# American Composer Corner: David Diamond



## Mirror Image

DAVID DIAMOND
















One of the twentieth century's most venerated musicians, American composer David Diamond was born in Rochester, New York in 1915. He showed exceptional musical promise as a young boy, and at age 12 began studies at the newly formed Cleveland Institute of Music, returning to Rochester in 1930 to take lessons from Bernard Rogers at the Eastman School. A year of work with Roger Sessions (partly through the Dalcroze Institute in New York) in 1935 was followed by a two-year stay in Paris, during which time, in addition to formal studies with Nadia Boulanger, Diamond made the acquaintance of Stravinsky and Ravel (the latter having a particularly strong impact on the 21-year-old composer's musical outlook).

Recognition came early for Diamond, and by 1938 he had already been awarded the Juilliard Publication Award for his 1936 orchestral work Psalm and the first of three Guggenheim Fellowships. Major conductors took note of Diamond's colorful orchestral style and in 1941 his First Symphony was premiered by Dimitri Mitropoulos and the New York Philharmonic, launching Diamond's 60-year reign as one the country's pre-eminent symphonists. A study of Diamond's 11 symphonies is, in effect, the study of a constantly evolving compositional ethic.

Beyond his musical abilities, Diamond was especially talented at securing study and composition grants that allowed him to spend extended periods in Europe, but he was always short of the money needed to return home. [Songwriter-turned-movie producer Arthur Freed, aware of this odd quirk in Diamond's professional history, used the composer as one-half of the inspiration for the character played by Oscar Levant in the 1951 feature An American In Paris (the other half inspired by Levant himself)]. Appointed Fulbright Professor at the University of Rome in 1951, Diamond remained in Italy (especially Florence, a city he came to love) until 1965, when he returned to the U.S. to take over as head of the composition department at the Manhattan School of Music. In addition to serving as vice-president of the National Institute of the Arts, Diamond was an active member of ASCAP. Diamond became professor of composition at The Juilliard School in 1973, where he taught well into the 1990s. In 1986, Diamond received the William Schuman Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1991 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Edward MacDowell Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement. Then, in 1995, he was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in a ceremony at the White House.

Best known as a symphonist, Diamond emerged in the late 1930s as a basically diatonic composer with strong Romantic roots and a natural flair for effective structural drama. By the 1950s, however, an ever-increasing interest in chromaticism led to his adoption of some serial techniques, which he synthesized into a highly personalized musical language. Diamond's orchestral and chamber music, the backbone of his contribution to the repertory, displays a keen interest in counterpoint and a craftsmanlike command of melody that owes something to his abiding love of Ravel. During the last years of the twentieth century, the popular Adagio from the Symphony No.11 fueled something of a renewed public interest in Diamond and his music.

[Article taken from All Music Guide]

Diamond is a composer I've known about for quite a while, but never checked out before. On my search for American composers his name came up quite a bit.

If I'm not mistaken Jim (Handlebar) is a big fan. I'm anxious to hear your impressions of this wonderful composer.


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## Mirror Image

No David Diamond fans around here? It appalls me the total lack of interest people have in American composers on this forum. Diamond wrote some fantastic music. Go listen to his music now people!


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## starry

Listen to the Adagio from his Symphony 11 (1989-91).


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## Mirror Image

starry said:


> Listen to the Adagio from his Symphony 11 (1989-91).


I would, but it's out of print. Gerard Schwarz and Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


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## BuddhaBandit

I like Diamond a lot (but I'm into almost all the major American composers). His symphonies are quite good, as are his string quartets. He's very underplayed.


