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Malaspina Great Books Blog |
Category: | Modern Music | ||
Name: | Harry Somers - Canadian Series | ||
Birth Year: | 1925 | ||
Death Year: | 1999 | ||
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Biography, Lectures, and Research Links: |
Blog Harry Somers Somers was known not only for his great versatility but also for his tremendous productivity. His music includes works for orchestra, choir, voice, instrumental ensemble and piano, as well as for stage, film and television. His best-known work is the opera Louis Riel, commissioned for performance during Canada's Centennial Year, 1967, and performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Washington, D.C. during the U.S. Bicentennial celebrations. Somers decribed his artistic development: "Over the years I've worked consistently on three different levels with three different approaches to composition. On one level my approach has been what I call 'community music' or 'music for use': For example music for amateurs and music for school use. On a second level I've created 'functional music,' in the specific sense: music for television, films and theatre, where the composition has to work in company with another medium and serve the demands of that medium. On a third level I have created without consideration for any limitations, sometimes completely experimentally, sometimes extending the line of a particular direction on which I had been working through a series of works. In short, the first two levels relate directly to the environment and society, in the broad sense, in which I live at the moment, and in which I function as a craftsman; the third relates to a more restricted audience (though I'm not convinced it need be so) and my personal development as an artist." In 1971, Somers, who had become one of Canada's most internationally-known composers, was named a Companion of the Order of Canada. He had received honorary doctorates from the University of Ottawa (1975), the University of Toronto (1976) and York University (1975). Harry Somers passed away on March 9, 1999. [Adapted from Canadian Music Centre] The Great Books: Harry Somers Please browse our Amazon list of titles about Harry Somers. For rare and hard to find works we recommend our Alibris list of titles about Harry Somers. Post Comments, Questions or Suggestions! This database is maintained by Malaspina Great Books. | ||
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Best Choice Books, Music, Art: | Book: Harry Somers CD: Stravinsky & Somers: Ballets | ||
Sheet music: Harry Somers | |||
Browse Books, Music, Art & Book Reviews: | Books from Alibris: Harry Somers Books from Amazon: Harry Somers | ||
Recordings from Amazon: Harry Somers | |||
Audiobooks at iTunes: Thousands of Classics | |||
Library Catalogs: | COPAC UK: Harry Somers Library of Canada: Harry Somers Library of Congress: Harry Somers Other Library Catalogs: Harry Somers | ||
External Links: | Representative Image: www.cbcrecords.ca Research Links: Harry Somers Malaspina Canada Links: Harry Somers | ||
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Records from Related Period and Category: | Modern Music |
About this Database: |
This web page is part of a biographical database on Great Ideas. These are living ideas that have shaped, defined and directed world culture for over 2,500 years. By definition the Great Ideas are radical. As such they are sometimes misread, or distorted by popular simplifications. Understanding a Great Idea demands personal engagement. Our selection of Great Ideas is drawn from literature and philosophy, science, art, music, theatre, and cinema. We also include biographies of pivotal historical and religious figures, as well as contributions from women and other historically under-represented minorities. The result is an integrated multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary database built upon the framework of the always controversial Great Books Core List published in 1940 by the late Great Books Pioneer Mortimer Adler (1902-2001). Most of the works on that list are available in the 60 volume Great Books of the Western World. |
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