Ben Weber (composer)


William Jennings Bryan "Ben" Weber was an American composer.
Weber He was "one of the first Americans to embrace the 12-tone techniques of Schoenberg, starting in 1938"; he was largely self-taught. He worked initially as a copyist and only came to recognition in the 1950s.
Weber used the twelve-tone technique but, rather than avoid tonality, he worked with it and achieved a virtuoso Romantic style: "Weber could not stifle his bent for expansive lyricism and bold gestures," wrote music critic Anthony Tommasini, adding: "One gets the sense that his adaptation of the 12-tone technique was his way of ensuring that his music would keep its cutting edge and not slip into Romanticism. There is a rather Brahmsian spirit trying to emerge here." He composed chamber music for various combinations of instruments, orchestral music including concertos for violin and piano, piano music, and songs.
Weber also wrote an unpublished memoir, ''How I Took 63 Years to Commit Suicide.''

Awards

Weber was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1950. He received a Thorne Music Award in 1965,. which was given to composers of “mature years and recognized accomplishments".

Compositions

  • op.1: Three songs for contralto and piano
  • o. op.: To a golden-haired girl, for voice and piano
  • o. op. : Autumn
  • o. op. : Legende for violin and piano
  • op.2: Five Bagatelles for piano
  • o. op.: Two pieces for clarinet and piano
  • op.3: Pastorale and Scherzino for woodwinds
  • op.4: Fantasie for violin and piano
  • op.5: Violin sonata No.1
  • op.6: Three songs for soprano and piano
  • op.7: Lyric piece for string quartet
  • op.8: Suite for piano
  • op.9: Pastorale for violin and piano
  • op.10: Lied des Idioten, for soprano and orchestra
  • op.11a: Variations for piano, violin, clarinet and cello
  • op.11b: Concertino for violin, clarinet and cello
  • op.12: String quartet No.1
  • op.13: Five pieces for cello and piano
  • op.14: Divertimento for 2 solo celli
  • op.15: Five songs for voice and piano
  • op.16: Violin sonata No.2
  • op.17: Cello sonata No.1
  • o. op.: Piece for oboe and orchestra
  • op.18: Chorale and Variations for cello and piano
  • o. op.: Ballade for cello and piano
  • o. op.: Intermezzo for clarinet and piano
  • op.19: String trio
  • op.20: Wie kann ich bleich, for voice and piano
  • op.21: Sinfonia for cello and orchestra
  • op.22: Variations for oboe and string quartet
  • op.23: Three piano pieces
  • op.24: String trio
  • op.25: Fantasia for piano
  • op.26: Ballet: The Pool of Darkness, for flute, violin, trumpet, bassoon, cello and piano
  • op.26a: Episodes for piano
  • op.27: Suite for piano No.2
  • op.28: Dance for cello
  • op.29: Concert Aria after Solomon, for soprano, wind quintet, violin, cello and piano
  • op.30: Sonata da camera for violin and piano
  • op.31: Dance No.2 for cello
  • op.32: Concerto for piano solo, cello and woodwind quintet
  • op.33: Symphony in four movements on Poems of William Blake
  • op.34: Two pieces for string orchestra
  • op.35: String quartet No.2
  • op.36: Closing piece, for organ solo
  • op.37: Colloquy, for brass septet
  • op.38: Ballade for 2 pianos
  • op.39: Serenade for harpsichord, flute, oboe and cello
  • op.40: Four songs for tenor or soprano and cello
  • op.41: Concerto for violin and orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Shaw )
  • op.42: Prelude and Passacaglis for orchestra
  • op.43/1: Madrigal No.1 Ah, Dear Heart for SATB chorus
  • op.43/2: Madrigal No.2 Sonnet to Orpheus for SATB chorus
  • op.44: Serenade for string quintet
  • op.44a: New Adventures, for piano
  • op.45: Concertino for flute, oboe, clarinet and string quartet
  • op.46: Serenade for strings
  • op.47: Rapsodie concertante for viola and small orchestra
  • op.48: Three songs for soprano and strings
  • op.49: Humoresque for piano
  • op.50: String quartet No.3
  • op.51: Chamber fantasie for solo violin and small ensemble
  • op.52: Two songs for voice and piano
  • op.53: Piano concerto
  • op.54: The Ways, for voice and piano
  • op.55: Nocturne for flute, celesta and cello
  • op.56: Suite for piano four hands
  • op.57: A bird came down the walk, for mezzo-soprano and piano
  • op.58: Dolmen, for winds and strings
  • op.59: Four songs
  • op.60: The enchanted midnight, for orchestra
  • op.61: Dramatic piece for violin and orchestra
  • op.62: Sinfonia Clarion, for orchestra
  • op.63: Two songs for voice and piano
  • op.64: Intermezzo for piano
  • op.65: Variazioni quasi una fantasia for harpsichord
  • op.66: Consort of Winds, for wind quintet
  • op.67: Capriccio for cello and piano
  • op.68: Ciaconna for piano

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