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Henry Brant

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Henry Brant is America's foremost composer of spatial music. The planned positioning of performers throughout the hall, as well as on stage, is an essential factor in his composing scheme and a point of departure for a radically expanded range and intensity of musical expression. This expressive use of space enables Brant to write textures of unprecedented polyphonic and/or polystylistic complexity, creating greater resonance in the hall and increased clarity of musical detail for the listener. Brant’s principal works since 1950 are all spatial. His catalogue now comprises nearly 100 such works, each for a different instrumentation and requiring a different spatial deployment in the hall. In the mid 1950’s Brant felt that “single-style music...could no longer evoke the new stresses, layered insanities, and multi-directional assaults of contemporary life on the spirit.” In keeping with Brant’s belief that music can be as complex and contradictory as life, his music often employs multiple, contrasting performing forces, as in Meteor Farm (1982) for symphony orchestra, large jazz band, two choruses, West African drum ensemble and chorus, South Indian soloists, large Gamelan ensemble, percussion orchestra and two Western solo sopranos, and Western Springs (1984) for two orchestras, two choruses and two jazz bands, Brant's spatial experiments have convinced him that space exerts specific influences on harmony, polyphony, texture and timbre. He regards space as music's "fourth dimension," (after pitch, time and timbre). Brant continues to experiment with new combinations of acoustic timbres, even creating entire works for instrumental family groups of a single timbre: Orbits for 80 trombones and other works for multiple trumpets only, flutes only and guitars only. This strong predilection for ensembles of a single tone quality dates from Angels and Devils (1932). Brant does not use electronic materials or permit amplification in his music. A member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters, Brant has received two Guggenheim Fellowships and was the first American composer to win the Prix Italia. Among other honors are Ford Foundation, Fromm Foundation, and Koussevitsky awards and the American Music Center’s Letter of Distinction. Brant's work has found municipal recognition in an official Henry Brant Week in Boston (1982), in a series of ten all-Brant concerts at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam (1984), and in New York City's Certificate of Appreciation (1992). The Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel has acquired Brant's complete archive of original manuscripts including over 300 of his works (1998). In conjunction with Brant's 85th birthday concert, Wesleyan University conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts (1998). Born in Montreal of American parents in 1913, Henry Brant began composing at the age of eight. After moving to New York in 1929, he composed and conducted for radio, film, ballet, and jazz groups. Starting in the late 40s, he taught at Columbia University, The Juilliard School, and, for 24 years, Bennington College. Since 1981, he has made his home in Santa Barbara, California.

Title	Ensemble Type	Composed	Duration	Media
American Debate : An Antiphonal Overture	Band		00:04:20
American Requiem, An	Band		00:18:00
Anitphony I (Chamber Version)	Orchestra		00:12:00
Ballad	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice		00:06:00
Ballad (The Half Songs)	Orchestra		00:06:00
Four Leaves	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice		00:00:00
Wind, Water, Clouds, and Fire	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2004	00:20:00
Tremors - Spatial Declamations for 4 Voices and 16 Instrumentalists	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2003	00:12:00
Ghosts and Gargoyles	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2002	00:20:00
Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra--Three Movements: I. Prelude, II. Idyll, III. Caprice	Orchestra	2002	00:20:00
Ice Field (Spatial narratives for large and small orchestral groups)	Orchestra	2002	00:21:00
Newsflash	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2002	00:03:00
Four Doctors	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2001	00:01:00
Crystal Antiphonies	Orchestra	2000	00:25:00
Glossary (Computer Jargon)	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2000	00:30:00
Prophets	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2000	00:18:00
Mergers	Orchestra	1998	00:18:00
Festive Eighty	Band	1997	00:16:00
Jericho	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1996	00:02:00
Dormant Craters	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1995	00:30:00
Destination Unknown	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1995	00:06:00
Plowshares and Swords	Orchestra	1995	00:18:00	Plowshares and Swords
Four Skeleton Pieces	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1994	00:09:00
If You Don't Like Comets, Get Out of the Solar System	Unspecified Instrument(s)	1994	00:05:00
