March 16 - David Del Tredici (The Musical Birthday Series, 8th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 16th may be found here: David Del Tedici (2019), Henny Youngman (2020), Teresa Berganza; William Henry Monk (2021), Christa Ludwig (2022), David Del Tredici (2023), William Henry Monk (2024), and William Henry Monk (2025)

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David Del Tredici (16 March 1937 - 18 November 2023) is an American composer who is considered a pioneer of the Neo-Romantic movement.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderlandia

 

But Del Tredici achieved rare fame with a series of brilliant tone pictures after Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, in which he projected, in utter defiance of all modernistic conventions, overt tonal proclamations, fanfares, and pretty tunes that were almost  embarrassingly attractive, becoming melodiouser and harmoniouser with each consequent tone portrait of Alice.  – Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (8th edition) 

 

Some atonalists regarded “Final Alice” as a betrayal. — NYT obituary

When Del Tredici caused a sensation,

   And he leapt from the serial ship,

To embark on his famous fixation

   With Alice's Wonderland trip,

It was clear that this new incarnation

   Was not an ephemeral blip,

And was heard with perplexed reservation

   By his colleagues, the musically hip.

 

 

 

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