Walter Piston facts for kids

Walter Piston

Walter Hamor Piston, Jr. (born January 20, 1894 – died November 12, 1976) was an American composer of classical music. He was also a music expert and a professor at Harvard University.

Walter Piston's Early Life and Education

Walter Piston was born in Rockland, Maine. His family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1905 when he was 11 years old.

Walter first studied to be an engineer. But he loved art and music. After high school in 1912, he went to the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. There, he studied fine art.

Music Journey Begins

In the 1910s, Walter played piano and violin in dance bands to earn money. He also played violin in orchestras.

During World War I, he joined the U.S. Navy. He quickly learned to play the saxophone to become a band musician. He later said he wanted to join as a musician. While in the service band, he taught himself to play many wind instruments. He said they were "just lying around," and he could pick them up and learn.

College and Marriage

In 1920, Piston started studying at Harvard College. He learned about music theory and composition. He also helped his music professors and led the student orchestra.

In the same year, he married Kathryn Nason, an artist he met in art school. They were married until her death in 1976, just a few months before he passed away.

Studying in Paris

After graduating with high honors from Harvard, Piston won a special scholarship. He used it to study music in Paris, France, from 1924 to 1926. He learned from famous teachers like Nadia Boulanger and Paul Dukas. His first published music piece was Three Pieces for Flute, Clarinet and Bassoon in 1925.

Walter Piston's Career and Music

Piston taught music at Harvard from 1926 until he retired in 1960. Many of his students became famous composers, including Leonard Bernstein and Elliott Carter.

Important Compositions

In 1936, a radio company asked six American composers, including Piston, to write music for radio. Piston wrote his Symphony No. 1. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed it for the first time in 1938.

Piston also wrote a ballet called The Incredible Flutist in 1938. It was performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra. Later, Piston made a shorter concert version of the ballet, which became very popular.

Piston sometimes used a modern music style called the twelve-tone technique. He used parts of this style in his early works, like his First Symphony. His Chromatic Study on the Name of Bach (1940) was his first piece fully using this technique. He continued to use it more in his later works, like his Eighth Symphony (1965).

Awards and Recognition

Piston's music won many awards. His Symphony No. 2 won a prize in 1944. His Third Symphony and Seventh Symphony both won the famous Pulitzer Prize for Music. His Viola Concerto and String Quartet No. 5 also received awards.

In 1974, he received the Edward MacDowell Medal for his great contributions to the arts.

Books on Music

Walter Piston wrote four important books about how music works. These books are still used today by music students and teachers. They include Principles of Harmonic Analysis, Counterpoint, Orchestration, and Harmony. His Harmony book introduced new ideas about music theory and was translated into many languages.

Later Life

Walter Piston passed away at his home in Belmont, Massachusetts, on November 12, 1976. Today, his library and desk are on display in the Piston Room at the Boston Public Library.

Works

Ballet

• The Incredible Flutist (1938)

Orchestral Music

• Symphonies
  • Symphony No. 1 (1937)
  • Symphony No. 2 (1943)
  • Symphony No. 3 (1946–47)
  • Symphony No. 4 (1950)
  • Symphony No. 5 (1954)
  • Symphony No. 6 (1955)
  • Symphony No. 7 (1960)
  • Symphony No. 8 (1965)
• Symphonic Piece (1927)
• Suite, for orchestra (1929)
• Concerto for Orchestra (1934)
• Suite from The Incredible Flutist (1940)
• Sinfonietta (1941)
• Fugue on a Victory Tune, for orchestra (1944)
• Variation on a Tune by Eugene Goosens (1944)
• Suite No. 2, for orchestra (1947)
• Toccata, for orchestra (1948)
• Serenata for Orchestra (1956)
• Three New England Sketches (1959)
• Symphonic Prelude (1961)
• Lincoln Center Festival Overture (1962)
• Variations on a Theme by Edward Burlingame Hill (1963)
• Pine Tree Fantasy (1965)
• Ricercare for Orchestra (1967)
• Bicentennial Fanfare, for orchestra (1975)

Music for Band and Brass

• Fanfare for the Fighting French, for brass and percussion (1942)
• Tunbridge Fair, for symphonic band (1950)
• Ceremonial Fanfare, for brass (1969)

Concertos (Music for Solo Instrument and Orchestra)

• Flute Concerto (1971)
• Clarinet Concerto (1967)
• Capriccio for Harp and String Orchestra (1963)
• Piano Concertino (1937)
• Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1959)
• Violin Concerto No. 1 (1939)
• Violin Concerto No. 2 (1960)
• Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra (1970)
• Viola Concerto (1957)
• Variations for Cello and Orchestra (1966)
• Prelude and Allegro for Organ and Strings (1943)
• Fantasy for English Horn, Harp, and Strings (1953)
• Concerto for String Quartet, Wind Instruments and Percussion (1976)

Chamber and Instrumental Music

• String quartets
  • String Quartet No. 1 (1933)
  • String Quartet No. 2 (1935)
  • String Quartet No. 3 (1947)
  • String Quartet No. 4 (1951)
  • String Quartet No. 5 (1962)
• Three Pieces, for flute, clarinet, and bassoon (1925)
• Sonata for Flute and Piano (1930)
• Suite for Oboe and Piano (1931)
• Piano Trio No. 1 (1935)
• Sonata for Violin and Piano (1939)
• Sonatina for Violin and Harpsichord (1945)
• Interlude, for viola and piano (1942)
• Flute Quintet (1942)
• Partita, for violin, viola, and organ (1944)
• Divertimento, for nine instruments (1946)
• Duo for Viola and Cello (1949)
• Piano Quintet (1949)
• Wind Quintet (1956)
• Piano Quartet (1964)
• String Sextet (1964)
• Piano Trio No. 2 (1966)
• Souvenirs, for flute, viola, and harp (1967)
• Duo, for cello and piano (1972)
• Three Counterpoints, for violin, viola, and cello (1973)

Piano Music

• Piano Sonata (1926)
• Passacaglia (1943)
• Improvisation (1945)
• Variation on Happy Birthday (1970)

Organ Music

• Chromatic Study on the Name of BACH (1940)

Choral Music

• Carnival Song, for male chorus and brass (1938)
• March (1940)
• Psalm and Prayer of David, for mixed chorus and seven instruments (1959)
• "O sing unto the Lord a new song" (Psalm 96)
• "Bow down thine ear, O Lord" (Psalm 86)

Books by Walter Piston

• Principles of Harmonic Analysis. Boston: E. C. Schirmer, 1933.
• Harmony. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1941.
• Counterpoint. New York: W. W. Norton, 1947.
• Orchestration. New York: Norton, 1955.

See also

In Spanish: Walter Piston para niños