From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert William Witt
Robert William Witt
Robert William Witt (March 4, 1930 - September 18, 1967) 1963, and took a leave from teaching duties (which in-
was one of the mid-20th century neoclassical and ex- cluded Composition, Theory, History and Literature of
perimental composers. A native of Youngstown, Ohio, he Music, and Piano) to pursue doctoral studies in Musicol-
was a composer, pianist, and professor of music at Dana ogy at Ohio State University.[4] In 1964, he received the
School of Music at Youngstown State University. Like his Ohio Federation of Music Clubs’ Outstanding Graduate
mentor, Vincent Persichetti, Witt was well known for ex- Student award.
perimentation into new music forms and for integrating During the summer of 1964, his wife was stricken
old themes into new works. with cancer, and the family returned to their home in
Youngstown, and Witt to his teaching position at Dana.
Life His PhD work was complete with the exception of three
course hours. In 1965, Witt signed a contract with the
Robert Witt was born in Youngstown, Ohio, son of Alvy American Choral Foundation Institute to provide music
T. and Lillian Keffer Witt. Recognized as a prodigy at a for “The American Choral Foundation Series,” a new pub-
young age, Robert began his musical career at the age of lication project to be issued by Lawson-Gould, a sub-
five by taking piano lessons. Formal studies in music con- sidiary of G. Schirmer, Inc., under the direction of Mar-
tinued throughout his youth at Ursuline School of Mu- garet Hillis. Witt’s Four Motets to the Blessed Virgin Mary
sic and Dana School of Music. Witt continued his musical was to have been published in this project, but personal
studies at the Cleveland Conservatory of Music with Ruth and family health problems precluded the completion of
Edwards from 1945 to 1946, at the Peabody Conservato- the contract.
ry of Music in Baltimore from 1946–1948, where he stud- In March 1967, Robert Witt fell ill from the compli-
ied with Nicolas Nabokov, Pasquale Tallarico, and Renée cations of his diabetes. His condition progressively dete-
Longy-Miquelle, and at the Philadelphia Conservatory of riorated until his death on September 18, 1967; he was
Music from 1949-1950. thirty-seven years old at the time of his death.[5] His wife
It was at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music that succumbed to cancer the following February.
he began to study with his mentor, Vincent Persichetti,
who recommended him for studies at Juilliard. While at
Juilliard from 1950–1953, Witt was awarded an honorary
Music
scholarship, and he continued his studies in composition Although he made his first attempts at composition when
with Persichetti.[1] A teaching fellowship in literature he was six years old, Witt began serious composition
and materials of music was bestowed on him while he while in high school, and was one of the first two male
was still an undergraduate, as an assistant to Bernard graduates of Ursuline School of Music’s music depart-
Wagenaar, and he received both his B.S. in Music in 1952 ment, presenting a graduation recital of three composi-
and M.S. in Music in 1953.[2] tions: Prelude, Lorelei-Reverie, and Syncaprice.
In the fall of 1951, Witt married Eva Mondrut, a col- In 1951 and 1952, Witt represented Juilliard in the
oratura soprano, and over the next ten years they pro- Symposia of the International Federation of Music Stu-
duced five children – three daughters and two sons. Fol- dents. In March of 1951, his Divertimento for Three Wood-
lowing graduation, Witt was Director of Music at Foxhol- winds was presented at Yale University, and presented
low School for Girls, one of the Berkshire preparatory again a year later in New York under the auspices of the
schools in Lenox, Massachusetts. He also taught at the League of Composers. His Te Deum for Chorus and Brass
Emma Willard School for Girls in Troy, New York. Quintet was performed at the Symposia in 1952, and later
1955 and 1956 were pivotal years in his life. Witt had that year was enthusiastically received at Carnegie Hall
been a severe diabetic since childhood, and in 1956 he when performed by the New York Concert Choir, direct-
lost his eyesight to glaucoma. Within a year, he taught ed by Margaret Hillis. Commissioned by the Youngstown
himself Braille and began transcribing his music into Philharmonic and premiered by them in February of
Braille. He resumed composing, performing and teaching 1953, his Concerto Grosso (Concertato for Orchestra) was se-
as an Assistant Professor of Music at the Dana School of lected by the Juilliard faculty as the best composition by a
Music at Youngstown State University. graduate student composer, and was played at Juilliard’s
As a professor at the Dana School of Music, Witt was commencement exercises in 1953[6] when Witt received
loved and respected by students and colleagues alike.[3] his Master of Science in Music.
