A piano child prodigy, Vivian Fine (1913-2000) composed her first piece
in 1926 at thirteen while studying harmony with Ruth Crawford. At age
16, her music was performed in Chicago, New York, and Germany. Unlike
many prodigies, Fine's early brilliance persisted, and over the course
of a 70-year career she became one of America's most highly regarded
composers. Fine was a member of Aaron Copland's Young Composers Group
and a participant at the first Yaddo Festival in 1932. Henry Cowell was
an early supporter who published her scores in New Music. Although
perhaps best known for her chamber music, Fine wrote in virtually every
genre, including large-scale symphonic and choral works. Her earliest
work is highly dissonant, followed by more tonal compositions during her
nine years of study with Roger Sessions. After 1946 she returned to a
freer mode of expression, which Wallingford Riegger described as
tempered atonality. Despite early recognition of her genius, Fine
experienced obstacles as a female composer and often felt alone and
isolated from the world of prominent musicians. Finally, at age
fifty-six, she was appointed to the faculty at Bennington College. Her
years there, surrounded by a faculty eager to perform her work, were
some of the happiest and most productive of her life. In 1980 she was
elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. In
1983 her Drama for Orchestra was runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize.
Renowned musicologist Heidi Von Gunden's concise, lively biography of
Fine's life includes an insightful analysis of dozens of musical
compositions. Useful resources include a chronology, complete catalog of
works, discography, and bibliography. Impeccably researched, The Music
of Vivian Fine is essential reading for anyone interested in Fine's
music, and a great resource for students of 20th Century American music.
