| To the extent he is known, American composer Howard Boatwright (b. 1918; d. 1999) is probably best recognized for his choral and string works, and his recordings of early music. Nonetheless, Boatwright composed continuously, in almost all genres, over the course of fifty years. These compositions--polished, sophisticated, and gratifying contributions to the repertoire--have been largely neglected in published research to date. His works for voice and piano are the focus of this analysis.; Boatwright was born in Newport News, Virginia in 1917. He studied composition with Paul Hindemith at Yale and, soon thereafter, joined the Yale faculty, where he remained for sixteen years. He later assumed the post of Dean of the School of Music at Syracuse University. During his years in Syracuse, New York, he composed many of his major works and wrote books on medieval harmony and chromaticism. He remained in Syracuse until his death in 1999.; His early compositions are mostly lyrical and diatonic, facts that are not surprising given his close association with Hindemith. Still, those compositions also include instances of both modal and bitonal writing. His later compositions are characterized by a style that Boatwright described as "dodecaphonic but not serial."; This paper explores the evolution of his style, analyzing examples of his works for voice and piano from representative points across his career. An overview of Boatwright's life is provided, covering his beginning as a budding violin virtuoso and his growth into a theoretician and composer. The discussion continues with a limited analysis of three representative song sets, demonstrating the relationship between the music and the poetry, examining the structure and form, and also providing insights into interpretation and performance practice. It is hoped that the reader will come away with an appreciation of Boatwright's compositions for voice and piano, as well as a greater understanding of Boatwright's place among significant American song composers. |