He was awarded the Danforth Foundation Fellowship in
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert William Witt
His Sonatina #1 premiered in 1955; that same year, he formed by Dolores Fitzer;[10] and the Ave Maria from his
was the first winner of the Youngstown Philharmonic Four Motets to the Blessed Virgin Mary was performed in
Ohio Composer competition. His works for both full and a lecture concert of American choral music at the Dana
chamber orchestras were presented on radio, in concerts School of Music by guest conductor and lecturer Greg
at Yale, Carnegie Hall, Juilliard, Michigan State Univer- Smith in 1988. 1995 saw his west-coast premiere of the
sity, Cleveland Institute of Music, by the Youngstown complete Four Motets to the Blessed Virgin Mary, performed
Philharmonic Orchestra, and elsewhere during 1955 and by the San Francisco Lyric Chorus.[11] Most recently, his
1956. Te Deum for Chorus and Brass Quintet was performed by the
Two works, Benediction Service and Three Landscapes for Nativity Adult Choir in Raleigh, NC in 1996 in a concert
Piano and Voice, were premiered in 1957 with Witt’s wife, entitled ”Sacred Choral Music of the 20th Century.”
Eva, as the featured soprano soloist. In 1959, four of his
pieces were performed in Vienna at the Academy for Mu-
sic and Performance Art in “An Evening of Chamber Mu-
Works
sic by Four Young American Composers.” Featured in the
Vienna performance were Witt’s Sonatinas #1 and #2 for Selected Works
Piano, Three Landscapes, and Sonata for Piano. His works • Opus 1 Variations and Inventions for Piano (August,
were also featured in a program by the Youngstown Mu- 1949)
sic Teacher’s Association in 1959.[7] • Opus 1a “Brooklyn Suite” (for 4 Trumpets, November,
Vincent Persichetti conducted Witt’s Paean for Orches- 1948)
tra at the Tri-State Orchestral Composers Symposium in 1. I. Prelude
April 1964 at Michigan State University; the Paean was 2. II. Intermezzo
selected as the best from works submitted by composers 3. III. Scherzo
from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.[8] Also in 1964, the 4. IV. Introduction and Finale
Hughes Quartet of Ohio State University premiered
Witt’s String Quartet #1 at the Tri-State Composers of • Opus 1b Why Couldn’t You Love Me? (Voice and Piano –
Chamber Music Symposium in Cleveland. They per- undated)
formed the work a second time at Bluffton College, in • Opus 1c Suite in B Flat (For B Flat Clarinet and Bassoon
1965, again at Ohio State University, and a third time in – undated)
1966 in a concert of Witt’s works. • Opus 1d Rondo-Fantasy (For Bassoon and Piano –
During the last few years of his life, Witt was influ- February, 1949)
enced by advances made during collaborations with col- • Opus 1e Loveliest of Trees (For high voice and piano –
leagues in Germany, and he began to experiment with July 28, 1948)
electronic music. At that time, he wrote Abstracts in Mo- • Opus 1f Lyric Fantasy on The “Rubaiyat” of Omar
tion, Music for Dance, which showcased one of the most in- Khayyam (For Soprano and Piano – undated)
novative pieces of music performed at Dana, which com- • Opus 2 Four Preludes for Piano (undated)
bined electronic music with modern dance choreography • Opus 3 Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (undated)
featuring black-clad dancers and fluorescent hoops and • Opus 4 Three Two-part Inventions for Piano (December,
batons under black light. 1949)
In March 1967, Dana honored Witt with a concert of • Opus 5 Divertimento #1 for Three Woodwinds (1950)
his works, entitled “An Evening of Music by Robert Witt,” • Opus 6 Three Landscapes for Piano and Voice (T.S. Eliot)
and featured the Hughes String Quartet, as well as fellow (March, 1950)
musicians and students from Dana.[9] This concert pre- Virginia
miered his transcendent Four Motets to the Blessed Virgin
Usk
Mary, and included the Three Etudes for Piano, performed
by Dolores Fitzer, to whom he had dedicated the Etude New Hampshire
for Left Hand Only. The program additionally featured his
Concertante for Six Instruments, as well as Three Seascapes • Opus 7 Two Songs (Joyce) (undated)
from the works of Shakespeare and Walt Whitman, Two O Cool Is the Valley Now
Songs based on the poetry of James Joyce, Four Lyrics of
Carl Sandburg, Five Animal Stories based on the poems of Sleep Now
Ogden Nash, Variations for Clarinet and Piano, and Diverti-
• Opus 8 Three Bagatelles for Piano (undated)
mento #2 for Two Equal Wind Instruments.
