Peter Westergaard

Biography

Peter Westergaard was the William Shubael Conant Professor of Music, Emeritus, at Princeton University. A composer and music theorist, he was a student of Milton Babbitt. He has composed numerous operas from Charivari (1953) to Alice and Wonderland (2006). He is also the author of "An Introduction to Tonal Theory (W.W. Norton, 1975).

Amongst former pupils of Babbitt, Westergaard stands out for his contributions to serial theory, as well as for his compositions, which are characterized by a delight in symmetry and mirror relationships, together with a concern for the systematic and integrated use of all the parameters of music, producing multileveled, clear, beautiful, and audible patterns (Paul Griffiths, Modern Music, 1981).

Westergaard was born in 1931 in Champaign, Illinois. He pursued undergraduate studies at Harvard University, graduating in 1953, and in 1956 obtained an M.F.A. degree from Princeton University. He studied with Roger Sessions, Walter Piston, Darius Milhaud, Edward Cone, Milton Babbitt and Wolfgang Fortner in Freiburg.  He passed away June, 2019 in New Jersey.

 

  • ACE Publications

    31 title(s)
    Composer Title SCORING/INSTRUMENTATION Year
    Peter Westergaard ALICE IN WONDERLAND, AN ENSEMBLE OPERA FOR SEVEN SINGERS Alice (Sorpano) plus 6 singers in multiple roles, hand percussion
    Peter Westergaard ALL 4s perc quartet
    Peter Westergaard ALWAYS PRESENT PRESENT
    Peter Westergaard ANYONE LIVED IN A PRETTY HOW TOWN
    chamber chorus (SATB)
    Peter Westergaard ARIEL MUSIC
    fl/picc, ob, cl/bcl, tpt, celesta/pf, perc, str qt
    Peter Westergaard CANTATA V - Byzantium for Baritone and Percussion Quartet
    baritone, perc quartet
    Peter Westergaard DIALOGUE OF A SHEPERD AND A NYMPH
    chorus (SATB)
    Peter Westergaard EPITHALAMIUM
    chorus (SATB)
    Peter Westergaard MAKE ME A WILLOW CABIN
    Mezzo soprano or Soprano, alto flute, Eng hn, mandolin, guitar, violin, cello
    Peter Westergaard MOBY DICK, SCENES FROM AN IMAGINARY OPERA - piano-vocal score voices, piano
    Peter Westergaard MOBY DICK, SCENES FROM AN IMAGINARY OPERA - full score in 2 vols 1121 2100 hp, 1 perc, str
    chamber chorus, small orchestra
    Peter Westergaard Moto Perpetuo flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, horn, and bassoon
    Peter Westergaard ODE
    sop, fl, cl, vn, va, hp
    Peter Westergaard PALINDROME FOR A SUMMER EVENING
    fl, vn, va, vc
    Peter Westergaard RINGING CHANGES 2222 4220
    orchestra, hp; 4 perc; str
    Peter Westergaard SPRING AND FALL: TO A YOUNG CHILD Voice and Piano
    Peter Westergaard TEMPEST
    14 singers, chorus; 1, 1, 1, bcl, 1; 2, 1, 1; hp, 2 perc, str (min 6, 6, 4, 4, 2)

    Additional Works