(b. 1947, Brooklyn, New York, New York).
American composer of mostly orchestral, chamber, choral, and piano works that have been performed in Europe and North America.
Prof. Gallagher attended Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York from 1965–69, where he studied analysis and orchestration with Elie Siegmeister in 1967–68 and where he earned his BA cum laude. He also studied composition and counterpoint privately with Elie Siegmeister in 1968, 1970–71 and 1972. He studied analysis and composition with Robert Moffat Palmer and Burrill Phillips at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York from 1971–75 and there earned his MFA and DMA.
Among his honours are First Prize at the Symposium XII for New Band Music in Virginia of the College Band Directors National Association (1987, for Diversions: Triptych) and the title Ohio Composer of the Year from the Ohio Music Teachers Association (1996). He later received the Henry Luce III Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the College of Wooster in Ohio (2005).
He is also active in other positions. He performed as a trumpeter in the National Orchestral Association from 1968–70 and served as music director of the Wooster Symphony Orchestra in Ohio in 1985–86.
He has taught composition, orchestration and other subjects at the College of Wooster since 1977, where he has taught as the Olive Williams Kettering Professor of Music since 1991.
He is the father of the composer Ryan Gallagher.
His primary publisher is Éditions Bim.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
ORCHESTRAL:
Berceuse, 1977
Mist-Covered Mountain: Fantasy for Symphonic Band on a Scottish Folksong, 1982
Diversions: Triptych, symphonic band, 1985
Diversions Overture, 1986
The Persistence of Memory (In Memoriam: Brian Israel), symphonic band, 1989 (also version for orchestra, 1994–95)
Sinfonietta, string orchestra, 1990, revised 2007
Symphony in One Movement: Threnody, 1991
Proteus Rising from the Sea, symphonic band, 1994
A Quiet Musicke, 1996
A Psalm of Life, symphonic band, 1997, revised 2000, 2008
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Toccata, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, 1970
Ancient Evenings and Distant Music, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1971
Distant Evocations (Variations), cello, piano, 1973
Sonata, trumpet, 1979
Sonata Breve, tuba, 1981 (also shorter version for B-flat trumpet, 1999)
Resonances, 4 B-flat trumpets, 1983
Capriccio, 2 B-flat trumpets, 1984
Celebration and Reflection, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, 1987
Heritage Music, French horn, violin, cello, piano, 1988
Stanfare, 8 trumpets, timpani, 1996
Exotic Dances, violin, piano, 1996
Eight Impromptus, trumpet, 2002
Duo for Two Cellos, 2004
Intimations of Finzi, clarinet, piano, 2004–05
Remembrance of Robin, trumpet, piano, 2008
CHORAL:
Invocation (text by Percy Bysshe Shelley), mixed chorus, 1980
Three Wordsworth Poems (text by William Wordsworth), mixed chorus, piano, 1982
To Those Who've Fail'd (text by Walt Whitman), mixed chorus, 1983
Song of the Daffodils (text by William Wordsworth), children's chorus, piano, 1998
Springsong (text by William Shakespeare), female chorus, piano, 2004
Dance No More (text by Thomas Chatterton), mixed chorus, 2005
Let Me Make Songs (text by Frances E. W. Harper), soprano, trumpet, piano, 2007
VOCAL:
Three Songs of Love, Joy and the Beauty of Night (texts by Thomas Moore, Robert Browning, Robert Southey), high voice/low voice, piano, 1975
Darest Thou Now, O Soul (text by Walt Whitman), soprano, cello, piano, 1983
PIANO:
Sonata, 1973, revised 2005
Nocturne, 1976, revised 2003
Sonatina, 1976, revised 2003
Six Bagatelles, 1978
Three Little Waltzes and Pastorale, 1984
Six Pieces for Kelly, 1989
Evening Music, 1998
Malambo, 2000
DISCOGRAPHY
Toccata. Nashville Contemporary Brass Quintet (Pantheon Music International: PFN 2241, 1985) (LP)
Diversions: Triptych; Mist-Covered Mountain: Fantasy for Symphonic Band on a Scottish Folksong. Jack Gallagher, Marice Stith/Cornell University Wind Ensemble (Cornell University Wind Ensemble Recordings: CUWE-39, 1986) (LP)
Toccata. Galliard Brass Ensemble (Musical Heritage Society: MHS 513534T, 1994)
Symphony in One Movement: Threnody. Szymon Kawalla/Orkiestra Filharmonii Koszalińskiej (Vienna Modern Masters: VMM 3028, 1994)
Berceuse. Szymon Kawalla/Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia w Krakowie (Vienna Modern Masters: VMM 3030, 1995)
The Persistence of Memory (In Memoriam: Brian Israel) (second version). Tsanko Delibozov/Rusenska Filharmoniya (Vienna Modern Masters: VMM 3036, 1996)
Proteus Rising from the Sea. Richard A. Shelton/United States Air Force Band of Flight (United States Air Force, 1996)
Toccata. Heartland of America Air Force Band Brass Quintet (United States Air Force, 1998)
Ancient Evenings and Distant Music. Solaris Wind Quintet (Capstone Records: CPS-8677, 2000)
The Persistence of Memory (In Memoriam: Brian Israel) (original version). John A. Climer/Ohio University Wind Ensemble (Ohio University Wind Ensemble, 2002)
Capriccio. Ken DeCarlo, Robert Sullivan, B-flat trumpets (Summit Records: DCD 319, 2002)
Sonata (trumpet). Frédéric Presle, trumpet (Promuse: PMCD 5702, 2005)
Diversions Overture. Robert Ian Winstin/Natsionalna Filarmoniya Ukraini (ERM Media: ERM-6709, 2006)
Berceuse. David Bowden/Columbus Indiana Philharmonic (Columbus Indiana Philharmonic: CIP CD 262, 2006)
Nocturne. Jeri-Mae Astolfi, piano (Capstone Records: CPS-8777, 2007)
Diversions Overture; Berceuse; Sinfonietta; Symphony in One Movement: Threnody. JoAnn Falletta/London Symphony Orchestra (Naxos Records: 8.559652, 2010)