Scientific Creation of the World, The	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1994	00:10:00
Trajectory	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1994	00:20:00
Homeless People	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1993	00:20:00
Four Score	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1993	01:00:00
Old Italians Dying, The	Orchestra	1991	00:18:00
Pathways to Security	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1990	00:00:00
Prisons of the Mind	Orchestra	1990	00:23:00
Skull & Bones	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1990	01:00:00
Rosewood	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1989	00:15:00
Rainforest	Orchestra	1989	00:50:00
Flight Over a Global Map	Band	1989	00:35:00
Ghost Nets	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1988	00:25:00
Era Any Time of Year, An	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1987	00:19:00
Invisible Rivers	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1987	00:22:00
Knot Holes, Bent Nails and a Rusty Saw	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1986	00:14:00
Four Mountains in the Amstel	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1986	00:20:00
Autumn Hurricaines	Band	1986	01:00:00
Desert Forests	Orchestra	1985	00:15:00	Desert Forests
Northern Lights over the Twin Cities	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1985	01:36:00
Mass in Gregorian Chant for Multiple Flutes	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1984	00:25:00
Bran(d)t an de Amstel	Band	1984	03:00:00
Western Springs	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1984	00:38:00
Litany of Tides: Spatial Antiphonies	Orchestra	1983	00:25:00
Lombard Street	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1983	00:04:00
Horizontals Extending	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1982	00:08:00
Inside Track	Orchestra	1982	00:16:00
Revenge Before Breakfast	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1982	00:09:00
Sixty/Seventy	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1982	00:01:10
Meteor Farm: A Spacial Concert of Ceremonies	Orchestra	1981	00:55:00
Glass Pyramid, The	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1980	00:18:00
$1,000,000 Confessions	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1978	00:03:00
Antiphonal Responses; (Triple Concerto for 3 Bassoons)	Orchestra	1978	00:18:00
Cerberus	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1978	00:04:00
Saraband	Orchestra	1978	00:02:00
Orbits	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1978	00:21:00
Trinity of Spheres	Orchestra	1978	00:11:00
Secret Strings and Prevailing Winds	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1977	00:16:00
American Commencement	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1976	00:05:00
American Weather (Antiphonal Motet)	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1976	00:05:00
Curriculum l: Poem for Spatial Chamber Music	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1975	00:15:00
Curriculum ll: Spatial Tone Poem	Orchestra	1975	00:15:00
Plan of the Air, A	Band	1975	00:21:00
Homage to Ives	Orchestra	1975	00:20:00
Nomads: Triple Concerto	Orchestra	1974	00:18:00
Prevailing Winds	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1974	00:16:00
Solomon's Garden	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1974	00:16:00
(6) Grand Pianos Bash (6) Plus Friends	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1974	00:05:00
Big Haul, The	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	1973	00:02:00
Divinity	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1973	00:08:00
Vita de Sancto Hieronymo	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1973	00:19:00
Immortal Combat	Band	1972	00:12:00
Crossroads	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1971	00:20:00
Chanticleer	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1968	00:10:00
Antiphony One	Orchestra	1968	00:10:30
Kingdom Come	Orchestra	1967	00:22:00
Violin Concerto with Lights	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1967	00:20:00
Odyssey Why Not?	Orchestra	1965	00:22:00
Consort for True Violins (octet)	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1965	00:19:00
Dialogue In The Jungle	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1964	00:12:00
Sing, O Heavens	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1964	00:11:00
Millennium IV	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1963	00:14:00
From Bach's Menagerie	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1963	00:12:00
Voyage Four	Orchestra	1963	00:25:00
Underworld (Black Whales)	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1963	00:04:00
Headhunt	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1962	00:20:00
Fire in Cities	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1961	00:06:00
Barricades	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1961	00:10:00
Feuerwerk (Words over Fireworks)	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1960	00:06:00
Fire Garden, The	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1960	00:12:00
Quombex	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1960	00:04:00
