Short bio R.Murray Schafer
Full biography R.Murray Schafer
R. Murray Schafer was a prominent Canadian composer, writer, music educator, and environmentalist. Throughout his life, he made significant contributions to the world of music and became known as one of the leading figures in the field of acoustic ecology. Born on July 18, 1933, Schafer passed away on August 14, 2021, leaving behind a rich legacy.
As a composer, Schafer produced a diverse body of work that often incorporated elements of nature, folklore, and mythology. He was known for developing new approaches to composition, such as his use of graphic notation, and for experimenting with unconventional performance spaces, including outdoor environments. Schafer's large-scale works include the Patria cycle, a series of 12 music-theater works, and several operas.
In addition to his work as a composer, Schafer was also a prolific writer. He authored several books, including "The Tuning of the World," which explores the relationship between sound and the environment, and "Patria and the Theatre of Confluence," which describes his approach to creating music-theater works. Schafer was also a dedicated music educator and taught at several universities throughout his career.
As an environmentalist, Schafer was passionate about protecting natural soundscapes and raising awareness about the impact of noise pollution on human and animal health. He believed that sound was an essential component of human experience and that it was necessary to preserve and appreciate natural sound environments.
Overall, R. Murray Schafer was a visionary artist who pushed the boundaries of music composition and advocated for a deeper understanding of the relationship between sound and the environment. His contributions to music and acoustic ecology have left a lasting impact on the field, and his dedication to environmentalism continues to inspire others to this day.
Compositions featuring R.Murray Schafer
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | String Quartet No. 12 | 16:54 min | Chamber Music | 2012 |
| 2 | Songs (4) for mezzo-soprano & harp | 10:47 min | Vocal Music | 2011 |
| 3 | String Quartet No. 11 | 24:20 min | Chamber Music | 2006 |
| 4 | Songs (6) from Rilke's Book of Hours, for voice & ensemble | 15:53 min | Vocal Music | 2006 |
| 5 | String Trio | 13:28 min | Chamber Music | 2006 |
| 6 | String Quartet No. 10 ("Winter Birds") | 17:29 min | Chamber Music | 2005 |
| 7 | String Quartet No. 9 | 23:35 min | Chamber Music | 2005 |
| 8 | Tanzlied, for mezzo-soprano & harp | 17:44 min | Vocal Music | 2004 |
| 9 | Thunder: Perfect Mind, for voice & orchestra | 12:26 min | Vocal Music | 2003 |
| 10 | Three Hymns (from "The Fall Into Light"), for voice & chorus | 7:48 min | Choral | 2002 |
| 11 | String Quartet No. 8 | 22:24 min | Chamber Music | 2000 |
| 12 | Seventeen Haiku, for chorus | Choral | 1997 | |
| 13 | Vox naturae, for chorus | Choral | 1997 | |
| 14 | Wild Bird, for ensemble | 8:30 min | Chamber Music | 1997 |
| 15 | Once on a Windy Night, for chorus | Choral | 1996 | |
| 16 | A Medieval Bestiary, for chorus | 21:16 min | Choral | 1996 |
| 17 | Gitanjali, for soprano & orchestra | 26:35 min | Vocal Music | 1991 |
| 18 | Scorpius | 8:52 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1990 |
| 19 | String Quartet No. 4 | 19:16 min | Chamber Music | 1989 |
| 20 | String Quartet No. 5 ("Rosalind") | 17:26 min | Chamber Music | 1989 |
| 21 | Letters from Mignon, for voice & orchestra | 25:56 min | Vocal Music | 1987 |
