THE LIVING COMPOSERS PROJECT  

Robert W. Mann

(b. 11 September 1925, Sandwich, Illinois – d. 15 March 2010, Rome).

American composer, later resident in Italy, of mostly stage, orchestral, chamber, vocal, and piano works that have been performed in the Americas and Europe.

Mr. Mann received musical encouragement from Lawrence Fogelberg in DeKalb, Illinois in 1941 and Lois Lautner at Butler University in Indianapolis in 1941 and at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts in 1947, as well as from Percival Price at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1946. He later studied composition privately with Goffredo Petrassi in Rome from 1948–52 and had fruitful contact with Heinrich Strobel from 1955–70, Benjamin Frankel from 1956–75 and Camillo Togni in 1978.

He was also active in other positions. He served in the US Navy, including a term in the Pacific Ocean, from 1942–45. He served as secretary-general of ISCM from 1955–59. As a writer, he contributed criticism to the journal London Music Events, the magazine Musical America and the newspaper Dagbladet in Oslo in the 1950s. As a scholar, he published English translations of various articles and books by musicians from Italy.

He taught composition privately in Rome from 1952–2010 and taught courses on listening to music for groups in private homes from the 1970s–2007.

He lived in Italy from 1952–2010.

Most of his music is unpublished, but Edizioni Edi.Pan is the publisher of some of his music.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Deceased

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

STAGE:

The Little Prince (opera in 1 act, libretto by the composer, after Antoine de Saint-Exupéry), boy soprano/soprano leggero, soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, 2 baritones, mixed chorus (4 female voices, 6 male voices), orchestra (2 flutes [2nd + piccolo], 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, harp, piano, celesta, glockenspiel, xylophone, percussion, strings), 1950–51 (also version for boy soprano/soprano leggero, soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, 2 baritones, mixed chorus [4 female voices, 6 male voices], 2 pianos, 1950–51)

The Scarlet Letter (opera in 4 acts, libretto by the composer, after Nathaniel Hawthorne), dramatic soprano, lyric soprano, 2 sopranos, soprano leggero, mezzo-soprano, 2 altos, tenor, baritone, bass-baritone, 2 basses, large orchestra (piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 2 tenor-bass trombones, bass trombone, harp, piano, celesta, timpani, percussion, 40 strings), 1955–58 (a concert suite was arranged as Suite from 'The Scarlet Letter', soprano, large orchestra, c. 1958 [lost])

Agamennone (incidental music, play by Vittorio Alfieri), 1964 (lost)

Drakon – The Dragon (incidental music, play by Evgeny Schwartz), fixed media, 1970 (collaboration with Francesco Pennisi) (lost)

Œdipus Rex (incidental music, play by Sophocles), 4 recorders, piccolo, 3 oboes, English horn, 3 bassoons, 3 double basses, glockenspiel, tubular bells, percussion, 1972

Processo a Socrate (incidental music, play by Giorgio Prosperi), speaker–tenor, English horn, E-flat clarinet, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, double bass, piano, celesta, timpani, gong, percussion, 1983

ORCHESTRAL:

Music for orchestra, large orchestra (3 flutes [3rd + piccolo], 3 oboes [3rd + English horn], 3 clarinets [3rd + bass clarinet], 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, harp, piano, timpani, percussion, strings), 1953

La Rêve d'Hermaphrodite (Grand Concerto Variations), piano, orchestra (piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 2 French horns, 2 B-flat trumpets, harp, piano, celesta, timpani, strings), 1980

Hexapla I (concerto), viola, orchestra (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, celesta, tubular bells, strings), 1985

Hexapla II (concerto), piano, orchestra (piccolo, flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, 3 trumpets, celesta, strings), 1987

CHAMBER MUSIC:

String Quartet, 1958

Anaglyphs (music for sculpture by Takis), piccolo, contrabassoon, guitar, 8 violas, 2 double basses, 5 percussion, 1961

ludes, harpsichord, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 1974

mereludes, guitar, 1979

Cadenza da concerto, violin, 1980

Livraisons, string quartet, 1980

String Quartet No. 2, 1981

Silberglöckchen, Zauberflöten, flute (+ piccolo), celesta, 1981

Leash I, violin, viola, cello, 1981

Spring (for the 80th birthday of Goffredo Petrassi), flute, oboe, clarinet, viola, cello, celesta, 1984

Quincunx, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piano, 1984

Corn, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, glockenspiel, 1985

Twyll, guitar (+ triangle), viola (+ triangle), 1991, revised 1992 (also version for guitar, viola, triangle, 1991, revised 1992)

Leash II, clarinet, cello, piano, 1996

In a Warm Pocket, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1998 (version of work for piano)

Shards, clarinet, piano, 1998

Cavatina, flute, clarinet, bassoon, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 2000

All'ombra dell'obelisco, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, percussion, 2001

