Ulysses Kay
Encyclopedia
Ulysses Simpson Kay was an African American
composer
. His music
is mostly neoclassical
in style.
Kay, the nephew of the classic jazz musician King Oliver, studied piano, violin and saxophone. Kay attended the University of Arizona
where he was encouraged by the African-American composer William Grant Still
. He went for graduate work to the Eastman School of Music
in Rochester, New York
, and there worked under Howard Hanson
and Bernard Rogers
.
Ulysses Kay met the eminent neoclassical composer Paul Hindemith
in the summer of 1941 at the Berkshire Music Center and followed Hindemith to Yale
for a formative year of study from 1941 to 1942.
After a stint as a musician in the United States Navy
during the World War II
, Ulysses Kay studied at Columbia University
under Otto Luening with the assistance of a grant from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. In addition to this prize, Kay received a series of five other significant awards in the year following his discharge from the Navy including the Alice M. Ditson Fellowship, a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an award from the American Composers and American Broadcasting Company, a $500 award from the third annual George Gershwin Memorial Contest for "A Short Overture," and a $700 award from the American Composers Alliance for his "Suite for Orchestra."
Following this successful period, he lived and studied further in Rome
from 1949 to 1953 thanks to a Fulbright Scholarship, the Prix de Rome
and a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship.
Kay worked for Broadcast Music, Inc., a performing arts organization, from 1953 to 1968. In 1968 he was appointed distinguished professor at Lehman College
of the City University of New York
. After two decades teaching there, he retired.
As a composer Kay was known primarily for his symphonic and choral compositions. He also wrote five operas. His final opera, Frederick Douglass, was mounted in April 1991 at the New Jersey State Opera
with Kevin Maynor in the title role
and Klara Barlow
as Helen Pitts Douglass.
A resident of Teaneck, New Jersey
, Kay died due to complications of Parkinson's disease
at the age of 78 at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
on May 20, 1995.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
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...
. His music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
is mostly neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
in style.
Kay, the nephew of the classic jazz musician King Oliver, studied piano, violin and saxophone. Kay attended the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
where he was encouraged by the African-American composer William Grant Still
William Grant Still
William Grant Still was an African-American classical composer who wrote more than 150 compositions. He was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major...
. He went for graduate work to the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, and there worked under Howard Hanson
Howard Hanson
Howard Harold Hanson was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American classical music. As director for 40 years of the Eastman School of Music, he built a high-quality school and provided opportunities for commissioning and performing American music...
and Bernard Rogers
Bernard Rogers
Bernard Rogers was an American composer.Rogers was born in New York City. He studied with Arthur Farwell, Ernest Bloch, Percy Goetschius, and Nadia Boulanger. He taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music, The Hartt School, and the Eastman School of Music...
.
Ulysses Kay met the eminent neoclassical composer Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
in the summer of 1941 at the Berkshire Music Center and followed Hindemith to Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
for a formative year of study from 1941 to 1942.
After a stint as a musician in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Ulysses Kay studied at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
under Otto Luening with the assistance of a grant from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. In addition to this prize, Kay received a series of five other significant awards in the year following his discharge from the Navy including the Alice M. Ditson Fellowship, a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an award from the American Composers and American Broadcasting Company, a $500 award from the third annual George Gershwin Memorial Contest for "A Short Overture," and a $700 award from the American Composers Alliance for his "Suite for Orchestra."
Following this successful period, he lived and studied further in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
from 1949 to 1953 thanks to a Fulbright Scholarship, 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...
and a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship.
Kay worked for Broadcast Music, Inc., a performing arts organization, from 1953 to 1968. In 1968 he was appointed distinguished professor at Lehman College
Lehman College
Lehman College is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, USA. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within the City University in 1968. The college is named after Herbert Lehman, a former New York governor,...
of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. After two decades teaching there, he retired.
As a composer Kay was known primarily for his symphonic and choral compositions. He also wrote five operas. His final opera, Frederick Douglass, was mounted in April 1991 at the New Jersey State Opera
New Jersey State Opera
The New Jersey State Opera is an opera company based in Newark, New Jersey. It was established in 1964 as the Opera Theater of Westfield, and shortly after opening Alfredo Silipigni was hired as Artistic Director. The name was changed to the Opera Theatre of New Jersey in 1965, and in 1968 the...
with Kevin Maynor in the title role
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
and Klara Barlow
Klara Barlow
Klara Barlow was an American opera singer who had an active international career from the mid 1960s through the 1990s. A dramatic soprano, Barlow particularly excelled in portraying Strauss and Wagnerian heroines...
as Helen Pitts Douglass.
A resident of Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, Kay died due to complications of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
at the age of 78 at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is an "acute care teaching hospital affiliated with Mount Sinai School of Medicine" in Englewood, New Jersey, United States....
on May 20, 1995.
Operas
- The Juggler of Our Lady, opera in one act
- Libretto by Alexander King after a French morality play.
- composed 1956; premiere February 23, 1962, Xavier University Opera Workshop, New Orleans, Louisiana
- The Boor
- Libretto by the composer after the play by Anton Chekov, translated by Vladimir Ussachevsky.
- composed 1955; premiere April 2, 1968, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- The Capitoline Venus, opera in one act
- Libretto by Judith DvorkinJudith DvorkinJudith Dvorkin is an American composer and librettist. She also uses the pseudonym Judy Spencer. Dvorkin was born in New York and studied music at Barnard College with Otto Luening and at Columbia University with Luening and Elliot Carter...
after an episode in the writings of Mark Twain. - composed 1969; premiere March 12, 1971, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
- Jubilee, opera in three acts
- Libretto by Donald Dorr after the novel by Margaret Walker.
- November 19, 1976, Opera/South, Jackson, Mississippi
- Frederick Douglass, opera in three acts
- Libretto by Donald Dorr.
- composed 1979-85; premiere April 14, 1991, New Jersey State Opera, Newark Symphony Hall, Newark, NJ
Source
- Program notes by Dominique-René de Lerma for the African Heritage Symphonic Series Volume II (Cedille Records CDR 90000 061)
External links
- Center for Black Music Research
- Ulysses Kay interview by Bruce Duffie, July 20, 1985