Vladimir Ussachevsky

Ussachevsky, Vladimir, 1911-90, Russian-American composer, b. Manchuria. Ussachevsky emigrated to the United States in 1931 and studied at the Eastman School. He joined the faculty of Columbia Univ. in 1947. After composing many works for traditional instruments, Ussachevsky began working in electronic music in 1951, in collaboration with his former teacher Otto Luening. The two, together with Milton Babbitt and Roger Sessions, became (1959) directors of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York City. Ussachevsky wrote many tape pieces, such as Of Wood and Brass (1964) and much film music. In a series of works written between 1961 and 1973, including Creation Prologue (1961) and Epilogue "Spell of Creation" (1971), he combined choruses with electronic tape.

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Licensed from Columbia University Press

Vladimir Kirilovitch Ussachevsky (Hailar, Manchuria, November 3, 1911 – New York, New York, January 2, 1990) was a composer, particularly known for his work in electronic music.

Biography

Born to Russian parents in Manchuria (now Inner Mongolia, China), Ussachevsky emigrated to the United States in 1931 and studied music at Pomona College in Claremont, California (B.A., 1935), as well as at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York (M.M., 1936, Ph.D., 1939). His early, neo-Romantic works were composed for traditional instruments, but in 1951 he began composing electronic music. He served as president of the American Composers Alliance from 1968 to 1970 and was an advisory member of the CRI record label, which released recordings of a number of his compositions. Recordings of his music have also been released on the Capstone, d'Note, and New World labels.

Teaching career

In 1947, following a stint with the U.S. Army Intelligence division in World War II, he joined the faculty of Columbia University, teaching there until his retirement in 1980. Together with Otto Luening, Ussachevsky founded, in 1959, the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York City. While acting as head of the Electronic Music Center Ussachevsky specified the ADSR envelope in 1965, a basic component of modern synthesizers, samplers and electronic instruments.

Ussachevsky also taught and was composer-in-residence at the University of Utah. His notable students include Charles Wuorinen, Alice Shields, Ilhan Mimaroglu, Charles L. Bestor, Ingram Marshall, Wendy Carlos, and Richard Einhorn.

Discography

"VLADIMIR USSACHEVSKY ELECTRONIC AND ACOUSTIC WORKS 1957–1972". New York: New World Records (80654-2), 2007. This is a compilation rerelease of recordings originally issued on various CRI LP's in the 1960's and 70's.