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Persichetti, Vincent, 1915-
The Vincent Persichetti papers primarily document his lifefrom the mid-1930s until 1987 and consist of material on his work as a composer, music teacher, author, and editor. Correspondence, music compositions, writings, programs, photographs, and financial records constitute the vast majority of the collection. The few items found within this collection that precede and postdate his life are connected to his personal life. For example, information concerning the wills, deeds, births and deaths of relatives (for both the Persichetti and Flanagan families)can be found with the personal papers. Of special interestis, "A Monograph," Dorothea Persichetti's unpublished bookon her husband's musical compositions. While his connection to Elkan-Vogel is represented in the collectionwith correspondence, some financial records, and programs,no detailed information on works that Persichetti published with the firm is to be found in the collection.
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) was an American composer, educator, author, editor, and pianist. In 1921, at the age of six, he was admitted to the Combs Conservatory of Music and made his first appearance in a piano recital. Helater studied the piano with Olga Samaroff and compositionwith Paul Nordoff at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music, and conducting with Fritz Reiner at the Curtis Institute of Music. In 1947 he joined the faculty of the Juilliard School, with which he was associated until the time of his death. Persichetti had many composition students there, notably Steve Reich and Peter Schickele. Prominent among his works are the opera, The Sybil (1976),the oratorio, The Creation (1970), nine symphonies, numerous piano pieces and chamber works in addition to several substantial works for band. His twenty five Parables (1965-1986) span the genres from unaccompanied solo instrumental works to opera. From 1952 he served as an editorial director for the music publisher, Elkan-Vogel. Persichetti also wrote extensively, including the book, Twentieth-Century Harmony (1961), which often has been cited as the definitive work on modern compositional techniques. Throughout his career, Persichetti was the recipient of numerous awards as well as the subject of many critical studies, including an unpublished work by his wife and fellow composer, Dorothea Flanagan Persichetti.
Shadows (1826). NYPL Art and Architecture Collection.
One of 700,000 pictures in the NYPL Digital Gallery
