Siegmeister, Elie - biography

Biographical notes

l.  Composer, conductor, and writer on music.

2.  Born in NY 15 January l909

3.  At 15 entered Columbia College; studied theory and composition
with Bingham; BA l927

4.  Went to Paris in l927 to study with Boulanger for 4 years.

5.  Studied conducting at Julliard under Stoessel from l935-8.

6.  Member of the Composers Collective of NY.

7.  Pseudonym L.E. Swift for songs written for Composers'
Collective.

8.  Helped found the American Composers Alliance in l937.

9.  Served on the board of ASCAP from l977 until his death in l991.

10. His musical style is characterized by a synthesis of dramatic
and lyrical, forceful and tender, dissonant and melodic; Most of
his music reflects the influence of jazz.

11. Uses American folk material.

12. Uses native inspiration.

13. Represented in the 2nd Workers' Songbook as Swift.

14. Siegmeister's leftism in this period led to the most extended
social history of music by an American to that time, MUSIC AND
SOCIETY.

15. The Daily Worker and New Masses often reported on Siegmeister.

15. Siegmeister thought that there were no appropriate song texts
for workers' music in English, so he and Ashley Pettis went to
Russia to explore their proletarian music for models.

16. Siegmeister describes the role of the Russian composer as he
saw it in l934:  "A highly skilled and hence socially valuable
worker."

17. Siegmeister recognizes Shostakovich's popularity in Russia--
many of the Collective members sought to be like Shostakovich.

18. Connection with the communist party lessened for Siegmeister by
l940.

19.  All facets of Siegmeister's career--editor, composer, writer,
and performer--was affected by folk music.  Siegmeister, like other
composers at this time, eventually looked to these roots for
compositional inspiration.

20.  While conducting a concert of new American music in the mid-
30s Siegmeister recalls that a sturdy and fearless looking woman
arose from the audience to demand, "have you ever heard the music
of the poeple?"  It was Aunt Molly Jackson, and she became a big
influence on Siegmeister.  She also influenced Charles Seeger.  She
then proceeded to stop the show with her own ballad singing.  21.
Siegmeister was also impressed by Carl Sandburg's THE AMERICAN
SONGBOOK which was the first anthology of arranged folk songs in
which he was aware.

22. Siegmeister's compositions in the early and mid l930s reflected
his musical Americanism as a concern fro American social problems,
but by the late 30s his compositions (such as American Holiday)
reflected a heightened musical Americanism--which was exemplified
by his use of folksong.

23.  Siegmister wrote, "In the State of Serious Music in America
about l935--that of a rather abtruse, over-dissonant, and
intellectualized art--contact with the simple, human, quality of
our folk tradition was a healthy stimulating factor."

24. Siegmeister did everything he could to come in contact with
rural life. He formed the Ballad Singers (a professional group of
singers specializing in folk song performance) to travel around the
country for four years. He was the conductor and arranger.


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