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(1 - 2 of 2)
- Creator
- Churgin, Betty, Deschere, John, Pearson, Donald M., Pearson, Homer, Groves, Earl
- Date
- [After 1966]
- Text
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83 BORIS KOUTZEN 1901 - 1966 The sudden death of Boris Koutzen on December 10, 1966, removed a vigorous participant from the American musical scene-and an esteemed colleague from the ranks of Vassar College. Mr.Koutzen was a member of the Vassar faculty from 1944 until his retire- ment in June 1966. As those who knew him well might have pre- dicted, his was not a typical retirement, for he continued to maintain his usual heavy schedule of composing, conducting and teaching. His death came...
Show more83 BORIS KOUTZEN 1901 - 1966 The sudden death of Boris Koutzen on December 10, 1966, removed a vigorous participant from the American musical scene-and an esteemed colleague from the ranks of Vassar College. Mr.Koutzen was a member of the Vassar faculty from 1944 until his retire- ment in June 1966. As those who knew him well might have pre- dicted, his was not a typical retirement, for he continued to maintain his usual heavy schedule of composing, conducting and teaching. His death came just a few hours after he had conducted a dress rehearsal with the Chappaqua Orchestra which he had founded in 1958. Born in Uman, Russia, in 1901, Boris Koutzen appeared at age eleven as violin soloist with the orchestra at Chersson. At seventeen he won a nationwide contest for the post of first violinist of the Moscow State Opera House Orchestra. He also became a member of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra directed by Serge Koussevitsky. After studies in violin with Leo Zetlin and in composition with Reinhold Gliére he was graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and went to Berlin where he made his professional debut in 1922. He never returned to Russia but in 1924 came to the United States with, to quote him "just enough money in my pockets to join the Musicians‘ Union." He not only joined the union but almost immediately embarked upon the multifaceted career of violinist, composer, conductor, and teacher which was to be his life. He became a member of the Philadelphia Orches- tra which was then at its zenith under Leopold Stokowski. And he joined the staff of the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music where he was head of the violin department, director of the ensemble program, and conductor of the orchestra. He remained with the conservatory for thirty-seven years and with the Philadelphia Orchestra until 1938 when he became a charter member of the elite N.B.C. orchestra which was being assembled for Arturo Toscanini. He married Inez Merck, a pianist, who like himself was descended from a long line of musicians. Their children, George and Nadia, cellist and violinist respectively, continue the musical family tradition. During his initial season with the Philadelphia Orchestra Boris Koutzen conducted that group in a performance of his first symphonic composition. Frequent concert tours of the United States increased his stature as a violinist; and a 7 _3q BORIS KOUTZEN (continued) steady stream of compositions in almost every medium won him wide acclaim as a composer. His symphonic works, for example, were performed by virtually every major American orchestra - the Philadelphia, Boston, N.B.C., Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco and New York to name but a few - and by many foreign groups. His Second String_Quartet won the award of the Society for Publication of American Music and his symphonic poem "Valley Forge" won the Juilliard Foundation award. - e - Vassar began to benefit from this extraordinarily rich and varied background when, in 1944, Boris Koutzen joined the faculty to teach violin. His total dedication to the high- est ideals of his art, his warmth and wit, his inspiring teaching, and his understanding won him the imediate and enduring respect and affection of his students and colleagues. He immeasurably enriched the Vassar musical climate by his many appearances as solo violinist, in chamber music with his colleagues and others, and in performances of his own compositions. Within a few years after his arrival his violin students had so grown in number and in skill that he was able to organize the Vassar Orchestra which greatly extended the training and experience available to students. No one who came to hear their first concert in 1948 was pre- pared for the high level of their achievement. And with each successive year the group seemed to surpass its earlier goals. Generations of Vassar students will never forget his Wednes- day afternoon orchestra rehearsals, where, through a combina- tion of chicanery, cajoling, and sometimes, sheer terror he made the members play better than they were able, and opened for them the door to a great and lasting musical experience. Upon the occasion of his retirement, his colleagues and guest artists presented in his honor a concert of his own composi- tions and cited his "distinguished service to music at Vassar." Under Mr. Koutzen's last will and testament the Music Library is to receive as a legacy, his complete manuscripts and sketches which will be of great use to future students and scholars and will serve as a testament to one who loved Vassar and was beloved. Respectfully submitted, Betty Churgin John Deschere Donald M. Pearson Homer Pearson XVII 120-121 Earl Groves, Chairman
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- Creator
- Coover, James B., de Madariaga, Pilar, Groves, Earl W., Pearson, Donald M., Pearson, Homer
- Date
- [After 1965]
- Text
-
lé CARL PARRISH 1904 — 1965 Carl Parrish was a distinguished scholar--an elder statesman among present-day musicologists--who was active and influential in the American Musicological Society. He was a specialist in medieval and renaissance music, and in the music of Haydn. He was well in touch with other areas of research in music, and was interested in the development of music library resources. He had received a Fulbright Grant in 1952-53 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1958-59. His books...
Show morelé CARL PARRISH 1904 — 1965 Carl Parrish was a distinguished scholar--an elder statesman among present-day musicologists--who was active and influential in the American Musicological Society. He was a specialist in medieval and renaissance music, and in the music of Haydn. He was well in touch with other areas of research in music, and was interested in the development of music library resources. He had received a Fulbright Grant in 1952-53 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1958-59. His books include the "Masterpieces of Music before 1750," "A Treasury of Early Music," "The Notation of Medieval Music," and translations of the "Dictionary of Musical Terms," by Johannes Tinctoris and the "Thoroughbass Method" of Hermann Keller. He was devoted to teaching in a career which he began as pianist and composer. Before coming to Vassar College, he had taught at Wells College, Fisk University, Westminster Choir College, Union Theological Seminary and Pomona College. While at Vassar he taught during numerous summers at the University of Southern California, Union Theological Seminary and the University of Minnesota. His interest in the problems of students was given particular emphasis in those four years when Carl and his wife served as housefellows in Raymond. To those who knew him as a friend as well as professionally, he was a quietly compassionate man whose confidence was to be sought and respected. He had a broad range of interests. In recollec- tion, discussions with him concerning fine points of historical analysis in music, and concerning developments in other fields, can be contrasted with afternoons spent with him in Yankee Stadium or in watching him play ball with his son. His sense of humor was perceptive and generous. His contemplation of ultimate concerns marked both his social awareness and his faith. It was a privilege, not easily gained, to know this man. And it is our privilege, at this moment, to try to call your attention to the whole man. . James B. Coover Pilar de Madariaga Earl W. Groves Donald M. Pearson Homer Pearson XVII 2
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