George Perle
About George Perle
American composer George Perle remains one of the great unsung modernists, a writer of expressiveness and wit who has never let his idiosyncratic devotion to the 12-tone system stand in the way of lyricism or rhetorical clarity. - San Francisco Chronicle
The recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, and an array of other major awards and honors, George Perle occupies a commanding position among American composers of our time. Born in Bayonne, NJ, May 6, 1915, he received his early musical education in Chicago. After graduation from DePaul University, where he studied composition with Wesley LaViolette, and subsequent private studies with Ernst Krenek, Perle served in the US Army during World War II. After the War, he took post-graduate work in musicology at New York University. His PhD thesis became his first book, Serial Composition and Atonality, now in its sixth edition.
Perle’s music is widely performed in this country and abroad. Major commissions have resulted in significant works, among them Serenade III (1983) for solo piano and chamber orchestra, choreographed by American Ballet Theater and nominated for a Grammy Award for its 1986 Nonesuch recording; Woodwind Quintet No. 4 (Pulitzer Prize, 1986); Piano Concerto No. 1 (1990), commissioned for Richard Goode during Perle’s residency with the San Francisco Symphony; Piano Concerto No. 2 (1992), commissioned by Michael Boriskin; Transcendental Modulations for Orchestra, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for its 150th anniversary; and Thirteen Dickinson Songs (1978) commissioned by Bethany Beardslee. Recent works include Brief Encounters (fourteen movements for string quartet), Nine Bagatelles for piano, Critical Moments and Critical Moments 2 for six players, and Triptych for solo violin and piano. A particularly notable portion of Perle’s catalog consists of pieces for solo piano, many of which have been recorded by Michael Boriskin on New World Records.
Perle's compositions have figured on the programs of Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, BBC, and other major orchestras in the US and abroad. Perle's works are recorded on Nonesuch, Harmonia Mundi, New World, Albany, CRI, Bridge and other labels. He was a frequent Visiting Composer at the Tanglewood Music Festival and Composer-in-Residence with the San Francisco Symphony.
Though Perle was above all a composer, the breadth of his musical interests led to significant contributions in theory and musicology as well. He published numerous articles in scholarly journals and seven books, including the award-winning operas of Alban Berg. As music critic Andrew Porter has written, “Perle’s renown as an analyst and scholar may have diverted some of the attention that should be given to his merits as a composer… What matters to listeners is his achievement: the vividness of his melodic gestures, the lively rhythmic sense, the clarity and shapeliness of his discourse and, quite simply, the charm and grace of his utterance.”
Worklist
Gallery
Products
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for flute and pianoProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €5.99Incl. Tax
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Composer: George PerleMedia Type: Sheet musicEdition: ScoreSeries: A Short Symphony
Instrumentation: orchestraProduct number: BOE 16305In stock€35.95Incl. Tax, Excl. Shipping -
for orchestraComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: orchestra
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for orchestraProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €9.99Incl. Tax
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for orchestraComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: orchestra
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for bassoon soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €9.99Incl. Tax
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14 movements for string quartetComposer: George PerleEdition: Study scoreInstrumentation: string quartetProduct number: ED 30242Product TypeIn stockAs low as €42.99Incl. Tax
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for string quartetComposer: George PerleEdition: Set of partsInstrumentation: string quartetProduct number: ED 30241Product TypeIn stockAs low as €46.99Incl. Tax
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for piano soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €14.99Incl. Tax
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for piano soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €11.99Incl. Tax
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for piano, winds and timpaniComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Sheet musicEdition: Study scoreSeries: Concertino
Instrumentation: piano, wind ensemble and timpaniProduct number: BOE 16280In stock€11.95Incl. Tax, Excl. Shipping -
for piano, winds and timpaniComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: piano, winds and timpani
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for piano and orchestraProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €59.99Incl. Tax
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for piano and orchestraComposer: George PerleEdition: Piano reduction, for 2 pianosInstrumentation: piano and orchestraProduct number: ED 30228Product TypeIn stockAs low as €46.99Incl. Tax
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for piano and orchestraComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: piano and orchestra
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for piano and orchestraComposer: George PerleEdition: Study scoreInstrumentation: piano and orchestraProduct number: ED 30232Product TypeIn stockAs low as €49.99Incl. Tax
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for piano and orchestraComposer: George PerleEdition: Piano reduction, for 2 pianosInstrumentation: piano and orchestraProduct number: ED 30231Product TypeIn stockAs low as €24.99Incl. Tax
