John Pozdro

John Walter Pozdro (August 14, 1923 – January 1, 2009) was an American composer and pedagogue. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians describes his music as “inherently pragmatic, with tertian torsion resulting in the formation of tastefully enriched triadic harmony, and with asymmetric rhythms enhancing the throbbing pulse of musical continuity.”

Biography Pozdro was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 14, 1923 of Polish and German descent. He began taking piano and music theory lessons at an early age with Nina Shafran. He then studied piano and music theory with Edward Joseph Collins at the American Conservatory of Music. After service in the Military Intelligence Division of the U.S. Army, he entered Northwestern University. There, he studied with Robert Mills Delaney and received his Bachelor of Music in 1948 and Master of Music in 1949. He later studied at the Eastman School of Music with Howard Hanson, Bernard Rogers, and Wayne Barlow earning his Ph.D. in Composition in 1958.

Pozdro had his first teaching position at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls from 1949 to 1950. He was also a visiting professor at Northwestern University and a teaching fellow at the Eastman School of Music. From 1950 to December 1992, he was a faculty member of the University of Kansas. He served as their Department Chairman of Theory and Composition from 1961 to 1988. He also served as the chairman of the annual Symposium of Contemporary American Music from 1958 to 1967.

He was commissioned by the Ford Foundation, the Oklahoma City Symphony, the Music Teachers National Association, Concerts for Young Audiences, the Washington Performing Arts Society, the Stanton Memorial Foundation, and The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. He has had articles published in American Music Teacher, The Composer, and College Music Symposium, among others. His article in American Music Teacher on the nature of nonfunctional tertian harmonic progression was the first such on the subject.

Works Elegy, trumpet and piano Hello Kansas, musical Impression for Handbells Impressions for Woodwinds and Piano Interlude, flute, B-flat clarinet, French Horn, and bassoon Malooley and the Fear Monster, opera Piece for Cello and Piano Quintet for Piano and Woodwinds Rip City, marching band, arr. James Barnes Sextet (Rhapsody for Flute and Strings) Sonata for Brass Choir and Percussion Sonatine for Violin and Piano Transmogrifications, percussion, arr. Steve Riley Two Pieces for Cello and Piano

Choral works All Pleasant Things All Pleasant Things (Solo) Alleluia How Many and Varied are Your Works Spirit of Mount Oread The Carol of the Shepherds The Creation (All Things Bright and Beautiful) The King of Glory The Light The Night The Rain They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships

Works for carillon Landscape for Carillon Landscape II: Ostinato for Carillon Rustic Landscape The Winds of Autumn Triptych for Carillon Variations on a Slavonic Theme

Works for piano A Little March Ballade-fantasy For Nancy March Piano Sonata No. 1 (Sonata for Piano) Piano Sonata No. 2 Piano Sonata No. 3 Piano Sonata No. 4 Piano Sonata No. 5 Piano Sonata No. 6 Prelude Preludes I-IV Preludes V-VII Rondo Three Short Pieces (Prelude, Waltz, March) Waltz Sentimento