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## LvB

Diamond's music is, on the whole, probably less immediately appealing than, say, Piston's or Porter's; he tends to the contrapuntal, and to forceful use of dissonance. This said, there is much that is emotionally powerful in his output, and his music amply repays careful listening even for those not used to his (actually fairly conservative) musical language. One excellent starting point is the String Quartet #3 (1946). The first three movements are well written and very straightforward, but the last movement makes this a particularly moving piece; it was written after, and was inspired by, the lingering death (suicide) of a young woman with whom Diamond was close friends. It's almost as long as the other three movements combined, slow and often painfully beautiful, and really conveys the pain Diamond felt, without ever becoming bathetic or sounding insincere. It's among the finest mid-20th Century quartet movements known to me. I would recommend any of Diamond's eleven quartets (ten numbered, and an early 'Concerto" for string quartet), but this strikes me as far and away the best place to begin.


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## Mirror Image

LvB said:


> Diamond's music is, on the whole, probably less immediately appealing than, say, Piston's or Porter's; he tends to the contrapuntal, and to forceful use of dissonance. This said, there is much that is emotionally powerful in his output, and his music amply repays careful listening even for those not used to his (actually fairly conservative) musical language. One excellent starting point is the String Quartet #3 (1946). The first three movements are well written and very straightforward, but the last movement makes this a particularly moving piece; it was written after, and was inspired by, the lingering death (suicide) of a young woman with whom Diamond was close friends. It's almost as long as the other three movements combined, slow and often painfully beautiful, and really conveys the pain Diamond felt, without ever becoming bathetic or sounding insincere. It's among the finest mid-20th Century quartet movements known to me. I would recommend any of Diamond's eleven quartets (ten numbered, and an early 'Concerto" for string quartet), but this strikes me as far and away the best place to begin.


I think there is much to reward the listener in Diamond's work and this goes well beyond the chamber repertoire. He wrote some beautiful orchestral music. I have only recently become a fan of his music. Having heard, and love, the music of Harris, Thomson, Barber, Ives, Copland, Beach, Chadwick, Piston, Creston, and many other American composers, I find Diamond's music to be a breath of fresh air. I'm particularly fond of his Symphonies 1-4 and Violin Concerto No. 2. The unfortunate thing about Diamond is it's hard to find recordings of his music. Thankfully Gerard Schwarz/SSO have made some great recordings.


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## handlebar

Mirror Image said:


> No David Diamond fans around here? It appalls me the total lack of interest people have in American composers on this forum. Diamond wrote some fantastic music. Go listen to his music now people!


I came to this thread late due to a heavy work load.

Diamond is on my top 5 list of best American composers EVER!!!!

Granted, I only have 12-15 cd's worth of his music. But then again thats about all that the marketplace offers right now. The Delos series is wonderful and Schwarz knew Diamond enough to offer the best introspective. His recordings are the best IMHO. Also, the Naxos line has produced some dandies. I'm hoping that Naxos will continue their series by adding the remaining symphonies that have never been recorded and the songs too. His chamber music works are not as well constructed as the orchestral output but deserve a listen.
Diamond,Creston,Schuman and Copland are all very well represented in my collection as well as Hovhaness and Piston.
My wish is that more American orchestras play some of their fellow American's works instead of the same old warhorses. But....they just don't draw the crowds like the Beethoven 9th or Brahms 2nd.

Jim


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## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> I came to this thread late due to a heavy work load.
> 
> Diamond is on my top 5 list of best American composers EVER!!!!
> 
> Granted, I only have 12-15 cd's worth of his music. But then again thats about all that the marketplace offers right now. The Delos series is wonderful and Schwarz knew Diamond enough to offer the best introspective. His recordings are the best IMHO. Also, the Naxos line has produced some dandies. I'm hoping that Naxos will continue their series by adding the remaining symphonies that have never been recorded and the songs too. His chamber music works are not as well constructed as the orchestral output but deserve a listen.
> Diamond,Creston,Schuman and Copland are all very well represented in my collection as well as Hovhaness and Piston.
> My wish is that more American orchestras play some of their fellow American's works instead of the same old warhorses. But....they just don't draw the crowds like the Beethoven 9th or Brahms 2nd.
> 
> Jim


I agree Jim about what you said about Diamond. He's fantastic. I too am eager to see if Naxos releases anymore of Diamond's music. I was listening to "The Enormous Room" the other night and I really like this piece. I think, though, his symphonies are really top-notch.


