description Roger Sessions Overview
Roger Sessions was an American composer and teacher who lived from 1896 to 1985. His music includes symphonies, concertos, chamber works, vocal compositions, and an opera, and is known for its large-scale structures and demanding contrapuntal writing. Sessions taught at several American universities and influenced generations of composers. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1982 for Concerto for Orchestra.
help Roger Sessions FAQ
What years did Roger Sessions live?
Roger Sessions lived from 1896 to 1985 and was an American composer, teacher, and writer on music. His career stretched from early 20th-century modernism into the era of twelve-tone composition.
What is distinctive about Roger Sessions's compositional style?
His music is known for large-scale structures, dense counterpoint, and demanding ensemble writing. He moved from early neoclassical work toward complex postromantic harmony and later used serial techniques.
What operas did Roger Sessions write?
One named example is The Trial of Lucullus, a one-act opera from 1947. His output also included symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and vocal works, so opera was only one part of his catalogue.
Where did Roger Sessions teach?
He held teaching posts at Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley, and later taught at the Juilliard School. His students included American composers such as Milton Babbitt. [Princeton archive](https://findingaids.library.upenn.edu/records/PRIN_MUDD_C0288).
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