM
IRCAM
IRCAM is a European institute for science about music and sound and avant garde electro-acoustical art music. It is situated next to, and is organizationally linked with, the Centre Pompidou in Paris...
), Paris; Avignon and Nice Festivals), Germany (Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
summer school for new music]]; North and West German Radios; Zinzig Festival; University of Bielefeld), Great Britain (Universities of Edinburgh, London, and Southampton), Italy (Gubbio
Gubbio
Gubbio is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia . It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. See also Mount Ingino Christmas Tree.-History:...
and Prix Italia
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...
festivals; Italian Society for Musical Analysis; Rockefeller Bellagio Study Center
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
), Korea (Seoul Arts Olympics), the Netherlands (International Computer Music Association
International Computer Music Association
The International Computer Music Association is an international affiliation of individuals and institutions involved in the technical, creative, and performance aspects of computer music. It serves composers, engineers, researchers and musicians who are interested in the integration of music and...
), Russia, Sweden (Swedish Institute for Electronic Music), Switzerland (Montanea Festival), and Yugoslavia (Belgrade Radio-Television). In the United States he has appeared under the auspices of the American Society for Aesthetics
American Society for Aesthetics
American Society for Aesthetics is a philosophical organization founded in 1942 to promote the study of aesthetics. The ASA sponsors national and regional conferences, and publishes the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, the American Society for Aesthetics Graduate Ejournal, and the ASA...
; College Music Society; Ford, Morse
Morse
Morse can refer to:* Morse code, a method of coding messages into long and short beeps-Places:Canada* Morse , Saskatchewan* Morse, Saskatchewan, a hamlet* Morse No...
, Rockefeller, and Rothschild Foundations; International Association for Semiotics; League of Composers
League of Composers
The League of Composers/International Society for Contemporary Music is a society whose stated mission is "to produce the highest quality performances of new music, to champion American composers in the United States and abroad, and to introduce American audiences to the best new music from around...
; Music Educators National Conference
MENC: The National Association for Music Education
MENC: The National Association for Music Education is an organization of American music educators dedicated to advancing and preserving music education and as part of the core curriculum of schools in the United States...
; Music Teachers National Association
Music Teachers National Association
-Membership:Its membership consists of approximately 22,000 independent and collegiate music teachers. MTNA headquarters are in downtown Cincinnati on the 31st floor of the Carew Tower.- MTNA structure :...
; Society of Composers; Society for Ethnomusicology
Society for Ethnomusicology
The Society for Ethnomusicology is, with the International Council for Traditional Music and the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, one of three major international associations ethnomusicology...
; and Society for Music Theory
Society for Music Theory
The Society for Music Theory is an American organisation devoted to the promotion of music theory as a scholarly and pedagogical discipline...
; as well as in universities throughout North America.
Performers of Robert Cogan's works include the conductors Tamara Brooks, Lorna Cooke de Varon, John Heiss, Jacques-Louis Monod, Fredrick Prausnitz, Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
, and Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born, naturalised American orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski...
; the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
, Hamburg Radio, and RIAS Berlin orchestras; pianists Geoffrey Burleson
Geoffrey Burleson
Geoffrey Burleson is an American classical and jazz pianist.- Biography and career :Geoffrey Burleson studied at the Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and Stony Brook University, and his teachers include Gilbert Kalish, Leonard Shure, Veronica Jochum, Lillian Freundlich, Tinka Knopf,...
, Marilyn Crispell
Marilyn Crispell
Marilyn Crispell is an American jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:Crispell studied classical piano and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music. She has been a resident of Woodstock, NY since 1977 when she came to study and teach at Karl Berger's Creative Music Studio...
, David Del Tredici
David Del Tredici
David Del Tredici, born March 16, 1937 in Cloverdale, California, is an American composer. According to Del Tredici's website, Aaron Copland said David Del Tredici "is that rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift...
, David Hagan, Robert Henry, and Ellen Polansky; instrumentalists Esther Lamneck, Alexei Ludewig, and Stephanie Key; and singers Jan De Gaetani, Joan Heller, Jane Bryden, and Maria Tegzes. His music appears on the Delos, Golden Crest, Leo, Music and Arts, Neuma, and Spectrum recording labels.
Robert Cogan resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
with his partner, composer and theorist Pozzi Escot
Pozzi Escot
Pozzi Escot is an American composer and faculty member at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts....
.
Selected Compositions
- Algebra & Piano (1981–2000)
- Contexts/Memories for piano (1982)
- Costellar Pulsations for two pianists (1985)
- Pemungkah for two acoustic and two electric pianos (1983)
- Sou Nos & Variants for solo piano (1961)
- No Attack of Organic Metals for organ (1973)
- Eight Poems of William BronkWilliam BronkWilliam Bronk was an American poet. He won the National Book Award in 1982.-Life and work:William Bronk was born in a house on Lower Main Street in Fort Edward, New York. He had an older brother Sherman who died young and two older sisters, Jane and Betty...
for voice and piano (1998) - Soliloquy for saxophone and two percussionists (1987)
- Aflame in Flight for solo violin with text by William Carlos Williams (1999)
- Fierce Singleness for solo clarinet (1988)
- Polyutterances for two solo voices, one of which may be pre-recorded (1989)
- Spaces and Cries for five brass instruments (1963)
- America Is for string quartet
- Two Compositions for String Trio (1960)
- Whirl DS IS III: Mysterium Fragment for mixed chorus with two solo sopranos, oboe, clarinet, bassoon & cello (1969)
- Fantasia for Orchestra (1951)
- Gulf Coast Bound, a multi-movement work for big band (1987)
Publications
- Cogan, Robert (1984): New Images of Musical Sound Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press
- Cogan, Robert and Escot, Pozzi: Sonic Design: The Nature of Sound and Music Prentice-Hall
- Cogan, Robert and Escot, Pozzi: Sonic Design: Practice and Problems Publication Contact International
He has also published in numerous journals including College Music Symposium, Interface, Journal of Music Theory, Musical Quarterly, Perspectives of New Music, and Sonus.