| 22 | The Crown of Ariadne, suite for harp, percussion & tape | 21:51 min | Chamber Music | 1986 |
| 23 | Minnelieder, for voice & wind quintet | 29:10 min | Vocal Music | 1986 |
| 24 | Dream Rainbow Dream Thunder, fantasy for orchestra | 12:35 min | Orchestral | 1986 |
| 25 | Flute Concerto | 24:23 min | Concerto | 1984 |
| 26 | Theseus, for harp & string quartet | 18:54 min | Chamber Music | 1983 |
| 27 | The Princess of the Stars, opera | 7:08 min | Opera | 1981 |
| 28 | String Quartet No. 3 | 28:24 min | Chamber Music | 1981 |
| 29 | The Garden of the Heart, for mezzo-soprano & orchestra | 22:53 min | Vocal Music | 1980 |
| 30 | Ra, sacred drama | Choral | 1979 | |
| 31 | Beauty and the Beast, for voice & string quartet | 29:54 min | Vocal Music | 1979 |
| 32 | Apocalypsis, for multiple choirs | 113:32 min | Choral | 1978 |
| 33 | Adieu, Robert Schumann, for mezzo-soprano & orchestra | 19:30 min | Vocal Music | 1978 |
| 34 | String Quartet No. 2 ("Waves") | 17:42 min | Chamber Music | 1976 |
| 35 | East, for orchestra | 8:17 min | Orchestral | 1972 |
| 36 | Son of Heldenleben, for orchestra | 10:57 min | Orchestral | 1968 |
| 37 | Epitaph for Moonlight, for chorus | 5:59 min | Choral | 1968 |
| 38 | Requiems for the Party-Girl for soprano & orchestra | 15:10 min | Vocal Music | 1966 |
| 39 | Loving (Toi), music drama for actors, voices & chamber orchestra | 66:39 min | Show/Musical | 1963 |
| 40 | In Memoriam Alberto Guerrero, for orchestra | 6:37 min | Orchestral | 1959 |
| 41 | Kinderlieder, for voice & piano | 14:10 min | Vocal Music | 1958 |
| 42 | Harp Concerto | 26:37 min | Concerto | - |
| 43 | Wild Bird, for violin & harp | 8:34 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 44 | And Wolf Shall Inherit the Moon | Vocal Music | - | |
| 45 | Aubade for 2 voices | 4:25 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 46 | Trio for flute, viola & harp | 14:35 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 47 | Concerto for harpsichord & 8 winds | 21:00 min | Concerto | - |
| 48 | Departure Music, for trumpet & piano | 4:49 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 49 | Duo for violin & piano | 16:40 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 50 | Gamelan | 3:19 min | Choral | - |
| 51 | The Darkly Splendid Earth, double rhapsody for violin & orchestra | 21:47 min | Concerto | - |
| 52 | String Quartet No. 1 | 16:21 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 53 | Sun | 9:49 min | Choral | - |
| 54 | Le Ciri de Merlin for guitar | 18:02 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 55 | Magic Song | 14:59 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 56 | Snowforms, for chorus | 8:35 min | Choral | - |
| 57 | String Quartet No. 7 | 27:34 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 58 | String Quartet No. 6 | 18:06 min | Chamber Music | - |
Albums featuring R.Murray Schafer
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Ariadne's Legacy - R. Murray Schafer's Complete Works For Harp(2×CD, Album) | 2016 | Canadian Music Centre |
| 2 |  |
Apocalypsis. A Music-Theatre Work / Une Æuvre de Théâtre Musical(2×CD, Album, Stereo) | 2016 | Analekta |
| 3 |  |
R. Murray Schafer - Quatuor Molinari – Quatuors À Cordes 8 ▪ 12 String Quartets(2×CD, Album) | 2013 | ATMA Classique |
| 4 |  |
R. Murray Schafer, Vancouver Chamber Choir – Imagining Incense (The Choral Music Of R. Murray Schafer, Volume 3)(CD, Album) | 2010 | Grouse Records |
| 5 |  |
Letters From Mignon(CD, Album) | 2007 | Atma Classique |
| 6 |  |
