David Sampson (composer)

This article is about the American composer. For articles on other people named David Sampson or Dave Sampson, see David Sampson (disambiguation).

David Sampson (born January 26, 1951, Charlottesville, Virginia) is an American contemporary classical composer.

Biography

David Sampson earned a B.A. in music from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied trumpet with Gilbert Johnson. He continued his studies with Donald Lybbert in composition at Hunter College, earning an M.F.A. in composition, followed by a D.M.A. at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied composition with John Corigliano and trumpet with Robert Nagel and Raymond Mase. He also attended the Ecole d’Art Americaines at Fontainebleau as a composition student of Robert Levin.  Additionally, he has studied with Karel Husa and Henri Dutilleux in composition and Gerard Schwarz on trumpet.

Sampson has received major grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Academy of Arts and Letters, Chamber Music America, the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Jerome Foundation, Cary Trust, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Selected Commissioned Works

•     The War Prayer (1984-5) for soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts and premiered by Princeton Pro Musica.

•     Hommage JFK (1995) for 14 brass and three percussion. Commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra.

•     Monument (1996-7). Commissioned by the Barlow Foundation for the Akron and Memphis Symphony Orchestras.

•     Turns (1994) for violoncello and orchestra. Commissioned by the Bergen Foundation and cellist Paul Tobias and premiered by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

•     Triptych (1991) for trumpet and orchestra. Commissioned by the International Trumpet Guild. Premiered by Raymond Mase at the Aspen Music Festival and with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

•     Dectet (1998). Commissioned by the Chicago Chamber Musicians.

•     Strata (1999). Commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Brass Quintet.

•     Jersey Rain (2001). Commissioned by the NEA and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and premiered by Harmonium and Masterworks Choruses and the Colonial Symphony.

•     Breathing Lessons (2006) for saxophone quartet. Commissioned by Chamber Music America for the Amherst Saxophone Quartet.

•     Short Stories (1994). Commissioned by Chamber Music America and the Pew Charitable Trust.

•     Elements (2002) for string quartet. Commissioned by the Elements String Quartet.

•     Double Back (2015) for trumpet, trombone, and wind ensemble. Premiered by Rex Richardson, Joseph Alessi, and the VCU Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Terry Austin, director.

•     Simple Lives (1990). Commissioned by the Colonial Symphony.

•     Duncan Trio (2002) for brass trio. Commissioned by Dorothy Duncan.

•     Breakaway (2004) for two trumpets and electronics. Commissioned by Raymond Mase and Kevin Cobb.

•     Smoky Mountain Fanfare (2010) for brass quintet. Commissioned by the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet.

•     Like the Risen Grain (2011) for mixed chorus, brass quintet, timpani, and organ. Commissioned by Bucknell University.

•     Legend (2011) for wind ensemble. Commissioned by Texas A&M Commerce University.

•     Still (2013) for brass quintet. Commissioned by the Gaudete Brass Quintet.

•     Mock Attack! (2014) for clarinet. Commissioned by the Montclair Art Museum.

•     Memories To Keep Awhile (2014) for trumpet/flugelhorn, violin, violoncello, and piano. Commissioned by David Elton and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.

•     Random Acts (2018) for trumpet and piano. Commissioned by a consortium of 15 trumpets players organized by Kevin Cobb.

Discography

• Monument (Summit Records DCD237), 1999.Triptych, Simple Lives, Hommage JFK, Three Portraits, Monument. Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Alan Balter, conductor; Raymond Mase, trumpet; Scott Mendoker, tuba.

• Dectet (Troy 780), 2005. Serenade for flügelhorn and string orchestra, Raymond Mase, flügelhorn; Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Sonata Forty for horn and piano, Scott Brubaker, horn; Ron Levy, piano. Strata for brass quintet, The American Brass Quintet. Dectet for string quartet, wind quintet, and piano, Paul Polivnick, conductor, Wihan Quartet; Afflatus Wind Quintet; Richard Ormrod, piano.

