John Duke


In 1920 he debuted as a concert pianist. In 1922 he entered into a long and satisfying marriage with Dorothy Macon of Virginia, who sometimes wrote libretti for him, and in 1923 he accepted a professorship at Smith College in Northhampton, MA, where he taught piano until his retirement forty-four years later. 1923 also marked G. Schirmer's publication of his first songs, I'VE DREAMED OF SUNSETS and LULLABY, as well as a piano work, THE FAIRY GLEN. Duke settled into college life, availing himself of his first sabbatical in 1929-30 to study abroad with Boulanger and Schnabel, whose influences could be felt in the works he composed in the 1930's. Throughout his quiet academic career at Smith and at the Seagle Colony summer vocal camp, Duke continued to concertize and to compose over 265 songs, as well as a few chamber operas, choral and orchestral works. As a pianist, he made American composers a special programming interest, premiering works by Sessions, Piston, and Wagenaar, among them Sessions' PIANO SONATA # 1 at one of the Sessions-Copland historic concerts of contemporary music. As a composer, he was fascinated by the "strange and marvelous chemistry of words and music," and in his master classes and writings he devoted a great deal of thought to the art of song and singing.

He believed that in a good song the words became assimilated by the music, and he wrote lovingly and knowledgeably for the voice, as well as for the piano. In his choice of texts, he frequently gravitated to American poets, among them Frost, Teasdale, cummings, Van Doren, Millay, and E. A. Robinson, and his range of mood runs the gamut from sprightly wit (HIST...WIST) to biting irony (RICHARD CORY) to unabashed Romanticism (LUKE HAVERGAL) or meditative reflection (BE STILL AS YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL).

Asked why, as a pianist, his compositions included so few piano works and so many songs, Duke replied: "I think it is because of my belief that vocal utterance is the basis of music's mystery."

 
 

©2013 AMICA International
Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association,
a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

Page last Updated: Sunday, August 18, 2013 05:45 PM
 



All third-party materials have been used with the assumed owner's permission, however if you claim copyright on materials here and you wish them removed please contact the Website Manager on the Contact page. If I don't know you I'll ask you to supply proof of ownership (a notarized copyright registration certificate will be your best bet).  If your claim is valid and verified then the materials will be removed immediately.

All information on this Site is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy or timeliness and without any warranty whatsoever, expressor limited.  In no event will the AMICA, its officers, committee members, members, employees or agents be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information on this Site or for any damages resulting, directly or indirectly, from the use of any of the contractors listed on this Site, including for any consequential, special or similar damages.