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Composer of the month (November, 2024)

Marguerite CANAL

Marie Marguerite Denise Canal(1890–1978), a French conductor, composer, and music educator, was born in Toulouse to a musical family. A prodigy at the Paris Conservatory while studying with Paul Vidal, she excelled in harmony, piano, and fugue. In 1917, Canal earned the unique distinction of being the very first woman to conduct an orchestra in France.

In 1920, Canal won the Grand Prix de Rome for Don Juan, a “scène dramatique” with 3 singers (Don Juan, Elvire, and the Statue du Commandeur) plus orchestra, about the notorious Don Juan. Performances were held in 1920 and 1921.

She was later appointed to teach solfege to singers at the Paris Conservatory. She left her post briefly to stay in Rome but returned to Paris again to teach at the Conservatory for many more years.

Canal wrote chamber works, works for orchestra, an opera, and more than 100 songs for voice and piano, some of which are unpublished. Trained as a singer, she composed vocal music with lyricism and expression while often revealing her experiences in love, her feelings for children, and for the sea near Brittany.  

Exploring the Evolution 
Trends and History of Modern Classical Music

Contemporary classical music, rooted in the Western art tradition, refers to compositions created in or near the present era. Since the mid-20th century, it has largely encompassed post-1945 works that evolved after the influence of Anton Webern. This rich and diverse field includes genres such as serialism, electronic, experimental, and minimalist music. Recent trends have further expanded the landscape with innovative styles like spectral music and post-minimalism.

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composer of the month (archives)

Oct/2024

Lera Auerbach

Frozen Dreams

(2022)

July/2024

Aaron Copland

Appalachian Spring

(2014)

April/2024

Unsuk Jin

Akrostichon-Wortspiel (1991/1993)

January/2024

John Adams

Harmonium

(1981)

Sept/2024

Jessie Montgomery

Strum

(2021)

June/2024

Caroline Shaw

Music in Common Time

(2018)

March/2024

Jennifer Higdon

Splendid Wood

(2006)

December/2023

Philip Glass

Double concerto for violin and cello

(2010)

Aug/2024

Georg Friedrich Haas

Hyperion

(2026)

May/2024

György Ligeti

Concerto for violin

(2023)

February/2024

Arvo Pärt

Fratres

(original version, 1977)

November/2023

Krzysztof Penderecki

Symphony No.5 "Korea" 

(1992)

October/2023

John Corigliano

Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (1977)

July/2023

Tan Dun

Concerto for string orchestra and zheng

(2015)

September/2023

Witold Lutosławski

Symphony Nº4 

(2011)

June/2023

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Nyx (2010)

August/2023

Max Richter

Max Richter's 8-hour minimalist composition 'Sleep'

(2016)

May/2023

Mason Bates

Passage 

(2017)

Design Paper

Composer Snapshot: Quick Glimpse

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2 / Music
3 / Performance Groups

A

  • Accessible Contemporary Music

  • Alarm Will Sound

  • ALEA Ensemble

  • Alea III

  • Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble

  • American Composers Orchestra

  • American Modern Ensemble

  • American Wind Symphony Orchestra

  • Arditti Quartet

  • Ascolta

  • Asko/Schönberg

  • Australia Ensemble

B

  • Bach Aria Group

  • Balanescu Quartet

  • Bang on a Can

  • Bang on a Can All Stars

  • Béla Quartet

  • Berg Orchestra

  • Birmingham Contemporary Music Group

  • BIT20 Ensemble

  • Blair Quartet

  • Boston Modern Orchestra Project

  • Boston Musica Viva

  • Bridge to Everywhere

C

  • California EAR Unit

  • Car Ensemble of the Netherlands

  • Cassatt Quartet

  • Claremont Trio

  • Classical Jazz Quartet

  • Cleveland Chamber Symphony

  • Collage New Music

  • The Composers Quartet

  • Concorde Contemporary Music Ensemble

  • Corigliano Quartet

  • Crash Ensemble

D

  • Da Capo Chamber Players

  • Dallas String Quartet

  • Deep Listening Band

  • Del Sol Quartet

  • Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble

  • Dreamtiger

  • Dublin Guitar Quartet

  • Duo Gelland

  • Dynamis Ensemble

E

  • Echo Collective

  • Edison Studio

  • Eighth Blackbird

  • ELISION Ensemble

  • Endymion (ensemble)