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## BuddhaBandit

handlebar said:


> I came to this thread late due to a heavy work load.
> 
> My wish is that more American orchestras play some of their fellow American's works instead of the same old warhorses. But....they just don't draw the crowds like the Beethoven 9th or Brahms 2nd.
> 
> Jim


Just give it some time. I've seen works by Harris, Diamond, and Piston crop up on the schedules of some Philadelphia area ensembles recently, and American music has gotten more exposure on classical radio. Of course, two American composers- Copland and Gershwin- do draw crowds. Appalachian Spring? Rhapsody in Blue? People love that stuff.

The problem (popularity-wise) with many 20th century American composers is that they were trained in an environment filled with dissonant, atonal works. So, naturally, the works of Diamond or Crumb or others are very "modern-sounding". And experimental technique, serialism, and strong dissonances almost never draw crowds.


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## handlebar

BuddhaBandit said:


> Just give it some time. I've seen works by Harris, Diamond, and Piston crop up on the schedules of some Philadelphia area ensembles recently, and American music has gotten more exposure on classical radio. Of course, two American composers- Copland and Gershwin- do draw crowds. Appalachian Spring? Rhapsody in Blue? People love that stuff.
> 
> The problem (popularity-wise) with many 20th century American composers is that they were trained in an environment filled with dissonant, atonal works. So, naturally, the works of Diamond or Crumb or others are very "modern-sounding". And experimental technique, serialism, and strong dissonances almost never draw crowds.


That is the perception though often not the reality. One prime example is Howard Hanson. He was certainly educated by both tonal and atonal minded teachers. Yet listen to his music. Lush and romantic with no hint of atonality. Many of Barber's works are the same as are Hovhaness,the above listed Diamond, and many others. What we need are adventurous conductors that gamble with public reaction. Unfortunately we don;t have many due to the almighty dollar and the box office impact. I remember how James Depriest impressed me with his devotion to newer composers. Many of my first hearings at the concert hall of obscure works were from the Oregon Symphony during the 80's and 90's. I was introduced to Diamond and Creston by Depriest as well as Dello Joio, Menotti (works other than Amhal),etc. Or maybe Singleton and other lesser known composers.

The rich bounty that could be reaped is left dormant by todays big named conductors. There are exceptions,yes. But very few.

Listen to the Piston 2nd symphony. Amazingly beautiful yet slightly modern. He was truly one of the best as well.

Jim


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## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> That is the perception though often not the reality. One prime example is Howard Hanson. He was certainly educated by both tonal and atonal minded teachers. Yet listen to his music. Lush and romantic with no hint of atonality. Many of Barber's works are the same as are Hovhaness,the above listed Diamond, and many others. What we need are adventurous conductors that gamble with public reaction. Unfortunately we don;t have many due to the almighty dollar and the box office impact. I remember how James Depriest impressed me with his devotion to newer composers. Many of my first hearings at the concert hall of obscure works were from the Oregon Symphony during the 80's and 90's. I was introduced to Diamond and Creston by Depriest as well as Dello Joio, Menotti (works other than Amhal),etc. Or maybe Singleton and other lesser known composers.
> 
> The rich bounty that could be reaped is left dormant by todays big named conductors. There are exceptions,yes. But very few.
> 
> Listen to the Piston 2nd symphony. Amazingly beautiful yet slightly modern. He was truly one of the best as well.
> 
> Jim


I agree with these comments. Yes, there were many American composers who were trained in both tonality and atonality. There are many composers all over the world who have been influenced or affected by atonal works, but never wrote using these techniques, which only proves that a composer can talk all day about what influenced them and so forth, but ultimately it depends on the music and what they're trying to achieve.

