Miriam Gideon

Miriam Gideon (October 23, 1906 – June 18, 1996) was an American composer who wrote at least 130 pieces of music.

Life Miriam Gideon was born in Greeley, Colorado, on October 23, 1906. She studied organ with her uncle Henry Gideon and piano with Felix Fox. She also studied with Martin Bernstein, Marion Bauer, Charles Haubiel, and Jacques Pillois. She studied harmony, counterpoint, and composition with Lazare Saminsky and at his suggestion also composition with Roger Sessions, after which she abandoned tonality and wrote in a freely atonal or extended post-tonal style. She attended Boston University and graduated with a degree in music in 1926.

Gideon moved to New York City, where she taught at Brooklyn College, City University of New York (CUNY) from 1944 to 1954 and City College, CUNY from 1947 to 1955. She then taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America at the invitation of Hugo Weisgall in 1955, and at the Manhattan School of Music from 1967 to 1991. She was rehired by City College in 1971 as full professor and retired in 1976.

Gideon composed a lot of vocal music, setting texts by Francis Thompson, Christian Morgenstern, Anne Bradstreet, Norman Rosten, Serafin, Joaquín Quintero and others.

The Miriam Gideon Prize The International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) offers the Miriam Gideon Prize annually, sponsored by composer Patsy Rogers, for female undergraduate and graduate students who are members of IAWM. Applicants must be 50 years of age or over, and submit an original unpublished musical score for voice and piano or voice and small chamber ensemble.

Selected works Works by Gideon:

2 ADON OLOM (1958) satb, piano/organ 3 AIR FOR VIOLIN & PIANO (1950) 4 AYELET HASHAKHAR (Morning Star) SONGS OF CHILDHOOD ON HEBREW TEXTS (1990) med voice, pf 5 BELLS (1966) for low or medium voice and piano 6 BÖHMISCHER KRYSTALL (1988) - Sop, fl, cl, vln, vcl, pf or Sop, pf 7 DIVERTIMENTO for Wind Quartet (1957) - fl, ob, cl, bsn 8 ECLOGUE (1990) - fl, pf 9 EPITAPHS FROM ROBERT BURNS (1952) for high, low voice versions with piano 10 FANTASY ON IRISH FOLK-MOTIVES (1975) for ob, bsn (or cello), vla, perc (1) (vib, glock, tam-tam (medium)) 11 FAREWELL TABLET TO AGATHOCLES (from 'Songs of Voyage') (1961) for Med voice, pf 12 FORTUNATO (A Chamber Opera in 3 Scenes) (1958) piano, vocal soloists 13 GERMAN SONGS (1937) for high or low voice, piano 14 HABITABLE EARTH, THE (Cantata) (1966) satb soli, mixed chor, ob, pf or org 15 HOMMAGE A MA JEUNESSE (To My Youth) Sonatina for Two Pianos (1935) 15 bis THE HOUND OF HEAVEN (1945) for voice and instrumental chamber ensemble 16 LITTLE IVORY FIGURES PULLED WITH STRING (1950) medium voice (some spoken, non-pitched, some sung) and guitar 17 LOCKUNG (1937) for high voice, piano 18 LYRIC PIECE (1941) for string orchestra 19 LYRIC PIECE (1955) for string quartet 20 MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH (1957) SATB 21 MIXCO (1957) voice and piano (high, med, and low versions available) 22 OF SHADOWS NUMBERLESS (Suite) (1966) for piano 23 POET TO POET (Song Cycle for High Voice and Piano) (1987) 24 QUARTET, for Strings (1946 25 RONDO APPASSIONATO (1990) for piano, perc, cell 26 SHE WEEPS OVER RAHOON (1940) for high voice and piano 27 SIX CUCKOOS IN QUEST OF A COMPOSER (1957) for piano 28 SLOW, SLOW FRESH FOUNT - TTBB 29 SLOW, SLOW FRESH FOUNT - SATB 30 SONATA FOR CELLO AND PIANO (1991) 31 SONATA FOR PIANO (1983) 32 SONATA FOR VIOLA & PIANO (1957) 33 SONGS OF VOYAGE (1964) for high voice or low voice, piano 34 SONNETS FROM FATAL INTERVIEW (1961) for mezzo soprano and piano 35 SONNETS FROM FATAL INTERVIEW (1961) for mezzo soprano, vln, vla, vcl 36 SONNETS FROM SHAKESPEARE (1986) for medium low voice, piano 37 SONNETS FROM SHAKESPEARE (1986) for high or low voice, trumpet (Bb), string quartet OR string orchestra 38 STEEDS OF DARKNESS (1990) for high voice, fl, ob, perc, vc, pf 39 SUITE FOR CLARINET AND PIANO (1972) - cl in A (or bassoon) and piano 40 SWEET WESTERN WIND (1956) - SATB 41 SYMPHONIA BREVIS (1953) 2-2-2-2,4-2-2-0, timp, strings 42 TANGO LANGOROSO for piano 43 THREE BIBLICAL MASKS (1958) - organ solo 44 THREE BIBLICAL MASKS (for Purim) (1979) for vln, pf 45 THREE CORNERED PIECES (1935) pf (for young musicians) 46 TO MUSIC (1990) for high, medium, or low voice, with piano 47 THE TOO-LATE BORN (1939) for high voice, piano 48 TRIO (1978) for clarinet in A, vcl, pf 49 VERGIFTET SIND MEINE LIEDER (1937) for high voice, piano 50 VOICES FROM ELYSIUM (1984) for high voice, fl, clar, vln, vcl, pf 51 WHERE WILD CARNATIONS BLOW (A Song to David) Soli, mixed choir, ch orch 1-1-0-0-, 0-2-0-0-, timp, strings 52 A WOMAN OF VALOR (EISHET CHAYIL) (1982) for medium voice, piano