Location
Age
Area of FocusAbout Ralph's Work
Ralph Shapey was a composer, a conductor, and a teacher.
Shapey wrote atonal music of a vivid and intense character, often compared to abstract expressionism in the visual arts. Composing for orchestra, voice, and various chamber ensembles, he wrote and published more than 200 works, including Praise (1962-71), an oratorio for bass-baritone solo, double-chorus and chamber group; Symphonie Concertante (1985), commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra; Centennial Celebration (1991), commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and Goethe Songs, Soprano and Piano (1995). Shapey conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony, and other ensembles, and led the London Sinfonietta in a recording of his Rituals for Orchestra. His compositions, performances, and recordings were chronicled in, A Catalogue of the Works of Ralph Shapey (1996) by Patrick D. Finley. He won many awards and also wrote the book, A Basic Course in Music Composition (2001).
Biography
Shapey was a professor emeritus of music at the University of Chicago and the music director of the Contemporary Chamber Players, which he founded at the university. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1994) and to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (1999).
Shapey studied violin with Emanuel Zetlin and composition with Stefan Wolpe.
Last updated January 1, 2005.
Published on August 1, 1982
