From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American composer and poet
Ann Loomis Silsbee (21 July 1930 - 28 August 2003) was an American composer
[1] and poet who composed two operas,
[2] published three books of poetry,
[3] and received several awards, commissions, and fellowships.
Silsbee was born in
Cambridge , Massachusetts.
[4] She earned a bachelor's degree from
Radcliffe College , a master's in music from
Syracuse University , and a doctor of musical arts in composition from
Cornell University . She studied with
Irving Fine ,
[5] Earl George, and
Karel Husa ,
[6] and in Paris with unspecified teachers.
[7] Her dissertation was on a composition by
Peter Maxwell Davies called Stone Litany .
[8] While at Cornell, she attended a poetry seminar led by Archibald Randolph
(A.R.) Ammons , whose poetry she would later set to music. She married Robert Silsbee, a physicist who taught at Cornell,
[3] and they had three sons, Doug, David, and Peter.
[9]
In 1964, Silsbee's work River was performed at the Ferienkurs fuer Neue Musik in Darmstadt, Germany.
[10] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she taught at the State University of Cortland (New York) and at Cornell University.
[7] In the early 2000s, she hosted several poetry groups and retreats.
[3] Her awards, commissions, and fellowships included:
Awards
Commissions
First Street Playhouse, New York
[2]
TROIKA Association, Ithaca, New York
[2]
Fellowships
Silsbee served on the boards of the
American Composers Alliance (ACA) and the
International League of Women Composers . Her papers are archived at Cornell University.
[3] Her works were recorded commercially on the LPs TURNA TV 34704 and NORTH NR 221,
[7] and published by the ACA.
[12] They include:
Books
Book of Ga
[3]
Fullest Tide (published posthumously)
[3]
Orioling
[3]
Chamber
Another River (cello quartet and percussion)
[13]
Expressions (clarinet)
[7]
Glyphs (guitar and harpsichord)
[7]
Go Gentle (three woodwinds or three strings)
[7]
Journey (flute and percussion)
[7]
Pathway (percussion and strings)
[7]
Phantasy (oboe and harpsichord)
[7]
Pharos (cello, piano and percussion)
[7]
Quartet (clarinet, violin, cello and piano)
[14]
Quest (string quartet)
[7]
Runemusic (cello)
[7]
Spirals (string quartet; also arranged for piano and for orchestra)
[7]
Three Chants (unspecified number of flutes)
[7]
Trialogue (violin, clarinet and piano)
[7]
Dance
River (two groups of musicians and optional dancers)
[7]
Electronic
Prometheus (bass, chorus, chamber ensemble and tape)
[7]
Opera
Nightingale’s Apprentice (for children; libretto by Margaret Weaver)
[2]
People Tree
[2]
Orchestra
Seven Rituals
[7]
Spirals (also arranged for string quartet and for piano)
[7]
Trois Historiettes
[7]
Piano
Bagatelle
[7]
Corrai (prepared piano)
[7]
Doors (Burge Eastman prize)
[7]
Expressions
[7]
In and Out the Window
[7]
Letter from a Field Biologist (two pianos)
[3]
Spirals (also arranged for string quartet and for orchestra)
[7]
Vocal
An Acre for a Bird (motet)
[7]
Bourn (text by A. R. Ammons; soprano, tenor, cello and harpsichord)
[7]
Canticle (text after the Song of Solomon; soprano, oboe and harpsichord)
[7]
De Amore et Morte (woman's voice and chamber ensemble)
[7]
Diffraction (text by
e. e. cummings ; soprano, flute, piano and percussion)
[7]
Dona Nobis Pacem (chorus)
[5]
“Huit Chants en Brun” (text by
Federico Garcia Lorca ; translated into French by Andre Belamich)
[7]
Hymn (text by A. R. Ammons; soprano, oboe and piano)
[7]
Icarus (eight voices, recorder, and bongo drums)
[7]
Leavings (soprano, percussion and prepared piano)
[7]
Mirages (text by e. e. cummings; bass, cello and quarter tone harpsichord)
[7]
“Now” (text by e. e. cummings)
[7]
Only the Cold, Bare Moon (song cycle based on eight Chinese poems; soprano, flute and piano)
[7]
Pictures from Brueghel (soprano and chorus)
[7]
Raft (text by A. R. Ammons; narrator and percussion)
[7]
Scroll (soprano and chamber ensemble)
[7]
References
^ Hixon, Donald L. (1993).
Women in music : an encyclopedic biobibliography . Don A. Hennessee (2nd ed.). Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.
ISBN
0-8108-2769-7 .
OCLC
28889156 .
^
a
b
c
d
e Borroff, Edith (1992).
American operas : a checklist . J. Bunker Clark. Warren, Mich.: Harmonie Park Press.
ISBN
0-89990-063-1 .
OCLC
26809841 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h Zhou, Andrew.
"Downriver: Ann Silsbee and the Creation of Letter from a Field Biologist" . Retrieved 2022-04-23 .
^ Stern, Susan (1978).
Women composers : a handbook . Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.
ISBN
0-8108-1138-3 .
OCLC
3844725 .
^
a
b Anderson, Ruth (1976).
Contemporary American composers : a biographical dictionary . Boston: G.K. Hall.
ISBN
0-8161-1117-0 .
OCLC
2035024 .
^
Directory of New Music . Crystal Record Company. 1983.
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
aa
ab
ac
ad
ae
af
ag
ah
ai
aj
ak
al
am
an
ao
ap Cohen, Aaron I. (1987).
International encyclopedia of women composers (Second edition, revised and enlarged ed.). New York.
ISBN
0-9617485-2-4 .
OCLC
16714846 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link )
^ Surtees, Warnaby, John.
The Music Of Peter Maxwell Davies Based On The Writings Of George Mackay Brown .
OCLC
1005982091 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link )
^ Home, Bangs Funeral.
"Obituary for Robert H. Silsbee | Bangs Funeral Home" . Obituary for Robert H. Silsbee | Bangs Funeral Home . Retrieved 2022-04-23 .
^ McVicker, Mary F. (2016-08-04).
Women Opera Composers: Biographies from the 1500s to the 21st Century . McFarland.
ISBN
978-1-4766-2361-0 .
^
a
b
c Heinrich, Adel (1991).
Organ and harpsichord music by women composers : an annotated catalog . New York: Greenwood Press.
ISBN
978-0-313-38790-6 .
OCLC
650307517 .
^ Stewart-Green, Miriam (1980).
Women composers : a checklist of works for the solo voice . Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall.
ISBN
0-8161-8498-4 .
OCLC
6815939 .
^ Price, Nancy (2016-02-25).
Cello and Double Bass Ensemble Music . Lulu.com.
ISBN
978-1-329-92715-5 .
^
The Clarinet . Department of Music, Idaho State University. 1980.
External links