SCHULLER, GUNTHER

born Nov. 22, 1925, New York, N.Y., U.S. American composer, performer, conductor, and writer noted for his wide range of activity in both jazz and classical music and for his works embracing both jazz and advanced 12-tone elements. Schuller was born into a family of musicians. His grandfather was a conductor in Germany, and his father was a violinist with the New York Philharmonic for 41 years. Though largely self-taught, Schuller became a virtuoso French hornist, playing with the Cincinnati Symphony and Metropolitan Opera orchestras. His interest in jazz developed early when he became a fan of Duke Ellington; he developed symphonic adaptations of several Ellington pieces and in 1955 composed Symphonic Tribute to Duke Ellington. Though not considered a jazz soloist, he played with jazz ensembles such as the Modern Jazz Quartet and wrote widely about aspects of popular music. After 1959 he largely gave up performing in favour of composing. He taught at the School of Jazz in Lenox, Massachusetts, in 1959 and was the music director of the First International Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C., in 1962. He also taught at the Yale School of Music (196467) and was president of the New England Conservatory of Music (196777). He worked thereafter as a guest conductor or as conductor in residence for several symphonies and music festivals, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood and at the Berkshire Music Center, both in Massachusetts. In his work as a composer, Schuller began in the path of Anton von Webern (known for his concise 12-tone compositions). The Cello Concerto (completed 1945) is considered a rather conventional work. Later, his chamber music became notable for its unusual instrument combinations, such as the Fantasia Concertante (1947) for three oboes or three trombones and piano, and the Double Bass Quartet (1947). By 1955 Schuller was well along in combining elements from disparate musical styles in works such as his 12 by 11, for chamber orchestra and jazz improvisation. His other works, including Spectra (first performed 1960, for sextuple orchestra), Variants (1961, ballet choreographed by George Balanchine), a piano concerto, and a symphony, continue this trend. Schuller's later works include The Fisherman and His Wife (1970, opera for children with a libretto written by John Updike); Capriccio Stravagante (1972); Dea (1978) written for two orchestras and symbolizing the merging of East and West; Contrabassoon Concerto (1979), the first concerto ever written for that instrument; and The Black Warrior (1998), an oratorio based on Martin Luther King's Letter from the Birmingham Jail. Schuller also formed the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble, whose recording Red-Back Book, consisting of the works of Scott Joplin, became a best seller and was granted a Grammy Award in 1973 from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Schuller is the author of Horn Technique, 2nd ed. (1992) and Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development (1968, reissued 1986), The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 19301945 (1989, reissued 1991), The Compleat Conductor (1997, reissued 1999), and many other books. He also wrote the Britannica article on jazz. Among his many awards and honours are a MacArthur Foundation fellowship (1991), a Pulitzer Prize (1994) for the musical score Of Reminiscences and Reflections for orchestra (1993), and induction into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame (1998).