Elodie Lauten facts for kids

Elodie Lauten (born October 20, 1950 – died June 3, 2014) was a talented composer from France who became an American citizen. She was known for her unique musical style, often called postminimalist or microtonal.

About Her Life

Elodie Lauten was born in Paris, France, and her birth name was Genevieve Schecroun. Her father, Errol Parker, was a jazz musician, and her mother was a classical pianist. Elodie started playing piano at age seven and received a classical music education in Paris.

In 1975 and 1976, she was involved in the early punk-rock music scene in Paris. Later, she moved to New York City and earned a Master's degree in composition from New York University. There, she studied Western music and also Indian classical music. She became an American citizen in 1984.

Elodie Lauten received many awards for her music. These included honors from groups like the NEA, which supports art, and ASCAP, which protects musicians' rights. She also received requests to write music for orchestras and smaller groups.

She wrote many different types of music, including operas, theater pieces, and music for orchestras and small groups of instruments. She was recognized in North America and Europe as a leader in new music, releasing over 20 albums.

Her Musical Style

Elodie Lauten's music often mixed two different ideas. One idea was a calm, flowing style without a strong beat, inspired by a type of music called minimalism. The other idea was a more traditional style, similar to classical music, with clear melodies and repeating musical patterns called ostinatos. Both of these styles were present from the beginning of her recording career.

For example, her opera The Death of Don Juan (from 1987) was a major work in the postminimalist style. It combined feminist ideas with Zen meditation. This opera was performed again in 2005. Her more traditional style grew into a neo-baroque sound in her Deus ex Machina Cycle (1999), which featured voices and Baroque instruments.

Another important work, Variations On The Orange Cycle (1991), was a more flowing, improvisational piano piece. It was recorded by Lois Svard and was even included in a list of 100 recommended recordings for classical radio.

Lauten's opera Waking in New York was based on poems by her friend Allen Ginsberg. It was presented by the New York City Opera in 2004. This opera was special because it blended different singing styles: classical, Broadway, and gospel. She also wrote OrfReo, an opera for a Baroque music group, which was first performed at Merkin Hall. In 2004, she was a composer-in-residence at Hope College in Michigan, meaning she worked there creating music. Her Symphony 2001 was first played in New York in 2003.

In 2014, Elodie Lauten received the Robert Rauschenberg Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, a special honor for artists.

Her Personal Life

When Genevieve Schecroun moved to the United States, she chose the name "Elodie." She took the last name Lauten from her first husband. She did not have any children.

Her Death

Elodie Lauten passed away in Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan at the age of 63. She died from cancer.

Her Works

Chamber Music

• Links, for solo flute, 2004
• The Wish of the Quickening Moon, for string quartet, 2003
• T.E.V.B. (The Elusive Virgin Bachelor), for piano, violin, and cello trio, 2002
• Space-Time Sextet, for string sextet (3 violins, viola, cello, contrabass), 2001
• Mantra, for vocal sextet, 2001
• American Dreamscape, for solo piano, 2000
• Lunaticity, for Baroque ensemble, 1999
• Prophecy, for solo viola, 1999
• Irrational Synergies, for baritone, flute, clarinet, saxophone, and cello; setting poems by Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and E. E. Cummings, 1998
• Discombobulations, for electronic music, electric guitar, flute, and soprano, 1997
• Variations on the Orange Cycle, for solo piano, 1991
• Concerto for Piano and Orchestral Memory, for piano, tape, synthesizer, cello, trombone, violin, and viola, 1984

Dance Music

• The Soundless Sound, electronic music, 2004
• She-Wolf, electronic music using a Fairlight computer, 1987
• Oedipus Rex, electronic/computer music using a Fairlight, 1984

Operas and Cycles

• The Death of Don Juan, a revised version of her 1985 opera, 2005
• Orfreo, for soprano, mezzo-soprano, countertenor, baritone, and Baroque orchestra (harpsichord, string quartet, oboe, flute, contrabass); with a libretto by Michael Andre, 2004
• Waking in New York, for baritone, soprano, mezzo-soprano, and full orchestra; with a libretto by Allen Ginsberg, 2004
• Waking in New York, for soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, string quartet, flute, contrabass, percussion, and synthesizer; with a libretto by Allen Ginsberg, 1999
• The Deus Ex Machina Cycle, for two sopranos, baritone, harpsichord, string quartet, and flute; with librettos by Lauten, Rilke, Verlaine, Pascal, and Steven Hall, 1995
• Existence, for tenor, soprano, mezzo-soprano, and narrator, with piano, synthesizer, and percussion; music and libretto by Lauten, 1990
• The Death of Don Juan, for computer-generated tape, 4 sopranos, harpsichord, Trine (a custom lyre), cello, synthesizer, and Grand Trine (a custom harp); music and libretto by Lauten, 1985

Orchestral Music

• Harmonic Protection Circle, 2003
• Symphony 2001, 2000

Soundtracks

• Crossroads Variations, for solo piano, 2004
• Harmonic Protection Circle 2004, for synthesizer, electric guitar, percussion, and contrabass, 2004
• Harmonic Protection Circle 2003, for Trine and electric guitar, 2003
• The Mystery of the Elements, for piano and electronic music, 2002
• S.O.S.W.T.C., electronic music, 2001
• Double X, for electronic music, voice, and flute, 1999
• Inscapes from Exile, electronic music, 1995
• Tronik Involutions, electronic music, 1993
• Remembrance of Things Past, electronic music and cello; music for a sound installation based on the writings of Marcel Proust, 1988
• Untitled , 5 pieces for live Fairlight computer, electric violin, cello, Trine, and piano; commissioned by the Lincoln Center Serious Fun Series, 1988
• Blue Rhythms, for piano and electronic music, 1987
• Krash Music, for electronic music and singers, 1986
• Sonate Ordinaire, for solo piano, 1986
• Sonate Modale, for piano and tape, 1985
• Action Music, for piano and sound environment, 1985
• Music for the Trine, for a custom-designed amplified lyre, electronic music, Trine, voice, and cello, 1985
• Magnetic Fields, for electronic music and Trine, 1985
• The Soundless Sound, electronic music, 1984
• The Enigma of a Lovely/Loveless Existence, for concrete music, Casiotone, and voice, 1983
• Piano Works, for piano, concrete music, and synthesizer, 1983