Jacques-Louis Monod
Jacques-Louis Monod (February 25, 1927 - ) is a composer and conductor of 20th century and Contemporary music.
Biography
He was born in Paris and attended the Conservatoire de Paris from an early age. His teachers included [Nat], Olivier Messiaen, and René Leibowitz. He arrived in New York City in the early 1950's, performing with René Leibowitz. He taught at Harvard University, the Juilliard School, and, for many years, at Columbia University. He gave American premieres of many of the works of Anton Webern and, along with soprano Bethany Beardslee, he performed critically-acclaimed concerts of new music. From 1966 to 1972, he served as conductor of contemporary music at the BBC, giving dozens of premieres, including several by Luigi Dallapiccola. In the 1970's, he founded and for 25 years served as president of the Guild of Composers, a New York group which produced concerts of contemporary music. Monod promoted and performed the music of Elliott Carter and Mario Davidovsky, and Milton Babbitt, who composed a work, Du, for Monod and Bethany Beardslee. Delivering exacting and rigorously prepared performances, Monod had a galvanizing effect on the American contemporary music scene for many years. Though retired from academia and performing, he continues to write on music
His list of compositions include works from the series Cantus Contra Cantum:
Cantus Contra Cantum I for Soprano and Chamber Orchestra Cantus Contra Cantum II for Violin and Cello Cantus Contra Cantum III for Chorus Cantus Contra Cantum IV for Mixed Chorus and Sackbuts or Trombones Cantus Contra Cantum V for Orchestra Cantus Contra Cantum VI for Mixed Choir and Chamber Orchestra
2 Elegies Chamber Aria (or, Passacaglia)
He has also done considerable and notable work in music theory, his magnum opus a study of the fourth of Arnold Schoenberg's Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke. And, he has edited numerous works for publication (e.g. Schoenberg's String Trio).
His father, Pierre Monod, was a noted surgeon. His cousin, Jacques-Lucien Monod, was a nobel prize winning biologist.