Yes, we need more adventurous conductors and less politically uptight board members who are equally adventurous and want to promote these composers. But it's as Jim says, the almighty dollar that dictates what music is being played in concert halls.

That's why I'm thankful for Naxos (and all of it's subsidiaries), Chandos, Hyperion, etc., these labels are making great things happen, but I would like to see more mainstream labels get involved too, but this isn't going to happen anytime soon.


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## handlebar

Mirror Image said:


> I agree with these comments. Yes, there were many American composers who were trained in both tonality and atonality. There are many composers all over the world who have been influenced or affected by atonal works, but never wrote using these techniques, which only proves that a composer can talk all day about what influenced them and so forth, but ultimately it depends on the music and what they're trying to achieve.
> 
> Yes, we need more adventurous conductors and less politically uptight board members who are equally adventurous and want to promote these composers. But it's as Jim says, the almighty dollar that dictates what music is being played in concert halls.
> 
> That's why I'm thankful for Naxos (and all of it's subsidiaries), Chandos, Hyperion, etc., these labels are making great things happen, but I would like to see more mainstream labels get involved too, but this isn't going to happen anytime soon.


Which is why we pick and choose those smaller companies that deliver.Naxos started as a small company that expanded rapidly with the addition of the Marco Polo catalogue. Marco Polo had been the underrated composer's friend before that. There needs to be a niche for certain works in order to make a profit in a recording. Most of the CD's Naxos make i bet don't produce a profit. Still, a few big sellers make up for the others.
That's one reason why the big names like DG,EMI,Sony,etc always keep their starts name in the forefront:to sell them and their recordings and make the balance up for the rest of the company. And we know who those big names are for sure.

Naxos will be a company I always come back to. What other label lets you listen to any CD in their collection for free (albeit snippets) and still puts out wonderful recordings?
As far as I know, they are the only ones.

Jim


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## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> Which is why we pick and choose those smaller companies that deliver.Naxos started as a small company that expanded rapidly with the addition of the Marco Polo catalogue. Marco Polo had been the underrated composer's friend before that. There needs to be a niche for certain works in order to make a profit in a recording. Most of the CD's Naxos make i bet don't produce a profit. Still, a few big sellers make up for the others.
> That's one reason why the big names like DG,EMI,Sony,etc always keep their starts name in the forefront:to sell them and their recordings and make the balance up for the rest of the company. And we know who those big names are for sure.
> 
> Naxos will be a company I always come back to. What other label lets you listen to any CD in their collection for free (albeit snippets) and still puts out wonderful recordings?
> As far as I know, they are the only ones.
> 
> Jim


That's true and I like the big companies DG, EMI, Decca, etc., but I think they need to expand their catalogue to include more obscure composers, but they make the big bucks and they don't really need to do that as much as I and many other people would like to see them do.

I'm thankful for these budget labels, but I'm actually thankful for any record company that puts out good music and promotes classical. This is a good thing even if the company puts out 10 releases of Beethoven a year. It's still a breadth of fresh air to know that classical is being sold and they continue to do business.

Anyway, this thread has been derailed...let's get back to David Diamond's music. Anybody heard his "Tom" ballet? I have only heard the suites, but I'd like to hear the whole ballet.


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## handlebar

I only have the Tom suite as well. I have never seen the entire ballet offered on CD or LP.
Maybe some digging will reveal a hidden treasure somewhere.
What I want to locate are the remaining symphonies on CD. Those are tough.

Jim


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## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> I only have the Tom suite as well. I have never seen the entire ballet offered on CD or LP.
> Maybe some digging will reveal a hidden treasure somewhere.
> What I want to locate are the remaining symphonies on CD. Those are tough.
> 
> Jim


From what I can gather by searching online, there isn't a complete survey of Diamond's symphonies, which is a shame, but I guess we're all lucky to have what's available.


