Stephen Montague (b.10 March, 1943 Syracuse, New York) grew up in Idaho, West Virginia and Florida. He studied piano, conducting and composition at Florida State University (BM:1965, MM:1967), received a doctorate in composition from Ohio State University (DMA:1972) and won a Fulbright Fellowship to work in Warsaw, Poland (1972-74). He first came to England as a musician with Strider Dance Co. (Richard Alston & co.), but since 1975 has worked as a freelance composer based in London and touring worldwide. His music has been widely performed, featuring in numerous international festivals, most recently the BBC Proms (London) and Wiener Musik Tage (Austria) with Composer Portrait concerts devoted to his music in London, Cambridge, New York, Houston, Vienna, St. Pölten, Bad Munster and Budapest. Major commissions include works for the Royal Festival Hall (London), Cheltenham Festival, Bath Festival, the Proms and Ft. McLeod Festival (Canada) as well as works for pianists Stephen Kovacevich and Marc-André Hamelin, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, the Hilliard Ensemble, the International Computer Music Association, and a 35-minute work for narrator and orchestra commissioned by British Telecom premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, London, with a further 15 performances by other leading British orchestras around the UK and abroad.
Stephen Montague was a founder of Sonic Arts Network in 1980, Chairman (1993-97) and Artistic Director (1998-99) of the SPNM (Society for the Promotion of New Music), Associate Composer with The Orchestra of St. Johns, London (1995-1997), and Featured Composer for the City of Oxford (1997-1998). Internationally, he was Guest Professor at the University of Texas – Austin (1992, 1995, 2000) and the University of Auckland, New Zealand (1997).
In 2004-05 he was Artistic Director of the ‘Open Score Project’ for Contemporary Music Making for Amateurs commissioning 10 works by leading international composers including Sir John Tavener, Michael Nyman, Frederic Rzewski and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), a project that was short-listed in the 2005 Royal Philharmonic Society’s Music Awards.
His honours and awards include 1st Prize at Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition, France (1994), the Ernst von Dohnányi Citation for Excellence in Composition (1995), The Ohio State University Distinguished Alumnus Award (2000), Honorary Fellow (2002), Composer in Residence Trinity College of Music, London (2003) and Honorary Fellow of Leeds College of Music (2004). ‘Southern Lament’ a CD of his piano works (NMC D118) performed by Philip Mead, won the 2006 International Piano magazine’s “Best New Piano Music Recording Award”.
In addition to writing for traditional orchestral forces Montague has also written numerous more ‘experimental’ works such as his Horn Concerto for klaxon horn soloist and an orchestra of automobiles.
Although a long term UK resident, his compositional influences remain transatlantic. He comments: "I have lived in Britain since 1974 but my musical heroes remain American: I admire Charles Ives's unapologetic juxtaposition of vernacular music and the avant-garde, Henry Cowell's irreverent use of fist and arm clusters, the propulsive energy of minimalism and John Cage's radical dictum that 'all sound is music’”.
As a "virtuoso pianist" [New York Times] he has recorded for all the major European radio networks, performed at Carnegie Hall, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and Centre Pompidou, Paris. In 1985 he formed a duo with pianist Philip Mead, Montague/Mead Piano Plus, which tours internationally and, until his recent death, collaborated with sculptor, Maurice Agis, providing multi-channel electroacoustic sound environments for Agis’s giant inflatable sculptures Colourspace and Dreamspace.
Montague currently teaches at Trinity College of Music, London and is the New Music Associate at University of Cambridge Kettle’s Yard Gallery (2010 -2011).
Compact discs of Montague’s works are available on NMC (UK), ASV (UK), Signum (UK), Continuum (NZ), Centaur (USA), Point Records (USA) and others. In addition to music he is an active cyclist, hiker and tennis player (former Florida Junior College Tennis Champion).
(July, 2010)
LIST OF WORKS
Click on titles with links to call up a programme note
Orchestral
Mephisto (2006-07)
for violin and orchestra - 6'
solo violin, 2(picc)222/0200/3perc/strings
Beyond the Stone Horizon (2006)
chamber orchestra - 20'
2(picc)222/2000/2perc/strings
Intrada 1631 (2003)
brass choir (4331) & 4 drummers - 6'
(optional additional orchestration: 3(3Picc)030/2Asax. BarSax/Org. Also 20-30 triangle players and multiple violins/violas surrounding audience)
Disparate Dances (2002)
flute & harp concerto with chamber orchestra - c. 16' 1222/2200, 1 perc, strings, solo flute/harp
Junk Concerto (2001-02)
chamber orchestra with 2 amateur percussion groups and solo trumpet - c. 14'
2020/solo trpt, strings and 2 amateur percussion groups
Snowscape: St. Pölten (2001)
string orchestra - c. 10'
65432 or more strings standing around the space
A Toy Symphony (1999)
chamber orchestra and six percussion soloists - 15'
2222/2200/timp/strings
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1997)
solo piano, orchestra - 28'
2(picc)22(Eb)2/2210, 3 perc, strings
The Creatures Indoors (1997)
narrator and chamber orchestra - 35'
2(picc)2(ca)2(Eb)2/2110, 3 perc, strings
Snakebite (1995)
chamber orchestra - 14'
02(ca)01/2000, strings
Dark Sun- August, 1945 (1995)
large orchestra/chorus - 20'
written for large amateur orchestra - wind, brass,
3-part
chorus, strings, percussion - exact scoring according to
available forces.