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for piano and orchestraComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: piano and orchestra
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for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and celloComposer: George PerleEdition: ScoreInstrumentation: flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and celloProduct number: ED 30238Product TypeIn stockAs low as €9.99Incl. Tax
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for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and celloComposer: George PerleEdition: Set of partsInstrumentation: flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and celloProduct number: ED 30237Product TypeIn stockAs low as €39.99Incl. Tax
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for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and celloComposer: George PerleEdition: ScoreInstrumentation: flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and celloProduct number: ED 30246Product TypeIn stockAs low as €15.99Incl. Tax
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for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and celloComposer: George PerleEdition: Set of partsInstrumentation: flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and celloProduct number: ED 30245Product TypeIn stockAs low as €46.99Incl. Tax
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for orchestraProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €24.99Incl. Tax
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for orchestraComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: orchestra
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for string quartet and hornComposer: George PerleEdition: ScoreInstrumentation: string quartet and hornProduct number: ED 30234Product TypeIn stockAs low as €46.99Incl. Tax
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for solo pianoProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €19.99Incl. Tax
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for flute, english horn, clarinet in A, bassoon, french horn and pianoComposer: George PerleEdition: ScoreInstrumentation: flute, cor anglais, clarinet in A, bassoon, horn and pianoProduct number: ED 30225Product TypeIn stockAs low as €18.99Incl. Tax
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for solo pianoProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €24.99Incl. Tax
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for orchestraComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: orchestra
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for cello and pianoProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €8.99Incl. Tax
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for piano soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €6.99Incl. Tax
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for string quartetComposer: George PerleEdition: Score and partsInstrumentation: string quartetProduct number: ED 30201Product TypeIn stockAs low as €19.99Incl. Tax
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for piano soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €7.99Incl. Tax
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for brass ensembleComposer: George PerleEdition: Score and partsInstrumentation: 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombonesProduct number: ED 30222Product TypeIn stockAs low as €18.99Incl. Tax
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for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and pianoComposer: George PerleEdition: ScoreInstrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello and pianoProduct number: ED 30226Product TypeIn stockAs low as €9.99Incl. Tax
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for piano soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €8.99Incl. Tax
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for solo pianoIn stock€7.95Incl. Tax, Excl. Shipping
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for piano soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €13.99Incl. Tax
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for viola and chamber ensembleComposer: George PerleEdition: Score and partInstrumentation: viola and chamber ensembleProduct number: ED 30206Product TypeIn stockAs low as €38.99Incl. Tax
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for viola and chamber ensembleComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: viola and chamber ensemble
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for chamber ensemble and solo pianoComposer: George PerleEdition: ScoreInstrumentation: chamber ensemble and solo pianoProduct number: ED 30215Product TypeIn stockAs low as €39.99Incl. Tax
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version for 2 pianosComposer: George PerleEdition: Piano reduction, for 2 pianosInstrumentation: chamber ensemble and solo pianoProduct number: ED 30214Product TypeIn stockAs low as €36.99Incl. Tax
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for piano and chamber ensembleComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: piano and chamber ensemble
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for orchestraProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €13.99Incl. Tax
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for chamber orchestraComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: chamber orchestra
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for chamber orchestraProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €42.99Incl. Tax
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for chamber orchestraComposer: George PerleMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: chamber orchestra
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for piano soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €14.99Incl. Tax
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for solo pianoProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €23.99Incl. Tax
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for piano soloProduct TypeIn stockAs low as €23.99Incl. Tax