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Butterfield, Christopher (b. November 17, 1952, Vancouver, British Columbia). Canadian composer of mostly stage, chamber, vocal, and multimedia works that have been performed in Europe and North America.
Mr. Butterfield studied as a chorister with Sir David Willcocks at King's College Choir School in Cambridge from 1961-66. He studied composition with Rudolf Komorous at the University of Victoria from 1969-75 and with Bülent Arel at the State University of New York at Stony Brook from 1975-77.
He teaches composition at the University of Victoria.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail address: cbutterf@finearts.uvic.ca
Street address: Mr. Christopher Butterfield, 1246 Acton St., Victoria, BC V8T 1Y2, Canada
Street address (university): Mr. Christopher Butterfield, School of Music, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
Telephone (university): 604 598 7418
Fax (university): 604 598 5825
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
STAGE: Dust Pastures (dance music, choreography by Christine Chin), tape, 1984; Transparencies (dance music, choreography by Grant Strate), tape, 1986; Homework (sound installation, choreography by Lin Snelling), 1987; Intertête (dance music, choreography by Benoît Lachambre), E-flat clarinet, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, bass guitar, synthesizer, vibraphone (+ xylophone), 6 tapes, 1988; the vacant goddess (music for image-opera by Thom Sokoloski), 1989; The Dumbfounding (dance music, text by T.S. Eliot, choreography by Jennifer Mascall), 6 voices, tape, 1990; The Light at the End of the Tunnel May be the Other Train Coming towards You (dance music, choreography by Jennifer Mascall), tape, 1990; Superjack (dance music, choreography by Benoît Lachambre), electric guitar, tape, 1990; The Inner Sea (sound installation for multimedia work, choreography by Benoît Lachambre), 1990; Project for an Opera of the Twentieth Century: something that happened once and it is very interesting (libretto by John Bentley Mays), 9 voices, piano, 1986-93 (three sections may be performed separately: Fragment; Incipit; Act I, Scenes 1-2; also version as Zürich 1916 [13 scene music drama], 9 voices, small orchestra [16 players], 1995-98); Incessant (dance music, choreography by Jennifer Mascall), bass clarinet, violin, percussion, 1994
ORCHESTRAL: belladonna from maccabaeus canoe, 1999; Monument for Cage, 2000
CHAMBER MUSIC: Music for Klein and Beuys, bass recorder, melodica, harp, tenor banjo, violin, double bass, percussion, 1987; Eating and Sleeping, flute, French horn, 1987; Flamingo Limo, baroque flute, vibraphone, 1988; Garden Truck with option, baroque flute, baroque violin, viola da gamba, amplified clavichord, percussion, 1989; The Mechanics of Desire, piccolo (+ flute), bassoon, 2 French horns, 3 violins, cello, 1990; Primal Union of the Philosophical Infant with the Maternal Breast and Womb, E-flat clarinet, B-flat trumpet, 1990; Lullaby, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 celli, 1991; Beuys the wounded Stuka pilot, ocarina, clarinet (+ melodica), trumpet, hurdy-gurdy, toy piano (+ bird call, toy trumpet), reed organ, 1991; Empress of Russia, clarinet, trumpet, double bass, piano, 2 percussion, 1991; Catalogue, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1991; Arrangement of Morden, E-flat clarinet (+ bass clarinet), trumpet, double bass, piano, vibraphone, marimba, 1992; beach whistle (drowning in the sea of love), cello, 1993; Quintet/Dear Stalin, tuba, guitar, piano, accordion, percussion, 1994
CHAMBER MUSIC: Souvenir, piccolo (+ flute), alto flute, A-clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, tape, 1995; Philadelphia, guitar, double bass, harmonium, 1996; Philadelphia, guitar, harmonium, 1996; Crusader, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello, double bass, piano, 1996; computer felicity church, bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1996; Philadelphia, guitar, violin, double bass, harmonium, 1997; prayer/valve, harp, viola, darabukka (Arab drum), 1997; Quick thinking about the movement of trains, English horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, ondes Martenot, percussion, 1999; Clinamen, violin, 1999; Four Short Pieces for Violin and Piano, 1999; Praeludium e Fantasia sul B.A.C.H., clarinet, violin, viola, piano, 2000
VOCAL: Five Songs (texts by Rudolf Arnheim, Guy Debord, Thomas von Hartmann), 2 tenors, vibraphone, bongos, 1983; Incipit, voice, bass guitar, 3 synthesizers, drum machine, 1986 (section of Project for an Opera...; may be performed separately; also version for voice, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, bass guitar, 3 synthesizers, drum machine, xylophone, percussion, 1988); Act I, Scenes 1-2, soprano, tenor, clarinet, B-flat trumpet, violin, double bass, piano, percussion, 1988 (section of Project for an Opera...; may be performed separately); Fragment, voice, jazz orchestra, 1988 (section of Project for an Opera...; may be performed separately); from Orpheus (text by John Bentley Mays), tenor, bass, piano, 1989; Jappements à la lune (text by Claude Gauvreau), mezzo-soprano, 9 players, 1990
PIANO: She was beautiful II, 1979; Spring Fever, 2 pianos, 1979; Pillar of Snails, 1984-87; Souvenir, 1995; Sonata, 1995; For Linda C. Smith, 1995
MULTIMEDIA/PERFORMANCE: Dark Set (text by the composer), voice, tape, 1978; Trotsky in Amherst (text by Leon Trotsky), voice, harpsichord, transistor radio, tape, 1978; My World as I Remember It, Part 1 (outdoor installation, text by the composer), loudspeaker, tape, 1979; My World as I Remember It, Part 3 (wall installation [with loudspeaker]), 8-millimeter film (with soundtrack Garbage), 1980 (written under pseudonym Isabel Foote); My World as I Remember It, Part 4 (multimedia work, text by the composer), tape, wall-drawing, 1980; Killing off the Past (performance piece, text by the composer), speaker, eggs, 1980; Lecture (performance piece, text by the composer), speaker, bassoon, tape, oscillators, 1982; Music for Firing Squad (performance piece), electronic organ, tape, 1983; 20 Secrets (multimedia work, text by the composer), speaker, tape, film, 1983
ARRANGEMENTS: Seven Songs by Sylvia Tyson, voice, orchestra, 1985; 3 Nocturnes (Érik Satie), string quartet, 1996
DISCOGRAPHY
Flamingo Limo. Elissa Poole, baroque flute; Richard Sacks, vibraphone (Artifact, 1991)
Music for Klein and Beuys; Pillar of Snails. Schwitters/Butterfield (independent, 1992 [also re-released on Artifact, 1997])
Empress of Russia. Arraymusic (Artifact, 1993)
Jappements à la lune. Fides Krucker, mezzo-soprano; Vancouver New Music Ensemble (CBC Records: 119798, 1997)
(Last updated on December 2, 2004)
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