From the White Edge of Phrygia (1984)
symphony orchestra - 19'
2(picc)222/4231, timpani, 3 percussion, piano, strings
Prologue (1984)
chamber orchestra - 10'
2222/4231, 4 percussion, celeste, piano and strings
At the White Edge of Phrygia (1983)
chamber orchestra - 19'
1111/1110, 2perc, pf, strings: (ampl. 11111or unampl. strings section)
Vocal
When Dreams Collide (2001-02)
narrator, SATB chorus and orchestra - 16'
2222/2230, 6 percussion, strings
I Wonder (2001)
[Christmas Carol]
solo soprano, SATB chorus, 2222/4321/timp, harp, organ, strings - 13'30"
Wild Nights (1993)
soprano, clarinet, viola, piano - 7'
The Carnal and the Crane (2001)
[Christmas Carol]
soprano and baritone soloists, SATB chorus , orchestra - 10'
(version for full orch: 2222/4321/timp, harp, organ, strings)
The Carnal and the Crane (1998)
soprano and baritone soloists, SATB chorus, harp, organ, strings - 8'
Cantique de Noël (2001)
[Christmas Carol]
soprano and baritone soloists, SATB chorus, orchestra - 8'
(version for full orch: 2222.4321/timp, harp, organ, strings)
Cantique de Noël (1996)
solo soprano, solo baritone, SATB chorus, harp, organ,
strings - 8'
Dark Sun- August, 1945 (1995)
large orchestra/chorus - 20'
written for large amateur orchestra - wind, brass, 3-part chorus, strings, percussion - exact scoring according to available forces.
Boombox Virelai (1992)
counter-tenor, 2 tenors, bass - 9'
Tigida Pipa (1983/89)
4,8,12 or 16 amplified voices playing woodblocks and claves, and tape - c. 9'30"
Chamber
Chorale for the Cauldrons of Hell (2005-6)
large mixed ensemble - c.10'
'open score' for four instrumental lines, piano, perc., voices, tape
Tam Linn (2004)
string quartet 4’
Uncaged, January 2004 (2004)
graphic score for unspecified instruments or voices – free duration
The Hammer Hawk (2002)
piano and string quartet - 10'
Rim Fire (2002)
4 percussionists – 4'
Deep in the Vaults of Earth (2001)
wind band and tape - 4'
Texas Pulp Fiction (2000)
3 narrators playing beer bottles and cowbells - 3'
Black 'n' Blues (2000)
piano (4 hands), marimba & pillow - 10'
Thule ultima (1999)
woodwind quartet (mouthpieces only) - 5'
Chew Chow Chatterbox (1998)
4 percussionists at dinner - 10'
Horn Concerto (1998)
klaxon horn soloist and an orchestra of automobiles - 15'
Silence: John, Yvar & Tim (1994)
prepared string quartet, prepared piano, live electronics, 2 tapes - 16'30"
String Quartet No. 2: Shaman (1994)
string quartet, live electronics and tape - 12
Behold a Pale Horse (1992)
organ and brass septet - 11'
(2221)
After Ives... (1991-93)
piano, tape (optional flute, string quartet, live electronics) - 26'
String Quartet No.1: in memoriam Barry Anderson & Tomasz Sikorski (1989-1993)
string quartet, tape, electronics - 22'
Three Temperance Songs (1988)
female voice, fl, cl, alto sax, bsn, perc, accordion, pno, optional tape: 16'
Paramell VI (1981)
piano, flute, clarinet, cello (with optional percussion part) - 8'
Eine Kleine Klangfarben Gigue (1976)
keyboard and unspecified instruments - c. 10
Solo & Duo
One Imperial Thunderbolt (2006)
harpsichord, prepared piano and pre-recorded sounds - 5'
For Merce C at the Barbican (2005)
prepared piano - 5'
2 Dirges - 3 Dances (2004)
flute and percussion - 18'
On the Silk Road East of Samarkand (2004)
cello and percussion - 4'
Almost a Lullaby (2004)
toy piano, wind chimes, fan, music box – 4'
Facing the Fire (2004)
violin and viola – 2’ cadenza
Five Easy Pieces (2003)
piano –
Toccare Incandescent (2003)
organ – 12'
Autumn Leaves (2000-2003)
collection of 13 short pieces for solo piano - total 30'
Folk Dances (2002)
violin and piano - 9'
Philup Glass: A lullaby for wine glasses (2001)
for 2 percussionists with 4 wine glasses and a
jug of coloured water
Dark Train Comin' (2001)
harpsichord, tape - 13'
4 hours to Midnight: The Last piece in the 20th Century (1999)
piano - 5'
Southern Lament (1997)
piano - 16'
Tsunami (1997)
piano - 3'
Mira (1995)
piano - 6'
Mirabella - a Tarantella for Toy Piano (1994)
toy, or prepared piano - 5'
Phrygian Tucket (1994)
harpsichord, tape - 13'
Aeolian Furies (1993)
accordion - 8'
Vlug (1992)
flute, tape, live electronics - 6'
Behold a Pale Horse (1990)
solo organ - 11' (also additional version with brass)
Haiku (1987)
piano, flanger, electronic tape - 13'
Tongues of Fire (1983)
piano, live electronics, tape - 18'
Paramell V (1981)
2 pianos - 8'
Paramell Va (1981)
piano - 8'
Recordings