• Opus 9 Three Seascapes (undated)
Several of his pieces have been performed posthu-
Full Fathom Five (Shakespeare, The Tempest)
mously, notably Abstracts in Motion, Music for Dance; Four
Lyrics of Carl Sandburg, which was performed by Anthony The Dismantled Ship (Whitman)
Hopkins in recital at Dana; the Three Etudes for Piano, per-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert William Witt
On Montauk Point (Whitman) III. Melody
• Opus 10 Divertimento #2 for Two Equal Wind Instruments IV. March
(undated)
• Opus 11 Quintet for Piano and Strings (undated) V. Variations on a French Lullaby
• Opus 12 Concertante for Six Instruments (one
• Opus 28 Divertimento #3 (for Two Violins, undated)
movement, undated)
• Opus 29 Four Motets: To the Blessed Virgin Mary (for
• Opus 13 Te Deum (for Chorus and Brass Quintet,
SATB choir, undated)
undated)
I. Salve, Regina
• Opus 14 Finale for Orchestra (October–December, 1951)
• Opus 15 Two Studies (for Piano, undated) II. Ave Maria
• Opus 16 Dance (for Clarinet and Cello, undated)
• Opus 17 Concertato for Orchestra: Concerto Grosso III. Stabat Mater
(December, 1952)
• Opus 18 Sonatina #1 (for Piano, undated) IV. Magnificat
• Opus 19 String Quartet #1 (1953)
• Opus 30 Sonatina #3 (for Piano, undated)
• Opus 20 Five Animal Stories (for SATB Chorus,
• Opus 31 Four Lyrics of Carl Sandburg (for Baritone and
February, 1954)
Piano, undated)
1. The Flea (Roland Young)
Fog
2. The Turtle (Ogden Nash)
Nocturne in a Deserted Brickyard
3. The Duck (Ogden Nash)
Prayers of Steel
4. The Kitten (Ogden Nash)
Lost
5. The Rhinoceros (Ogden Nash)
• Opus 32 Five Easy Pieces for Piano (undated)
• Opus 21 Four Pieces for Orchestra (1954) I. March
1. Prelude
II. Song
2. Dance
III. Scherzo
3. Nocturne
IV. Fantasy
4. Burlesk
V. Rondo
• Opus 22 Interlude, Piano (for four hands, undated)
• Opus 33 Paean for Orchestra (undated)
• Opus 23 Second Sonatina (for Piano, undated)
• Opus 34 Divertimento #4 (for Oboe, Trumpet and
• Opus 24 Music for “Bethlehem” (undated)
English Horn, undated)
• Opus 25 Three Etudes for Piano
• Opus 35 Variations for Clarinet and Piano (undated)
No. 1, For the Left Hand Alone (December, 1955)
• Opus 36 Four Bagatelles for Orchestra (undated)
No. 2, Octave (July, 1957) • Opus 37 Sonata for Piano (undated)
• Opus 38 Toccata for Piano (undated)
No. 3, Repeated Notes (November, 1959) • Opus 39 Three Responses (Songs for Catholic Mass,
undated)
• Opus 26 Benediction Service (for Women’s Chorus, • Opus 40 Studies for Woodwind Quintet (October, 1966)
undated) • Opus 41 Music for Dance #1: Abstracts in Motion
I. O Salutaris Hostia (January–February, 1967)
II. Tantum Ergo
Additional early and/or incomplete
III. Laudate Dominum works
• The Lorelei-Reverie (January 15, 1945)
• Opus 27 Suite for Piano (undated)
• Prelude Fantasque (July 23, 1945)
I. Prologue
• Twilight (Walt Whitman, February 10, 1947)
II. Waltz • Prelude and Scherzo (April, 1949)
• The Dust of Timas (October, 1949)
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert William Witt
• Russian Hymn (October 26, 1949)
• America (October 12, 1949)
References
• Concerto in One Movement (for Piano and Orchestra, [1] [1] The Youngstown Jambar, 11-03-1950, pp.1
undated) "Former Dana Student Wins Music Scholarship."