• Chesapeake (Summit Records DCD639), 2014. Breakaway for two trumpets and electronics, Raymond Mase, Kevin Cobb, trumpets; Powell Trio for trombone, marimba, and piano, Michael Powell, trombone; She-e Wu, marimba; Steven Beck, piano. Three Sides for trumpet/flügelhorn, vibraphone and piano, Raymond Mase, trumpet/flügelhorn; James Baker, vibraphone; Steven Beck, piano. Just Keep Moving for horn, bass trombone, marimba and piano, David Wakefield, horn; John D. Rojak, bass trombone; She-e Wu, marimba; Martha Locker, piano. Chesapeake for brass quintet, American Brass Quintet.

• Notes from Faraway Places (Summit Records DCD681), 2016. Fanfare for Canterbury Cathedral for double brass quintet, American Brass Quintet; Quo Vadis Brass Quintet. Tenebrae for trumpet and organ, Raymond Mase, trumpet; Trent Johnson, organ. Without Warning for piano, Steven Beck, piano. Mock Attack for solo clarinet, Andy Lamy, clarinet. A Family Portrait for brass quintet, Philadelphia Brass. Evensong for tuba and electronics, Scott Mendoker, tuba. The Death of Macbeth for solo timpani and percussion quartet, James Musto, Tom Murphy, Nancy Pontius, David Stockton, Jeff Willet, percussion. Notes from Faraway Places, Suite 3 for two trumpets, Donald Batchelder, Raymond Mase, trumpets. Smoky Mountain Fanfare for brass quintet, Philadelphia Brass. Changewater for eight trombones, Richard Clark, Richard Harri, Tom Hutchinson, Chris Olnes, Michael Powell, Tim Albright, Kenneth Finn, John Rojak, tenor and bass trombones. Inamere for twelve trumpets.

Recordings featuring compositions by David Sampson

• American Tribute (℗ and © Summit Records (DCD 127), 1991. Reflections On A Dance, Summit Brass.

• Divertimento - Music For Winds (Bay Cities BCD1030), 1991. In Memoriam: W.E.S., The Aspen Wind Quintet.                  

• New American Brass (Summit Records, DCD133), 1992. Morning Music, American Brass Quintet.

• Trumpet in Our Time (Summit Records, DCD-148), 1995.The Mysteries Remain, Solo, Raymond Mase.

• Five (Channel Classics CCS 9496), 1995. Morning Music, Meridian Arts Ensemble.

• Premier! (Summit Records DCD 187),1996. Distant Voices, American Brass Quintet.

• Atemwege - Breath Paths (Bayer-Records, CAD800876), 1999. Solo, Lutz Mandler, flügelhorn.

• A Choral Bouquet (Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey), 1999. Shout For Joy!, Rutgers University Chorus, John Floreen, conductor.

• First Glimpses of Sunlight (Summit Records DCD233), 1999. Short Stories, Dorian Wind Quintet.

• Sing We Merrily (Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey), 2001. Of The Father’s Love Begotten (arr.), Rutgers University Chorus, John Floreen, conductor.

• Raritonality (Mark Masters MCD6199), 2006. Moving Parts, Rutgers Wind Ensemble, William Berz, conductor.                        

• Stargazer (Equilibrium EQL 83), 2007. Passage, Alan Siebert, trumpet.

• Jewels (Summit Records DCD 484), 2007. Entrance, American Brass Quintet.

• Outberzt (Mark Masters MCD8652), 2009. Outburst, Rutgers Wind Ensemble, William Berz, conductor.                    

• WASABE 2009 (Mark Records MCD8471), 2009. Outburst, North Texas Wind Symphony.

• Archetypes (GIA WindWorks CD-820), 2009. Moving Parts, North Texas Wind Symphony, Eugene Corporon, conductor.

• Brass Trios (Albany Records, Troy 1222), 2010. Duncan Trio, University of Maryland Brass Trio.

• State of the Art:  The ABQ at 50 (Summit Records, DCD 553), 2010. Chants and Flourishes, American Brass Quintet.

• Breathing Lessons: Music for Saxophone Quartet (Naxos 8.559627), 2011. Breathing Lessons, New Hudson Saxophone Quartet.

• Chicago Moves (Cedille Records, CDR 90000), 2012. Chicago Moves. Gaudete Brass. Hi-Fi News album choice, June, 2013.

• New American Masters, Volume 5 (Albany Records Troy1481), 2014. Undercurrents Redux, Palisades Virtuosi.                  

• Sevenfive: The Corigliano Effect (Cedille Records CDR 90000 169), 2017. Entrance, Still, Gaudete Brass.

