Alvin derald etler composer
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Etler, Alvin (Derald)
Etler, Alvin (Derald), American oboist, teacher, and composer; b. Battle Creek, Iowa, Feb. 19, 1913; d. Northampton, Mass., June 13, 1973. He studied at the Univ. of III, with Shepherd at Case Western Reserve Univ., and with Hindemith at Yale Univ. (M.B., 1944), where he also taught (1942–46). He later taught at Cornell Univ. (1946–47), the Univ. of 111. (1947–49), and Smith Coll. (1949–73). He held 2 Guggenheim fellowships (1940, 1941). He was the author of Making Music: An Introduction to Theory (N.Y., 1974). His music is marked by stately formality of design.
Works
Orch. Music for Chamber Orch. (1938); 2 sinfoniettas (1940,1941); Passacaglia and Fugue (1947); Concerto for String Quartet and Strings (1948); Sym. (1951); Dramatic Overture (1956); Concerto for Orchestra (1957); Elegy for Small Orch. (1959); Concerto for Wind Quintet and Orch. (1960; Tokyo, Oct. 18, 1962); Triptych (1961); Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Ensemble (1962; N.Y
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Alvin Etler
American composer and musician
Alvin Derald Etler (February 19, 1913 – June 13, 1973) was an American composer and oboist.
Career
[edit]A student of Paul Hindemith, Etler is noted for his highly rhythmic, harmonically and texturally complex compositional style, taking inspiration from the works of Bartók and Copland as well as the dissonant and accented styles of jazz.
Though he played with the Indianapolis Symphony in 1938, he abandoned his orchestral life shortly thereafter to focus on his increasingly successful compositional career (which earned him two Guggenheim Fellowships during this period). In 1942 he joined the faculty at Yale University as conductor of the university band and instructor of wind instruments, where he began his studies with Hindemith. He also taught at Cornell University and University of Illinois before accepting a position at Smith College, which he held until his death.
Notable works include his two woodwind quintets (fr
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