• Preludes (four, undated) [2] "Robert Witt, Composer and Pianist, Dies at 37,"
• Symphony #1 (Unfinished, 1956) Youngstown Vindicator, September 19, 1967.
• For Unaccompanied Violin (November 26, 1965 – [3] [2] The Youngstown Jambar, 10-07-1960, pp.1,3
incomplete) "Witt’s Blind Condition No Handicap to Music
Ability."
Variations on other Compositions [4] [3] The Youngstown Jambar, 02-01-1963, p.1 "Prof
• Come, Sweet Death (J.S. Bach, October 26, 1949) Robert Witt Wins Study Grant"
• Traumerei (R. Schumann, November 23, 1949) [5] "Mass Offered for Composer Robert Witt,"
• Andante from Sonatina (Kuhlau, December 7, 1949) Youngstown Vindicator, September 22, 1967.
• Pesther Waltz (Joseph Lanner, December 14, 1949) [6] "’Concerto Grosso’ by Witt Played at Juilliard
• Rondo (Kuhlau, January 4, 1950) Exercises," Youngstown Vindicator, June 1, 1952.
• Minuet (Beethoven, January 11, 1950) [7] [4] THROUGH THE YEARS Programs of note,
• Nocturne (Chopin, January 18, 1950) Published: Sat, September 4, 2004, Vindy.com
• Minuet (Boccherini, February 15, 1950) (Youngstown Vindicator)
• Auf Dem Wasser Zu Singen (Schubert, February 22, [8] "Composer Symposium April 20–22," Columbus
1950) Dispatch, April 10, 1964
• Der Lindenbaum (Schubert, February 22, 1950) [9] "Concert Monday Triumph for Witt," Catholic
• Es Ist Genug (Chorale, J. S. Bach var., March 1, 1950) Exponent, March 4, 1966.
• Andante (Kuhlau, March 8, 1950) [10] [5] The Youngstown Jambar, 04-25-1969, p. 14,
• Andante (Beethoven, January 11, 1950) "Dana Holds Artists Series Recital Mon."
• Spinning Song (Mendelssohn, March 22, 1950) [11] [6] San Francisco Bay Area Choral Archives
• Du Bist Die Ruh (Schubert, March 29, 1950) [12] Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fall Recital (program notes),
• Romance (Rubenstein, April 27, 1950) Dana School of Music, Youngstown University,
Nover 9, 1960.
Arrangements Persondata
• Sylvia (Oley Speaks – arranged for SSA Choir) Name Witt, Robert William
• Sonata pian’ e forte (G. Gabrieli, arranged for mixed Alternative names
brass and Saxophone Ensemble)[12]
Short description
• Sarabande and Echo (J. S. Bach – arranged for Tenor
Sax) Date of birth March 4, 1930
• Rumanian Folk Dances (I and III) (Bela Bartok, arranged Place of birth
for Two Pianos) Date of death September 18, 1967
• Variazione Sopra “La Romanesca” (Biagio Marini,
Place of death
arranged For Treble Recorder and Piano)
Honors and Awards
• Youngstown Philharmonic’s Ohio Composer
Competition Winner, December, 1955
• Danforth Foundation Teacher Study Grant,
1963–1964
• Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Outstanding
Graduate Student, 1964
• Professional Life Member, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Music Fraternity
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_William_Witt&oldid=427643729"
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert William Witt
Categories:
• 1930 births
• 1967 deaths
• Juilliard School alumni
• Youngstown State University faculty
• 20th-century classical composers
• American composers
• Experimental composers
• Neoclassical composers
• University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni
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