(b. 1925, Oskaloosa, Iowa – d. 10 May 2002, Bloomington, Illinois).
American composer of mostly chamber, choral, vocal, piano, and carillon works that have been performed in Europe and North America.
Mr. Plum studied composition with Philip Bezanson, Philip Greeley Clapp and Richard Hervig at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where he earned his PhD in 1962. He also studied composition with Luigi Dallapiccola in New York, New York in 1956–57 and studied electronic music during several summers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
His music has been performed in France, the Netherlands and the USA.
He was also active in other positions. He founded the studio for electronic music at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington in 1971 and designed ear-training programmes for the computers Apple II and Apple IIGS, Hearing Melodic Patterns and Chordelia.
He taught composition, electronic music, music theory, non-Western music, and piano at Illinois Wesleyan University from 1965–91, where he then retained a part-time appointment as a staff accompanist from 1991–2002.
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
ORCHESTRAL:
Four Mosaics, 12 winds, 1980–81
WA, flute, harp, string orchestra, 1992
Prelude and Fugue, string orchestra, 1995
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Fantasy for Clarinet and Piano, clarinet, piano, 1964–65
Trio for Oboe, Cello and Piano, oboe, cello, piano, 1967
Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, bassoon, piano, 1968
Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, clarinet, viola, piano, 1969
Ceremonial Music, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 1969
Caprice, viola, piano, 1971
Five Proclamations, trombone, piano, 1975–77
Three Lyric Pieces, cello, piano, 1976–77
Sonata for Two Violas, 2 violas, 1977
Sonata for Two Flutes, 2 flutes, 1977
Nocturne, 2 violins, 1979
Three Pieces for Guitar, guitar, 1980
Sonata for Tuba and Piano, tuba, piano, 1980
String Trio, violin, viola, cello, 1982
Two Movements for String Quartet, string quartet, 1985
Two Movements for Woodwind Quintet, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1985
Dialogues, clarinet, marimba, 1986
Eight Scenes for Bass Trombone and Synthesizers, bass trombone, synthesizers (1 player), 1990
Piano Quartet, violin, viola, cello, piano, 1991
Ricercar à 6, any 6 players within a specified range, 1991
Duo for Violin and Marimba, violin, marimba, 1992
Two Pieces for Clarinet and Guitar, clarinet, guitar, 1993
Suite for Unaccompanied Viola, viola, 1993
Fantasia, 4 viols, 1993 (also version for string quartet, 1993)
Two Movements for Trombone Quartet, 4 trombones, 1993
Duo for Clarinet and Cello, clarinet, cello, 1994–95
Shadows, string quartet, 1995
Tapestry, flute, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, 1995
Fantasy on 'The Western Wynde', flute, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, 1996
Idyll, alto saxophone, cello, piano, 1996
Niobe, string quartet, 1997
Four for Four, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, 1997
Soliloquy, trombone, piano, 1999
In a Garden, flute, clarinet, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 1999
Aria and Dance, baritone saxophone, piano, 2000
Nocturne, soprano saxophone, piano, 2000
Conversations, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2000
Romanza, clarinet, French horn, 2001
CHORAL:
Three Poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson (text by Ralph Waldo Emerson), mixed chorus, piano, 1993
Friends (text by Jane Nygood Plum), children's chorus, piano, 1994
De Profundis (text by Lafcadio Hearn), mixed chorus, 1994
The Caged Skylark (text by Gerard Manley Hopkins), male chorus, piano, 1994
Four Epigrams (text by William Blake), mixed chorus, 1995
Spring (text by William Blake), mixed chorus, piano, 1995
VOCAL:
The Young Dancer (text by Leslie L. Brown), mezzo-soprano, flute, cello, piano, 1976
Six Songs to Seventeenth-Century English Poets, soprano obbligato, tenor, piano, 1979–80
Mirage: Five Poems by Christina Rossetti (text by Christina Rossetti), soprano, viola, 1993
Mutation (text by William Cullen Bryant), soprano, piano, 1994
Meg Merrilies' Songs (text by Sir Walter Scott), alto, piano, 1994–95
Inscapes: Five Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins (text by Gerard Manley Hopkins), baritone, piano, 1997
Three Poems by Christina Rossetti (text by Christina Rossetti), mezzo-soprano, piano, 1998
Three Poems by Thomas Hardy (text by Thomas Hardy), baritone, piano, 1999
PIANO:
Toccata, 1951–52
Music for Beginners, 1964–65
Seven Reflections, 1968
Fantasy, 1980
Three Pieces, 1987
Lebewohl: Four Meditations on a Motive by Beethoven, 1991
Three Landscapes, 1992
Walking Music (after themes by Charles Ives), piano 4 hands, 1993
Sonata, 1993
Eight Jewish Folksongs, 1993–94
Scottish Suite, 1994
Music at Twilight, 1995
Lydian Lullabies, 1995
Eight Pieces in C, 1995
Phrygian Phantasy, 1995
Mountain Music, 1996
Four Idylls, 1996
Three Scottish Folksongs, 1996
Study in Porcelain, 1996
Kokoro, 1997
Niobe, 1997
Three Miniatures, 1997
In a Dream, 1998
Two Hebrew Songs, 1999
Fresco, 2000
HARPSICHORD:
Five Pieces, 1976–77
Six Variations on 'Watkins Ale', 1988
CARILLON:
Constellations, 1997
Paean, 1997
A Ground, 1999
Waves, 1999
Fantasy on 'Kol Nidrei', 1999
Prelude and Fugue, 1999
Fantasy on 'Aus tiefer Not', 1999
Idyll, 1999
In Dulci Jubilo, 1999
Crystals, 1999
In Nomine, 2000
Sonorities, 2000
'Ding! dong! merrily on high', 2000
Bells among the Clouds, 2000
Mysterium, 2000
Passacaglia, 2001
Epilogue, 2001
ELECTROACOUSTIC:
Valse romantique, fixed media, 1975
Chrysalis, fixed media, 1976
DISCOGRAPHY
Mutation. Janis Sabatino Hills, soprano; Leonard J. Lehrman, piano (Capstone Records: CPS-8623)
Three Landscapes. Jeffrey Jacob, piano (New Ariel Recordings: AE001)