The music of Henry Martin has been described by Paul Griffiths of the New York Times as "that of someone who knows and loves jazz to its bones (not discounting its flesh)." Martin is in the forefront of composers dedicated to writing works that combine the flavors of jazz and popular music with classical forms.
Martin's Preludes and Fugues for piano solo, which won the 1992 National Composers Competition and the 1998 Barlow International Composition Competition, "respond," according to the New York Times, "to the long history of jazzing Bach by Baching jazz." The Washington Post critic Joseph McLellan cites the works "wholehearted tribute to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, but . . . with traces of bebop, tango, stride piano, etc., popping up unexpectedly." John Sunier in Audio magazine states "I can't think of a more impressive recent contemporary keyboard work."
Orchestral works by Martin include Piano Concerto No. 3, which was premiered by Kyungmi Nam with Richard Auldon Clark conducting the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, and Shadows of the Moon (for violin and orchestra), which was premiered by violinist Carole Cowan with JoAnn Falletta conducting the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Martin is now working on a series of interconnected orchestral works based on Dante's Purgatorio and has completed Symphony of Antepurgatory, an extended work in six movements.
Martin is currently composing a cycle of preludes and fugues for organ, commissioned by Michael Barone, host of "Pipedreams," a weekly program devoted to organ music distributed by American Public Media and widely heard on the Internet <www.pipedreams.org> and public radio stations nationwide. The cycle begins with Preludes and Fugues in G Major and E Minor, both composed for the 25th Anniversary Concert of "Pipedreams" that took place on June 25, 2008 during an American Guild of Organists national convention in Minneapolis. Soloist on that occasion was Kenneth Cowan at the Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, MN.
Among Martin's other commissions are Inventiones, which are in the spirit of J. S. Bach's Two-Part Inventions, and Pippa's Song, commissioned by the Focus 2000 Festival of Piano Literature at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
On the occasion of winning the 1998 Barlow International Composition Competition, the Barlow Endowment commissioned At Midnight's Hour for piano solo, which was premiered by Logan Skelton in Salt Lake City in 2004. The San Antonio International Piano Competition 2000 commissioned Praeludium XXIV and Fuga XXIV for the competition's semi-finalists. The work was premiered by bronze medal winner Gloria Chien.
Martin's CDs include Selected Piano Music (performed by Hilary Demske; Albany Records TROY1171, 2010), Chamber Music for Strings and Piano (performed by the Innisfree Piano Trio; Albany Records TROY804, 2005), Preludes and Fugues, Part 2 (performed by Martin; Bridge Records 9140, 2004), and Preludes and Fugues (performed by Sara Davis Buechner; GM Recordings 2049CD, 1997).
Henry Martin
Biography
The music of Henry Martin has been described by Paul Griffiths of the New York Times as "that of someone who knows and loves jazz to its bones (not discounting its flesh)." Martin is in the forefront of composers dedicated to writing works that combine the flavors of jazz and popular music with classical forms.
Martin's Preludes and Fugues for piano solo, which won the 1992 National Composers Competition and the 1998 Barlow International Composition Competition, "respond," according to the New York Times, "to the long history of jazzing Bach by Baching jazz." The Washington Post critic Joseph McLellan cites the works "wholehearted tribute to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, but . . . with traces of bebop, tango, stride piano, etc., popping up unexpectedly." John Sunier in Audio magazine states "I can't think of a more impressive recent contemporary keyboard work."
Orchestral works by Martin include Piano Concerto No. 3, which was premiered by Kyungmi Nam with Richard Auldon Clark conducting the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, and Shadows of the Moon (for violin and orchestra), which was premiered by violinist Carole Cowan with JoAnn Falletta conducting the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Martin is now working on a series of interconnected orchestral works based on Dante's Purgatorio and has completed Symphony of Antepurgatory, an extended work in six movements.
Martin is currently composing a cycle of preludes and fugues for organ, commissioned by Michael Barone, host of "Pipedreams," a weekly program devoted to organ music distributed by American Public Media and widely heard on the Internet <www.pipedreams.org> and public radio stations nationwide. The cycle begins with Preludes and Fugues in G Major and E Minor, both composed for the 25th Anniversary Concert of "Pipedreams" that took place on June 25, 2008 during an American Guild of Organists national convention in Minneapolis. Soloist on that occasion was Kenneth Cowan at the Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, MN.
Among Martin's other commissions are Inventiones, which are in the spirit of J. S. Bach's Two-Part Inventions, and Pippa's Song, commissioned by the Focus 2000 Festival of Piano Literature at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
On the occasion of winning the 1998 Barlow International Composition Competition, the Barlow Endowment commissioned At Midnight's Hour for piano solo, which was premiered by Logan Skelton in Salt Lake City in 2004. The San Antonio International Piano Competition 2000 commissioned Praeludium XXIV and Fuga XXIV for the competition's semi-finalists. The work was premiered by bronze medal winner Gloria Chien.
Martin's CDs include Selected Piano Music (performed by Hilary Demske; Albany Records TROY1171, 2010), Chamber Music for Strings and Piano (performed by the Innisfree Piano Trio; Albany Records TROY804, 2005), Preludes and Fugues, Part 2 (performed by Martin; Bridge Records 9140, 2004), and Preludes and Fugues (performed by Sara Davis Buechner; GM Recordings 2049CD, 1997).
(from andromeda.rutgers.edu)