David Behrman | |
|---|---|
_(Vol._I)_(circa_2003).jpg) Behrman circa 2003 | |
| Born | (1937-08-16)August 16, 1937 (age 87) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Phillips Academy |
| Alma mater | Harvard University(B.A.) Columbia University(M.A.) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1962–present |
| Employer(s) | Bard College California Institute of the Arts Mills College Ohio State University Rutgers University Technische Universität Berlin |
| Known for | Sonic Arts Union |
| Notable work | On the Other Ocean |
| Spouses | |
| Father | S. N. Behrman |
| Relatives | Jascha Heifetz (uncle) |
David Behrman (born August 16, 1937) is an Americancomposer and a pioneer of computer music. In the early 1960s he was the producer ofColumbia Records'Music of Our Time series, which included the first recording ofTerry Riley'sIn C.[1] In 1966 Behrman co-foundedSonic Arts Union with fellow composersRobert Ashley,Alvin Lucier andGordon Mumma. He wrote the music forMerce Cunningham's dancesWalkaround Time (1968),Rebus (1975),Pictures (1984) andEyespace 40 (2007). In 1978, he released his debut albumOn the Other Ocean, a pioneering work combiningcomputer music with live performance.[2][3]
Behrman's father,S. N. Behrman, was a successful playwright and Hollywood screenplay writer. His mother Elza Heifetz Behrman was the sister of violinistJascha Heifetz.
Behrman attended thePhillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where his classmates includedCarl Andre,Hollis Frampton andFrank Stella. There he also developed a lifelong friendship with composer and pianistFrederic Rzewski. While attending summer camp at Indian Hill in 1953 he was taught modern music byWallingford Riegger.[4] He received a BA from Harvard in 1959.[5] At Harvard, he formed a lifelong friendship withChristian Wolff and where he continued his friendship with Frederic Rzewski.[4] He attended the summer school at Darmstadt in 1959, where he metLa Monte Young andNam June Paik.[6] He received a Master of Arts fromColumbia University in 1963.[5]
He has been a member of the Avery Graduate Arts Program faculty atBard College since 1998.[7] He was co-director of the Center for Contemporary Music atMills College in 1975–1980,[7] and has taught also at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts,Ohio State University,[1]Rutgers University, andTechnische Universität Berlin.[1][7]
Behrman is known as a minimalist composer.[8] His music has often involved interactions between live performers and computers, usually with the computer generating sounds triggered by some aspect of the live performance, usually certain pitches, but sometimes other aspects of the live sound, such as volume inQRSL (as recorded by Maggi Payne onThe Extended Flute (CRI807). Many of his significant works, such asOn the Other Ocean,Interspecies Small Talk, are based on a pitch sensing computer music system.[7]
Behrman was briefly married to Japanese video artist, sculptor and avant-garde performance artistShigeko Kubota.[9] The marriage ended in 1969.[10] He has been married since 1979 to media-artist Terri Hanlon.[1]
Behrman lives in New York City.[1]
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