Canons and Catch, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet, bassoon, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 2001

Motes, flute, clarinet, bassoon, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 2002

D'après, piano, ensemble (flute [+ piccolo], clarinet [+ E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet], bassoon, viola, cello, double bass, percussion), 2007

firstlude, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 2007

lastlude, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 2007

CHORAL:

Spring and Fall (text by Gerard Manley Hopkins), female chorus, 1950

Spelt from Sibyl's Leaves (cantata, text by Gerard Manley Hopkins), mixed chorus, small orchestra (piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, 2 French horns, trumpet, tenor-bass trombone, harp, piano, percussion, 4 violins, 2 violas, cello, double bass), 1953

VOCAL:

Night Songs (texts by William Blake, Gerard Manley Hopkins, D. H. Lawrence, Percy Bysshe Shelley), soprano leggero/tenor leggero, large orchestra (3 flutes [all + piccolo], 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, bass trombone, piano, timpani, percussion, strings), 1954

Suite from 'The Scarlet Letter', soprano, large orchestra, c. 1958 (concert suite from opera) (lost)

Cantata (improvisation, text by Percy Bysshe Shelley, adapted by the composer), soprano, harp, piano, celesta (+ glockenspiel), vibraphone (+ xylophone), tubular bells (+ sleigh bells, crotales, large gong), 2 percussion, 1960

Song (text by Percy Bysshe Shelley, adapted by the composer), soprano, cymbals (3 players), 1970

Adagio and Songs (text by Percy Bysshe Shelley, adapted by the composer), soprano, orchestra, 1969–71

Seam into Seam (text by Emily Dickinson), mezzo-soprano, 2 pianos, 1977

Ballade (text by François Villon), soprano, bass trumpet, trombone, tuba, crotales (1 player), 1977

Ingyte (text by Percy Bysshe Shelley, adapted by the composer), soprano, orchestra, 1982

A Ditty for Soprano and Harpsichord, 'The Kittens at Tea' (text from an anonymous nursery-rhyme), soprano, harpsichord, 1983

Four Morley Songs (text by Hilda Morley), soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, improvisational metallic instruments (1 player), 1995

PIANO:

In a Warm Pocket, 1958 (also version for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon)

...quasi..., 1976 (version of work for harpsichord)

mereludes, 1978

Cakewalk Chorale, 2000

HARPSICHORD:

...quasi..., 1976 (also version for piano)

ARRANGEMENTS:

...touches of sweet harmony... Scènes de ballet on the virginal music of Giles Farnaby (The King's Hunt–A Maske–Rosasolis–Fantasia–Galiarda–Meridian Alman–A Toye–Farnaby's Dreame–His Humour–The Flatt Pavan–Fantasia) (Giles Farnaby), orchestra (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, harp, celesta, strings), 1978

Robert Schumann: Nine Songs (Stirb Lieb' und Freud!'–Der Sandmann–Muttertraum–O Freund, mein Schirm, mein Schutz!–Kommen und Scheiden–Schneeglöckchen–Liebesbotschaft–Nachtlied–Der Soldat) (Robert Schumann), mezzo-soprano, small orchestra (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2 French horns, strings), 1979

Bach: Two-part Inventions, BWV 772–86 (Johann Sebastian Bach), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1993 (each invention may be performed separately)

Bach: English Suite III, BWV 808 (Johann Sebastian Bach), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1994

Mendelssohn: Songs without Words, Op. 38 No. 6–Op. 30 No. 4–Op. 67 No. 4–Op. 38 No. 3–Op. 102 No. 6 (Felix Mendelssohn), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1994

Bach: Three-part Inventions, BWV 787–801 (Johann Sebastian Bach), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1995 (each invention may be performed separately)

Bach: Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in B minor from 'The Well-tempered Clavier', Book I, BWV 869 (Johann Sebastian Bach), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, viola, cello, celesta, 1996

Rossini: Sonata IV in si bemolle maggiore (Gioachino Rossini), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1997

DISCOGRAPHY

Silberglöckchen, Zauberflöten; Quincunx. Roberto Fabbriciani, flute, piccolo; Giuseppe Scotese, piano; Roberto Szidon, celesta; Echos Woodwind Quartet (Edi.Pan International Music: PAN CD 5501, 1994)

Cavatina. Paolo Longo/Taukay Ensemble (Taukay: 119, 2001)

Cakewalk Chorale. Mauro Castellano, piano (Federazione CEMAT/AldaMicioMusic, c. 2001)

Canons and Catch. Paolo Longo/Taukay Ensemble (Taukay: 121, 2002)

Motes. Paolo Longo/Taukay Ensemble (Taukay, 2003)

D'après. Paolo Carandini, piano; Paolo Longo/Taukay Ensemble (Taukay, 2008)

Shards. Paolo Montin, clarinet; Emanuela Graziosi, piano (Geva Edizioni, 2009)