Easley Blackwood, Jr.

Short bio Easley Blackwood, Jr.

Birthday: 1933 in Indianapolis, IN

Died: 2023 in Chicago, IL

Active: 1950s - 2010s

Genre: Classical

Period: 20th Century, Modern

Full biography Easley Blackwood, Jr.

Easley Blackwood Jr. (April 21, 1933 – January 22, 2023) was an American composer, pianist, and professor of music. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and began his musical education at an early age, studying the piano with Margaret Simmons and composition with Herbert Fromm. Blackwood went on to receive degrees from the University of Rochester (BM), Yale University (MM), and the University of Illinois (DMA).

Blackwood was known for his compositions, some of which used unusual tunings, and his performances as a concert pianist. He also authored several books on music, including "The Structure of Recognizable Diatonic Tunings" which was influential in the field of microtonal music. His music combined rhapsodic and romantic passion with contemporary techniques.

Blackwood taught at various institutions during his career , including the University of Chicago, where he was a professor of composition and theory for over 30 years. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Blackwood's compositions are characterized by their intricate structures and innovative use of tuning systems. Some of his notable works include "Symphony No. 1", "String Quartet No. 1", and "12 Microtonal Etudes for Electronic Music Media". He also composed several works for solo piano, including "Piano Sonata No. 1" and "Etudes for Piano".

Blackwood passed away on January 22, 2023, at the age of 89. His contributions to contemporary music will continue to inspire and influence future generations of composers and musicians.

Compositions featuring Easley Blackwood, Jr.

#	Name	Duration	Genre	Year
1	A King James Magnificat, for chorus	12:55 min	Choral	2004
2	Sonata for viola & piano No. 2, Op. 43	24:13 min	Chamber Music	2001
3	String Quartet No. 3, Op. 42	17:11 min	Chamber Music	1998
4	Sonata for piano in F sharp minor, Op. 40	28:09 min	Keyboard	1996
5	Nocturne, for piano in A minor, Op. 41/2	4:33 min	Keyboard	1996
6	Nocturne, for piano in C major, Op. 41/1	3:39 min	Keyboard	1996
7	Sonatina for piccolo, clarinet & piano in F major, Op 38	11:11 min	Chamber Music	1994
8	Sonata for clarinet & piano in A minor, Op 37	24:30 min	Chamber Music	1994
9	Bagatelles (7) for piano, Op. 36	10:52 min	Keyboard	1993
10	Rondo Caprice for flute & guitar, Op. 35	10:13 min	Chamber Music	1992
11	Symphony No. 5, Op. 34	26:22 min	Symphony	1990
12	Sonata for cello & piano, Op. 31	41:58 min	Chamber Music	1985
13	Concert Etudes (5), for piano, Op. 30	17:13 min	Keyboard	1984
14	Sonata for violin & piano No. 2	21:36 min	Chamber Music	1975
15	Piano Trio, Op. 22	16:40 min	Chamber Music	1968
16	Sonata for violin & piano No. 1, Op. 7	16:45 min	Chamber Music	1960
17	String Quartet No. 2, Op. 6	18:59 min	Chamber Music	1959
18	String Quartet No. 1, Op. 4	16:10 min	Chamber Music	1957
19	Symphony No. 1, Op. 3	31:24 min	Symphony	1954
20	Sonata for viola & piano No. 1, Op. 1	14:11 min	Chamber Music	1953
21	Experimental Pieces (10) in Rhythm and Harmony	6:41 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	1948
22	Microtonal Etudes (12) for Electronic Music Media, Op. 28	43:36 min	Electronic/Computer Music	-
23	Fanfare in 19-note Equal Tuning, Op. 28a	2:30 min	Electronic/Computer Music	-
24	Suite for guitar in 15-note equal tuning, Op. 33	9:49 min	Chamber Music	-

Albums featuring Easley Blackwood, Jr.

#	Name album	Year	Music label
1	Chamber Music For Piano And Strings(CD, Album, Stereo)	2005	Cedille Records
2	John Bruce Yeh, Easley Blackwood, Amelia Piano Trio, Paul Hindemith – Clarinet Chamber Music - Hindemith(CD, Album, Stereo)	2003	Cedille Records
3	Paul Zukofsky / Roger Sessions, Peter Mennin, Easley Blackwood – Sessions • Sessions • Mennin • Blackwood • Zukofsky(CD, )	2002	CP² Recordings
4	Introducing Easley Blackwood(CD, Compilation, Sampler)	2000	Cedille Records
5	Easley Blackwood, Pacifica Quartet – String Quartets By Easley Blackwood(CD, Album)	2000	Cedille Records
6	Blackwood Plays Blackwood – Easley Blackwood Performs His Own Recent Piano Compositions(CD, Album)	1998	Cedille Records
7	Radical Piano : Easley Blackwood Plays "Modernist" Masterpieces From The First Half Of The 20th Century(CD, Album)	1996	Cedille Records
8	John Bruce Yeh, Easley Blackwood, Max Reger – Clarinet Sonatas by Easley Blackwood and Max Reger(CD, Album, Stereo)	1995	Cedille Records
9	Microtonal Compositions	1994	Cedille Records
10	Easley Blackwood, Kim Scholes – Blackwood & Bridge Cello Sonatas(CD, Album)	1992	Cedille Records
11	Ives & Copland Sonatas(CD, Album)	1991	Cedille Records
12	Casella & Szymanowski(CD, Album)	1991	Cedille Records
13	Igor Stravinsky, Rimsky-Korsakov / Chicago Pro Musica – Stravinsky: L´Histoire Du Soldat - Suite / Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol	1985	Reference Recordings
14	Twelve Microtonal Etudes For Electronic Music Media(LP)	1980	Not On Label
15	Roger Sessions / Easley Blackwood - Paul Zukofsky – Sonata For Violin / Second Sonata(LP, Stereo)	1976	CP² Recordings
16	Boston Symphony / Munch ~ Blackwood / Haieff – Symphony No. 1 • Symphony No. 2	1959	RCA Victor Red Seal
17	Symphonies 5 & 1(CD, Album, Stereo)	-	Cedille Records

Videos featuring Easley Blackwood, Jr.

Easley Blackwood - Microtonal Compositions

Easley Blackwood's Twelve Microtonal Etudes for Electronic Music Media, a landmark exploration that drew widespread critical praise upon its release in 1980, has been reissued for the first time on compact disc. Also new on the CD are two never-before-rel

Easley Blackwood - 13 notes Sostenuto

from composer: "13 notes: The most alien tuning of all: so dissonant that no three-note combination sounds like a major or minor triad. Yet even this tuning contains a strange mode best described as "sub-minor." The first four bars of the Etude are an a