John Melby
John Melby is an American composer.Life and work
John Melby is most widely known for his numerous compositions for computer-synthesized sounds, particularly in combination with live acoustic instruments. In addition to electronic music, Melby's catalog includes several large-scale orchestral works and acoustic chamber pieces.
Born in Whitehall, Wisconsin, Melby holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, the University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton University. He studied with Henry Weinberg, George Crumb, Peter Westergaard, J. K. Randall, and Milton Babbitt. Melby has held faculty positions at West Chester University and was appointed to the faculty of the School of Music of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1973, where he served until his retirement in 1997.
Melby has won numerous awards for his work including an NEA Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the 1979 First Prize from the International Electroacoustic Music Awards in Bourges, France.
His music is published by Theodore Presser Company, Associated Music Publishers, and American Composers Alliance. Recordings are available on a number of record labels. An all-Melby disc of three concerti was released on the Albany Records label in 2008.Major works
Orchestral
- Concerto for Computer and Orchestra
- Symphony No. 1
- Thanatopsis for lyric baritone, chorus, and orchestra
- Symphony No. 2
- Piano Concerto No. 3
- Violin Concerto No. 3
- Violoncello Concerto No. 3
- Viola Concerto No. 3
- Symphony No. 3
Electro-Acoustic Concerti
- Violin
- Violoncello
- Viola
- Flute
- Violin and English Horn
- Piano
- Clarinet
- English Horn
- Contrabass
- Violin and Piano
Electro-Acoustic and Acoustic Vocal
- Two Norwegian Songs for soprano and piano
- Due canti de Leopardi for soprano, horn and piano
- Two Dances for tenor and piano
- Valedictory for soprano and computer
- Two Stevens Songs for soprano and computer
- The men that are falling for soprano, piano, and computer
- Peter Quince at the Clavier for soprano and computer
- Three Wordsworth Songs for soprano and computer
- In Darkness for soprano and computer
- Aftermath for soprano and computer
- For Milton for soprano and computer
- A Japanese Wood-Carving for soprano and string quartet
Electro-Acoustic Solo and Chamber
- 91 Plus 5 for brass quintet and computer
- Zonnorities for oboe/English horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, and computer
- Transparences for trumpet and computer
- Passages for tuba and computer
- Accelerazioni for flute and computer
- In tenebris for piano and computer
- L'Infinito for string trio and computer
- Wind, Sand and Stars for 8 instruments and computer
- Alto Rhapsody for alto saxophone and computer
- And I remembered the cry of the peacocks for English horn, string trio, and computer
- Threeplay for flute, clarinet, contrabass, and computer
- String Quartet No. 3 with computer
- Zonnorities II for oboe/English horn, clarinet/Eb clarinet, and computer
Acoustic Chamber
- Four Pieces for String Quartet
- Music for Six Players for woodwind quintet and piano
- String Quartet No. 2
- Composition for Five Brasses
- Epitaph for winds and percussion
- O, wind, if winter comes... for woodwind quintet
- String Quartet No. 4
- Brass Quintet
- Piano Quintet
- String Quartet No. 5
- String Quartet No. 6
- String Quartet No. 7
Acoustic Solo
- First Piano Sonata
- Second Piano Sonata
- The rest is silence... for organ
Electronics Alone
- A forandre: Seven Variations for Digital Computer
- ...of quiet desperation
- Chor der Steine
- Layers
- Chor der Waisen
- Chor der Toten
Choral
- Oculi omnium in te sperant, Domine