Peace Music for U.N. Day	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1959	00:01:00
In Praise of Learning	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1959	00:05:00
Crossing the Bridge Before You Come to It	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1959	00:10:00
Conversations in an Unknown Tongue	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1958	00:07:00
Children's Hour, The	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1958	00:18:00
Mythical Beasts	Orchestra	1958	00:12:00
Joquin	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1957	00:05:00
Hieroglyphics I	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1957	00:11:00
Hieroglyphics II	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1957	00:11:00
Millennium lll: Anniversary Procession	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1957	00:05:00
Fourth Season, The	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1957	00:07:00
Grand Universal Circus	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1956	01:10:00
On the Nature of Things (After Lucretius)	Orchestra	1956	00:14:00
Encephalograms ll	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1955	00:07:00
Conclave	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1955	00:12:00
Cain Within, The	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1955	00:03:00
Ceremony	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1954	00:12:00
Galaxy ll	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1954	00:05:00
December Madrigal	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1954	00:04:00
December: Dramatic Cantata with Dialogues	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1954	00:20:00
Piri	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1954	00:05:00
Millennium ll	Band	1954	00:12:00
Labyrinth	Orchestra	1954	00:13:00
Kitchen Music	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1953	00:05:00
Signs and Alarms	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1953	00:09:00
Stresses	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1953	00:05:30
Origins	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1952	00:22:00
Galaxy l	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1952	00:05:00
Millennium I	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1950	00:06:00
Street Music (3 places in Montreal)	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1949	00:08:00
All Souls Carnival	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1949	00:16:00
Confusion in the Salon	Keyboard	1948	00:02:00
Funeral Music for the Mass Dead	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1947	00:06:00
Oases	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	1947	00:03:00
Imaginary Ballet	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1946	00:10:00
Concerto for Clarinet and Dance (Jazz) Orchestra	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1946	00:12:00
Dedication in Memory of a Great Man	Orchestra	1945	00:07:00
Statesmen in Jazz: Three Portraits	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1945	00:06:00
Symphony in B-flat (The Nineteen Thirties)	Orchestra	1945	00:21:00
Four French Baroque Pieces	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1943	00:07:00
Downtown Suite	Orchestra	1942	00:06:00
Fantasy and Caprice	Orchestra	1942	00:15:00
Country Tunes in Jazz	Keyboard	1942	00:04:00
Adventure, An	Orchestra	1942	00:05:00
Four Traumatics	Keyboard	1942	00:10:00	Four Traumatics
Symphony No. 2 (Promised Land)	Orchestra	1942	00:21:00
Strength through Joy in Dresden: Introduction and Coda to a Theatre Piece	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1942	00:05:00
Variations on a Canadian Theme	Orchestra	1942	00:12:00
Concerto for Alto Sax or Trumpet with Nine Instruments	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1941	00:22:00
Decision	Orchestra	1940	00:07:00
Toccata on	Keyboard	1940	00:02:30
Variations on a Theme By Robert Schumann	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1940	00:12:00
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra	Orchestra	1939	00:12:00
Whoopee in D	Orchestra	1938	00:04:00
Marx Brothers, The: Three Faithful Portraits	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1938	00:09:00
Two Lyric Interludes	Orchestra	1938	00:04:30
Whoopee in D major	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1938	00:04:00
Duo	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1937	00:22:00
Requiem in Summer, A	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1934	00:08:00
Handorgan Music	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1933	00:03:00
Mobiles I	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	1932	00:05:00
Mobiles II	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1932	00:05:00
Music for a Five and Dime	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1932	00:04:00
Partita	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1932	00:10:00
Four Choral Preludes	Keyboard	1932	00:10:00
Two Choral Preludes	Orchestra	1932	00:09:00
Two Rush Hours in Manhattan	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1931	00:09:00
Two Conclusions	Keyboard	1930	00:05:00

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Henry Brant