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## handlebar

Mirror Image said:


> From what I can gather by searching online, there isn't a complete survey of Diamond's symphonies, which is a shame, but I guess we're all lucky to have what's available.


I'm currently missing Symphonies #6 and 7. Here is a link to some options:

http://www.daviddiamond.org/recordings.html

His chamber music selection is rather good. Lots to choose from.

I also read that his autobiography/biography is being completed as we speak.Can't wait!

Jim


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## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> I'm currently missing Symphonies #6 and 7. Here is a link to some options:
> 
> http://www.daviddiamond.org/recordings.html
> 
> His chamber music selection is rather good. Lots to choose from.
> 
> I also read that his autobiography/biography is being completed as we speak.Can't wait!
> 
> Jim


Well I've got all the Naxos orchestral recordings, so I'm just waiting on Gerard Schwarz to finish the cycle (if he ever does). A lot of these more obscure recordings are really expensive.


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## handlebar

Mirror Image said:


> Well I've got all the Naxos orchestral recordings, so I'm just waiting on Gerard Schwarz to finish the cycle (if he ever does). A lot of these more obscure recordings are really expensive.


Don't count on Maestro Schwarz to be doing it soon. According to my inside Seattle sources (who are friends with the man), he ends his contract with Seattle S.O. in 2011. And his recording projects don't include any Diamond (although that could change).
Maybe we should email him???

Jim


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## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> Don't count on Maestro Schwarz to be doing it soon. According to my inside Seattle sources (who are friends with the man), he ends his contract with Seattle S.O. in 2011. And his recording projects don't include any Diamond (although that could change).
> Maybe we should email him???
> 
> Jim


Well, that stinks. Yes, we should email him and tell him to complete his Diamond cycle, because Handlebar and Mirror Image said so! 

Anyway, do you know what orchestra he's going to next?


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## handlebar

As far as I know he is retiring from conducting. Here is the link:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2008172218_schwarz11.html

I usually keep up with the Seattle and Oregon symphony orchestras as well as with the SFSO and Tilson Thomas. I hope to attend a Mahler concert in San Francisco this October.

Perhaps Schwarz will record instead of being a full time conductor. That would be nice.

Lets send him an email. Why not???

Jim


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## Sid James

I've just purchased one of the Naxos cd's of Diamond's music, and it's been a pleasant discovery. His long career spanned a wide range of styles & genres.

I particularly like the _Symphony No. 8, _which has more than a hint of Schoenberg. It was writeen in 1960 & dedicated to Copland, who was also beginning to lean towards serialism at that time. The two other works on the disc are less interesting, but still pleasant to listen to. The _Suite from the ballet 'Tom' _is a nice piece of Americana, showing influences of Copland & Stravinsky, whilst _This Sacred Ground_ is a setting of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address for three choirs and baritone.

It's rather unfortunate that Naxos hasn't recorded all of the symphonies (yet?), only this and a few of the earlier ones, and I'm more interested in that later ones in which he experimented with serialism...


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## Lukecash12

I have to say, he's really got class. He's one of my favorite composers; But I don't know if that counts for much. I have an awful lot of favorites.


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## maestro267

As Diamond's centenary approaches, this coming Thursday, it's worth dusting the cobwebs off his Guestbook here.

I have 1 disc of his music, featuring Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4, and the Concerto for Small Orchestra. All very enjoyable works, the 2nd Symphony being by far the longest work on this disc.


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## Gaspard de la Nuit

I like his music a lot. The 4th symphony is really impressive and has an incredibly beautiful, imaginative, powerful first movement that deserves to be spoken of along with the greatest symphonic works.


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## Bulldog

Diamond's an excellent composer. I have all the Naxos discs and also the cd's on Albany of his string quartets. Think I'll dive into those quartets right now.


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## Manxfeeder

maestro267 said:


> As Diamond's centenary approaches, this coming Thursday, it's worth dusting the cobwebs off his Guestbook here.


Wow, Thursday? I'll be celebrating.


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