Short bio Lee Hoiby
Full biography Lee Hoiby
Lee Hoiby was an American composer and pianist who was born on February 17, 1926 in Wisconsin and passed away on March 28, 2011. He was known for his lyrical and romantic style, as well as his love for traditional and cosmopolitan music.
Hoiby was a prolific composer who wrote in a variety of genres, including opera, vocal music, piano music, and chamber music. He is perhaps best known for his vocal music , specifically his operas and art songs. He wrote more than 100 songs, many of them settings of American poetry, which are well loved by singers. Hoiby's operas are also highly regarded, with works such as The Tempest, Summer and Smoke, and Bon Appétit! gaining critical acclaim.
In addition to his composition work, Hoiby was also an accomplished pianist who performed in both solo and chamber music settings. He studied at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and later taught at the Juilliard School in New York City.
Hoiby's style was heavily influenced by his love for American literature and poetry, and he often set the works of American writers such as Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson to music. Despite being a classically trained composer, he also incorporated elements of popular music into his works, resulting in a unique and individual style.
Overall, Lee Hoiby was a talented and acclaimed composer who left a lasting impact on American music. His works are still widely performed and celebrated today.
Compositions featuring Lee Hoiby
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rock Valley Trio, for clarinet, violin & piano | 8:42 min | Chamber Music | 2007 |
| 2 | Last Letter Home, for voice & piano | 6:11 min | Vocal Music | 2006 |
| 3 | Winter & Summer, for voice & piano | 3:52 min | Vocal Music | 2005 |
| 4 | Last Letter Home, for male vocal ensemble | 6:13 min | Choral | 2003 |
| 5 | Chansons d'Exil, for voice & piano | 10:20 min | Vocal Music | 2002 |
| 6 | Dark Rosaleen - Rhapsody on an Air by James Joyce | 19:56 min | Chamber Music | 2000 |
| 7 | Investiture at Cecconi's, for voice & piano | 5:27 min | Vocal Music | 1991 |
| 8 | I Was There: Five Songs on Poems by Walt Whitman, for voice & piano | 14:51 min | Vocal Music | 1988 |
| 9 | Beginning My Studies | 2:18 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1988 |
| 10 | The Shepherd ("How sweet is the Shepherd's sweet lot!"), for voice & piano | 2:07 min | Vocal Music | 1987 |
| 11 | Bon Appétit!, opera in 1 act | 20:02 min | Opera | 1987 |
| 12 | Songs (2) of Innocence, for voice & piano | 5:29 min | Vocal Music | 1987 |
| 13 | What if..., for voice & piano | 2:34 min | Vocal Music | 1986 |
| 14 | The Tempest, opera | 146:53 min | Opera | 1986 |
| 15 | Lady of the Harbor ("Give my your tired, your poor"), for voice & piano | 3:16 min | Vocal Music | 1985 |
| 16 | Why Don't You?, for voice & piano | 2:44 min | Vocal Music | 1984 |
| 17 | O Florida: Five Songs on Poems by Wallace Stevens, for voice & piano | 19:10 min | Vocal Music | 1983 |
| 18 | Narrative, for piano | 9:09 min | Keyboard | 1983 |
| 19 | French Songs (3), for voice & piano | 9:06 min | Vocal Music | 1982 |
| 20 | Schubert Variations for piano | 14:44 min | Keyboard | 1981 |
| 21 | Bermudas, a Song of Praise | 6:00 min | Vocal Music | 1980 |
| 22 | A Month in the Country, opera | 120:40 min | Opera | 1980 |
| 23 | Concerto for piano & orchestra, No 2 | 26:49 min | Concerto | 1979 |
| 24 | The Message ("Send home my long stray'd eyes to me"), for voice & piano | 3:22 min | Vocal Music | 1977 |
| 25 | Where the Music Comes From, for voice & piano | 2:58 min | Vocal Music | 1973 |
| 26 | Summer and Smoke, opera in 2 acts | 122:18 min | Opera | 1971 |
| 27 | Let This Mind Be in You | 4:11 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1969 |
| 28 | Concerto for piano & orchestra No. 1, Op 17 | 25:27 min | Concerto | 1958 |
| 29 | An Immorality ("Sing we for love and idleness"), for voice & piano | 1:11 min | Vocal Music | 1952 |
| 30 | Night, for voice & piano | 1:59 min | Vocal Music | 1952 |
| 31 | The Lord Is King | 9:18 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 32 | The Lamb ("Little Lamb, who made thee?"), for voice & piano | 3:12 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 33 | The Life of the Bee, for soprano, cello & piano | 13:44 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 34 | The Doe ("Through the snow the gentle doe"), for voice & piano | 1:00 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 35 | The Italian Lesson, song cycle for voice & piano, Op. 34 | 33:17 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 36 | Winter Song ("The browns, the olives, and the yellows died"), for voice & piano | 2:45 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 37 | The offering, for chorus | 5:33 min | Choral | - |
| 38 | The Serpent, for voice & piano | 4:21 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 39 | The Shining Place, for voice & piano | 12:03 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 40 | There Came a Wind Like a Bugle, for voice & piano | 2:27 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 41 | This Is the Rill Speaking, opera in 1 act | 37:14 min | Opera | - |
| 42 | Three Ages of Woman, song cycle, for voice & piano | 10:32 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 43 | To an Isle in the Water ("Shy one, shy one"), for voice & piano | 1:42 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 44 | Toccata, for piano, Op. 1 | 5:18 min | Keyboard | - |
| 45 | Twenty-Eight Young Men, for voice & piano | 3:16 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 46 | Wild Nights | 2:06 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 47 | A Christmas Carol | 4:12 min | Choral | - |
| 48 | I Was There | 3:07 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 49 | A Letter, for voice & piano | 2:59 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 50 | Always It's Spring ("Who knows if the moon's a balloon"), for voice & piano | 2:01 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 51 | Anniversary Variations on a Theme of Reicha: Var. 5: Finale: Andante - Lento, for wind quintet (part of collaborative work) | 5:25 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 52 | Ascension: Holy Sonnet No 7 | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - | |
| 53 | At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners | 5:56 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 54 | Autumn ("The leaves are falling"), for voice & piano | 3:26 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 55 | Dickinson Songs (4), for voice & piano | Vocal Music | - | |
| 56 | Diversions for Wind Quintet | 10:28 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 57 | Evening, for voice & piano | 4:40 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 58 | Hear Us, O Hear Us Lord | 5:58 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 59 | Hymn to the New Age | 4:45 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 60 | The Call | 3:53 min | Choral | - |
| 61 | In the Wand of the Wind ("This was a day the trees turned silver"), for voice & piano | 1:13 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 62 | Inherit the kingdom | 6:57 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 63 | Jabberwocky ("'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves"), for voice & piano | 4:38 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 64 | Magnificat | Choral | - | |
| 65 | Night Songs, 4 songs for voice & piano | 9:24 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 66 | Nocturne, for piano, Op. 6 | 5:25 min | Keyboard | - |
| 67 | Nunc Dimittis | Choral | - | |
| 68 | Sextet for piano & wind quintet | 21:09 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 69 | She tells her love, for voice & piano | 1:39 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 70 | Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op.5 | 18:57 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 71 | Summer Song ("Air, still as picture lakes"), for voice & piano | 2:18 min | Vocal Music | - |
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