  • Ensamble Nacional del Sur

  • Ensemble 2e2m

  • Ensemble Aleph

  • Ensemble Ars Nova

  • Ensemble Dal Niente

  • Ensemble intercontemporain

  • Ensemble l'Itinéraire

  • Ensemble Modern

  • Ensemble Musikfabrik

  • Ensemble neoN

  • Ensemble Nostri Temporis

  • Ensemble recherche

  • Ensemble Signal

  • Ensemble Sortisatio

  • Esprit Orchestra

  • Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

  • Ethel (string quartet)

  • Europa String Choir

F

  • Face the Music (music ensemble)

  • Fires of London

  • Five Centuries Ensemble

  • FLUX Quartet

  • Fred Frith Guitar Quartet

  • Fundación Cultural Patagonia String Quartet

G

  • Gamelan Son of Lion

  • Genghis Barbie

  • Ghost Ensemble

  • Gildas Quartet

  • Group 180

  • The Group for Contemporary Music

  • Groupe Lacroix

  • Grupo Música Nova

H

  • HOCKET (duo)

  • Hoketus

  • Hyperion Ensemble

I

  • Icebreaker (band)

  • ICTUS

  • International Contemporary Ensemble

J

  • JACK Quartet

  • Just Alap Raga Ensemble

  • Juventas New Music Ensemble

K

  • Kaltchev Guitar Duo

  • Klangforum Wien

  • Kronos Quartet

L

  • London Contemporary Orchestra

  • London Sinfonietta

  • Los Angeles Electric 8

  • Lost in the Trees

  • Luxembourg Sinfonietta

M

  • Magma (band)

  • Melos Ensemble

  • Meridian Arts Ensemble

  • Michael Nyman Band

  • Millennial Choirs & Orchestras

N

  • The Naghash Ensemble

  • Nash Ensemble

  • National Intercollegiate Band

  • Nevsky String Quartet

  • New Century Chamber Orchestra

  • New European Ensemble

  • Newband

  • Next Mushroom Promotion

  • Nexus (ensemble)

  • North Sea Radio Orchestra

  • North/South Consonance Ensemble

  • Nouvel Ensemble Moderne

O

  • Orchestra 2001

  • Oslo Sinfonietta

P

  • Passepartout Duo

  • Peculate (band)

  • Les Percussions de Strasbourg

  • Philip Glass Ensemble

  • Piano Circus

  • Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble

  • Plus-minus ensemble

  • Project Trio

  • Psappha (ensemble)

  • PUNTO Experimental Music Ensemble

Q

  • Quince Ensemble

R

  • Radius (music ensemble)

  • Red Note Ensemble

  • Relâche (musical group)

  • The Rubio Quartet

S

  • S.E.M. Ensemble

  • Salut Salon

  • San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra

  • Schreck Ensemble

  • Smith Quartet

  • Sonanza Ensemble

  • Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble

  • Southwest Chamber Music

  • Speculum Musicae

  • St. Petersburg State Academic Capella

  • Steve Reich and Musicians

  • Stroma (musical group)

  • ST-X Ensemble

  • Sydney Alpha Ensemble

  • Symphony Number One

T

  • Tambuco

  • Tartar Lamb

  • Texas A&M Wind Symphony

  • Theatre of Voices

  • Thelema Trio

  • Toimii

  • Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra

  • Topology (musical ensemble)

  • Trio Voronezh

U

  • University of Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players

  • Uusinta Ensemble

V

  • Vertixe Sonora Ensemble

  • Villalobos Brothers

  • Voices of Change

W

  • Dale Warland Singers

  • Wiener Taschenoper

X

  • Xenakis Ensemble

Y

  • Ying Quartet

Z

  • Zeitgeist (ensemble)

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