R. Murray Schafer - Bradyworks – 3 Solos(CD, Album, DVD, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video) | 2006 | Centrediscs |
| 7 |  |
Society For New Music, Michael Gandolfi, R. Murray Schafer – Pinocchio ; Beauty And The Beast(CD, Album) | 2005 | Innova Recordings |
| 8 |  |
Schafer / Molinari – 8e Quatuor; Theseus; Beauty And The Beast(CD, Album) | 2003 | ATMA Classique |
| 9 |  |
Violet Archer, Oskar Morawetz, Jean Papineau-Couture, Malcolm Forsyth, Murray Schafer – Ovation Volume 2(5×CD, Compilation) | 2002 | CBC Records |
| 10 |  |
Canadian Composer Portraits - R. Murray Schafer(2×CD, Album) | 2002 | Centrediscs |
| 11 |  |
R. Murray Schafer, Thomas Tallis, Robert Sund – Credo(CD, Album, Stereo) | 2002 | Opening Day Recordings |
| 12 |  |
Garden Of The Heart(CD, ) | 2000 | Les Disques SRC |
| 13 |  |
R. Murray Schafer - Quatuor Molinari – String Quartets 1-7(2×CD, ) | 2000 | ATMA Classique |
| 14 |  |
Patria(CD, Album) | 1996 | Opening Day Recordings |
| 15 |  |
Berio, Stravinsky, Schafer - Jean Stilwell, Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Raffi Armenian – Folk Songs / Pribaoutki / Minnelieder(CD, Album, Stereo) | 1994 | Les Disques SRC / CBC Records |
| 16 |  |
Harman • Pauk • Schafer • Freedman • Anhalt / Esprit Orchestra, Alex Pauk – Iridescence(CD, Album) | 1993 | CBC Records |
| 17 |  |
Concerti(CD, Album) | 1992 | CBC Records |
| 18 |  |
R. Murray Schafer, Alex Pauk, Tomas Dusatko, Chan Ka Nin, Brian Cherney, The Esprit Orchestra – The Esprit Orchestra(CD, Album) | 1991 | CBC Records |
| 19 |  |
R. Murray Schafer, Pierick Houdy, Raymond Luedeke, Orford String Quartet, Judy Loman, Wendy Humphreys – Chimera(2×CD, ) | 1991 | Centrediscs |
| 20 |  |
R. Murray Schafer / Orford String Quartet, Rosemarie Landry – Schafer : 5 / Five String Quartets(2×CD, Album) | 1990 | Centrediscs |
| 21 |  |
Tippett, Britten, Schafer, Norbert Kraft – The Blue Guitar, Nocturnal, Le Cri de Merlin(CD, Album) | 1989 | Chandos |
| 22 |  |
Various / André Prévost, Srul Irving Glick, R. Murray Schafer, Michael Conway Baker, Michel Longtin – Première(2×LP, Album) | 1984 | Centrediscs |
| 23 |  |
Ra (Selections)(LP, Album) | 1983 | Centrediscs |
| 24 |  |
Adieu Robert Schumann / Hymn To Night(LP) | 1981 | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |
| 25 |  |
Sounds Unseen / Je N'ai Jamais Vu Un Son(Flexi-disc, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP) | 1981 | Gallery Stratford |
| 26 |  |
Anthologie De La Musique Canadienne / Anthology Of Canadian Music(5×LP, Compilation, Box Set, ) | 1979 | Radio Canada International |
| 27 |  |
Loman – Schafer / Britten / Tailleferre – The Crown Of Ariadne(LP) | 1979 | Aquitaine |
| 28 |  |
Loving | 1979 | Melbourne |
| 29 |  |
Purcell String Quartet, R. Murray Schafer, Robert Turner (5) – Purcell String Quartet(LP) | 1978 | Radio Canada International |
| 30 |  |
R. Murray Schafer | 1977 | Radio Canada International |
| 31 |  |
Requiems For The Party Girl / String Quartet No. 1(LP, Album) | 1975 | Melbourne |
| 32 |  |
Clermont Pépin, R. Murray Schafer, L'Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal, Franz-Paul Decker – Quasars, Symphonie No.3 / Son Of Heldenleben | 1974 | Select (2) |
| 33 |  |
Various, Otto Joachim, François Morel, Gilles Tremblay, R. Murray Schafer, Bruce Mather, Jean Papineau-Couture, Serge Garant, Richard Grégoire – Music of today = Musique d'aujourd'hui(4×LP, Box Set, ) | 1974 | Radio Canada International |
| 34 |  |
