Steven Gerber facts for kids

Steven Roy Gerber (born September 28, 1948, in Washington, D. C. – died May 28, 2015, in New York City) was an American composer. He wrote classical music. He went to Haverford College and graduated when he was 20. Then, he studied music composition at Princeton University.

Steven Gerber's Musical Journey

Steven Gerber created many musical pieces. Some of his well-known works include Fantasy for Solo Violin and Piano Trio. The Piano Trio was specially asked for by the Hans Kindler Foundation.

He learned from famous music teachers like James K. Randall and Milton Babbitt.

When he first started, his music often sounded "atonal." This means it didn't always follow traditional musical scales. Later, he explored a style called "serial music," which uses a specific order of notes. For example, he wrote choral pieces like "Dylan Thomas Settings."

In the 1980s, Steven Gerber changed his style. His music became more "tonal." This means it used more traditional melodies and harmonies. Sometimes his music was very "chromatic," using many notes close together. Other times, it was "diatonic," using notes from a simple scale.

His music was reviewed in big newspapers like The New York Times. It was even played a lot in the former Soviet Union. More people there heard his music than that of many other American composers.

In 2005, a famous conductor named Vladimir Ashkenazy asked Gerber to write a new orchestral piece. This piece was called Music in Dark Times. It had six parts and was first performed by Ashkenazy and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 2009. Steven Gerber passed away in New York City on May 28, 2015, at the age of 66.

Steven Gerber's Compositions

Steven Gerber wrote many different types of music. Here are some of the main categories of his works:

Music for Orchestras

These pieces are for a large group of musicians playing many instruments together.

• 1990 Serenade for string orchestra
• 1992 Piano Concerto (a piece for piano and orchestra)
• 1993 Violin Concerto (a piece for violin and orchestra)
• 2005-08 Music in Dark Times

Chamber Music

These pieces are for smaller groups of instruments, usually with one player per part.

• 1967 Sonata for violin and piano
• 1971 String Trio (for three string instruments)
• 1988 String Quartet No. 3 (for four string instruments)
• 1996 Notturno, for violin, cello and piano

Vocal Music

These pieces feature singers, often with piano or other instruments.

• 1966 Three French Songs (for a high voice and piano)
• 1975 Black Hours: Five Sonnets of Gerard Manley Hopkins (for soprano and piano)
• 1982 Desert Places: Five Poems of Robert Frost (for a high voice and piano)

Choral Music

These pieces are written for a choir, which is a group of singers.

• 1972 Dylan Thomas Settings
• 1972 Illumination (based on a poem by Arthur Rimbaud)
• 2004 Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought (5 Sonnets of William Shakespeare)

Piano Music

These are pieces written just for the piano.

• 1970 Variations
• 1982 Piano Sonata
• 1989 Cocktail Music (Song Without Words)

Other Solo Music

These pieces are for a single instrument playing by itself.

• 1967 Fantasy for violin
• 1991 Elegy on the Name "Dmitri Shostakovich" for viola (or cello)
• 2013 Soliloquy for Solo Bassoon