Teaching through Composition: The Choral Music of alcides lanza
Nicholle Andrews · The Journal of Macrodynamic Analysis (Memorial University of Newfoundland) · 2013
This presentation will demonstrate how lanza 1 teaches his students though composition.Information gathered from lanza's former students, will show how his compositions taught and inspired them.By teaching his students to be individual, independent, artistic, creative, and playful he inspired many generation of Canadian composers.Through a detailed study of lanza's un mundo imaginario, this presentation will illustrate the challenges faced when preparing a graphic score, working with computer generated sounds, and most importantly telling a meaningful story to the listener.Argentinean-born, Canadian composer, alcides lanza, began studying music theory, counterpoint, and piano at the age of nine.Upon finishing high school, he began studying architecture at the University of Rosario, but he cut his studies short to become a musician.lanza then moved to Buenos Aires where he studied composition and became intrigued with electro acoustic music.In 1964, the Institute di Tella in Buenos Aires opened an electro acoustic music studio, but lanza was looking for more.He moved to New York in 1965 to study at the Columbia Princeton Electronic Music Centre.In 1970, lanza became director of the electro acoustic studies of McGill University.Since moving to Montreal, lanza has become known as a talented teacher and composer.His works with Group of the Electronic Music Studio (GEMS) at McGill University and his personal attention to each of his composition students, and the student body at large, demonstrate his dedication to the guiding of young musicians and composers. alcides lanza, BiographyComposer alcides lanza was born into a musical family on June 2, 1929, in Rosario, Argentina.lanza's father, Antonio, was a conductor and guitarist with an Argentinean tango group in their hometown of Timbues.When lanza was nine years old, his father won the lottery and offered his two sons their choice of gifts.The older son, Edgardo, chose a bicycle, while the youngest, alcides, chose a piano.This was the beginning of lanza's career as a musician.Though lanza was a very active child, in 1933, he was stricken with a kidney disease and was not permitted to practice sports for the following nine years.As a result, lanza became very interested in both music and visual art, which may be the root of his passion for beautiful graphic scores.At the age of nine, lanza left his family and moved to Rosario to live with his uncle, a famous author and playwright.During his time with his uncle, lanza studied music theory, counterpoint, and piano.Upon finishing high school, he began his studies in architecture at the University of Rosario; however, he cut his studies short to become a musician.After moving to Buenos Aires to study composition with the famous Spanish composer, Julian Bautista, lanza began exploring various compositional techniques and styles.Studying