Mozart, Schubert, R. Murray Schafer, Orford String Quartet – Mozart: String Quartet In C Major, K.465 / Schubert: Quartettsatz In C Minor, D.703 / R. Murray Schafer: String Quartet(LP) | 1974 | Concert Hall |
| 35 |  |
The Vancouver Soundscape(2×LP, Album) | 1973 | Ensemble Productions Ltd. |
| 36 |  |
Threnody (Youth Music By R. Murray Schafer) | 1970 | Melbourne |
| 37 |  |
R. Murray Schafer, John Weinzweig, Udo Kasemets, Phyllis Mailing, Toronto Woodwind Quintet – Music And Musicians Of Canada Centennial Edition Vol VI / Musique Et Musiciens Du Canada Edition Du Centenaire Vol VI | 1967 | Radio Canada International |
| 38 |  |
Thomas Putsché / R. Murray Schafer / Henry Weinberg - Contemporary Chamber Players Of The University Of Chicago, Ralph Shapey – The Cat And The Moon / Requiems For The Party-Girl / Cantus Commemorabilis I(LP) | - | Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI) |
| 39 |  |
Quatuor Purcell Quartet, Barbara Pentland, R. Murray Schafer – Quatuor Purcell Quartet(LP, Reissue, Stereo) | - | Radio Canada International |
| 40 |  |
CBC Montreal Wind Ensemble, Kelsey Jones (2), Mario Duschenes, Murray Schafer – Concerto For Harpsichord And Eight Wind Instruments(LP) | - | CBC Radio Canada |
| 41 |  |
R. Murray Schafer, Vancouver Chamber Choir – Once On A Windy Night (The Choral Music Of R. Murray Schafer, Vol. 2)(CD, Album) | - | Grouse Records |
Videos featuring R.Murray Schafer
R. Murray Schafer - Patria - Isis & Nephthys (from 'Ra')
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Epitaph for Moonlight - R. Murray Schafer
"All modern languages have colourful words to describe sound qualities. Numerous exercises could be devised to explore language onomatopoeia, starting by simply making lists of words in your own language that illustrate in sound the notion or object they
Loving: Scenes 1-7
Provided to YouTube by NAXOS of America
Loving: Scenes 1-7 · Mary Lou Fallis
R. Murray Schafer: Loving
℗ 2016 Centrediscs
Released on: 2016-03-11
Artist: Mary Lou Fallis
Artist: Susan Gudgeon
Artist: Jean MacPhail
Artist: Katherine Terrell
Artist:
Adieu Robert Schumann by R. Murray Schafer
'Adieu Robert Schumann' by R. Murray Schafer is a beautiful performance from Les Grands Ballets Canadiens with contralto Maureen Forrester (as the widow Clara Schumann), Denise Massé (as the pianist Clara Schumann) and dancers Annette av Paul (as the yo
François Morel: Rythmologue (1969)
Francois Morel (*1926): Rythmologue, per ensemble di percussioni (1969).
The McGill Percussion Ensemble diretto da Pierre Beluse.
Cover image: painting by Yves Gaucher.
***
The music published in our channel is exclusively dedicated to divulgation
Requiems for the Party-Girl
Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises
Requiems for the Party-Girl · Raymond Murray Schafer · Neva Pilgrim
Neva Pilgrim, Soprano
℗ 1999 Anthology of Recorded Music, Inc.
Released on: 1999-01-01
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Miniwanka - R. Murray Schafer
Waves whipped into surf, pelting the first rocks as the amphibian ascends from the sea. And although he may occasionally turn his back on the waves, he will never escape their atavistic charm. "The wise man delights in water," says Lao-tzu. The roads of m
Vancouver Soundscape (1973 Field Recording) - R. Murray Schafer
Tracklist generated by http://tagger.site:
00:00 01 Ocean Sounds
06:16 02 Squamish Narrative
12:13 03 Entrance to the Harbour
19:32 04 Harbour Ambience
26:11 05 The Music of Horns and Whistles
29:24 06 Vancouver Soundmarks
33:23 07 Homo Ludens - Vancouve
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