Robert Helps

Biography

Robert Helps (1928-2001) tribute by Milton Babbitt: "Robert Helps is not only the pianist's pianist, and the composer's composer, he is also the pianist's composer and the composer's pianist, for, since his teen-age performance of music that was deemed unperformable, he has played incomparably: compositions which other pianists could not or would not perform. The singular pianistic mastery which he brought to these performances moulds his own writing for piano, from which pianists have discovered resources of nuance, rhythmic subtlety, dynamic control, and sound which endow their own playing with a new sensitivity and sensibility. His chamber and orchestral compositions are not pianistic transcriptions, but the fresh realization of the same awareness in these non-pianistic media. He long has been a legend in his own time and he deserves it." ---Milton Babbitt (1996)

photo (c) James Gudeman, from the ACA Archives, Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland.

ACE Publications

13 title(s)
Composer Title SCORING/INSTRUMENTATION Year
Robert Helps CORTEGE orch: 2-2-2-1-2-1; 4-3-3-1; pf, h, vib; str
Robert Helps FANTASY FONTANA Piano
Robert Helps FANTASY for piano Piano
Robert Helps FANTASY for Violin & Piano Violin and Piano
Robert Helps MIXTURE OF TIME
gtr, pf
Robert Helps NOCTURNE
string quartet 2-1-1
Robert Helps POSTLUDE Horn, Violin, and Piano
Robert Helps QUINTET fl,cl,vln, vcl,pf
Robert Helps SCHILFLIED "The Reed Song" Piano
Robert Helps SOLO Piano
Robert Helps STRING QUARTET no 1 string quartet
Robert Helps Trio No. 1 vln,vcl,pf
Robert Helps TWO SONGS - Melville
Sop, pf

Additional Works