Selected reviews

“David Sampson is a prolific and talented composer, his output vital and life-enhancing.” Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine

“Points, by David Sampson, a trumpeter, is a set of three eclectic sketches, the most striking being the finale, Kansas, 3:30 A.M. – a movement that begins with a beautiful horn solo (which was played from the balcony) and unfolds into an exquisitely textured contrapuntal portrait.” Allan Kozinn, The New York Times

“Dectet is a terrific piece and it got a terrific reading.” John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune

“Sonata Forty I find to be one of the most eloquent and moving musical statements I’ve heard yet from Sampson’s pen (or computer, as the case may be). The immaculate performance of the work by its dedicatee Scott Brubaker and pianist Ron Levy further convinces me that this is one of my very favorite contemporary horn sonatas.” David DeBoor Canfield, Fanfare Magazine

“David Sampson’s Turns for Violoncello and Orchestra is a bravura star-vehicle that deserves a place with the Cello Concertos of Saint-Saens, Lalo, Barber, Dvorak and Elgar.” Peter Spencer, Star-Ledger

“The more I hear of the music of David Sampson, the more I am convinced that he is one of the major compositional voices of our time. His music has every quality I consider necessary to become enduring through the centuries.” David DeBoor Canfield, Fanfare Magazine

“In one movement, about ten minutes in duration, Simple Lives says what it has to say plainly but eloquently, without wearing out its welcome.  This is music of plain speech, where yes is yes and no is no.  Not one measure of this score is padding.  Simple Lives is moving without being gushy. It is contemporary without banging on a can.”  Michael Redmond, Star-Ledger

Compositions by instrumentation

Orchestral

The Notes Fit To Print for orchestra, 1980

Three Portraits for tuba and chamber orchestra, 1990

Simple Lives for orchestra, 1990

Triptych for trumpet and orchestra, 1991

Turns for violoncello and orchestra, 1994

Monument for orchestra, 1996-97

Serenade for flügelhorn and string orchestra, 1998

Jersey Rain for baritone, chorus and orchestra, 2001

Concerto for oboe and string orchestra, 2003

New Providence Overture for orchestra, 2003

Concerto for soprano saxophone and string orchestra, 2004

Black River Concerto for violin, percussion and orchestra, 2007

Mixed Ensemble

Permit Me Voyage for viola and piano, 1978

Passage for viola and flügelhorn, 1979

Flashback for percussion quartet, 1980

Sonata Forty for horn and piano, 1991

Three Arguments for unaccompanied violoncello, 1993

Dectet for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, piano, two violins, viola, violoncello, and double bass, 1998

Sketches for violin and marimba, 2007

The Powell Trio for tenor trombone, marimba, and piano, 2009

Three Sides for trumpet, vibraphone, and piano, 2009

Just Keep Moving for horn, bass trombone, marimba, and piano, 2010

Undercurrents Redux for flute, clarinet, and piano, 2010

Counterwork for trumpet, marimba, and piano, 2010

Flare for violoncello, marimba and string orchestra, 2012

Death of Macbeth for percussion quintet, 2013

Memories to Keep Awhile for trumpet/flügelhorn, violin, violoncello, and piano, 2014

Skeleton at the Feast for flute, viola, and guitar, 2017

Choral

O Blessed Face for flute, harp, organ, and mixed choir, 1978

Peace for mixed choir a cappella, 1981

Behold How Good and Lovely It Is for mixed choir and organ, 1984

Shout for Joy! for brass quartet, organ, and mixed choir, 1992

Of the Father’s Love Begotten for mixed choir and organ, 1993

Praise! for mixed choir and organ, 1994

Replogle "Amens" for mixed choir, 2010

For the Last Time for viola, piano, and mixed choir, 2016

Choral with Orchestra

The War Prayer for six vocal soloists, mixed choir, and chamber orchestra, 1984-5

Jersey Rain for baritone solo, mixed choir, and orchestra, 2001

Songs and Song Cycles

The Skein for soprano and piano, 1973

The Birthday for soprano, oboe, violoncello, and harp, 1982

Four Scenes and an Epilogue for soprano, string quartet, and harp, 1984

Three Christmas Scenes for flute/piccolo, oboe/English horn, violoncello, piano, and mixed choir, 1987

The Song My Paddle Sings for mixed choir a cappella, 1987

The Figured Wheel for soprano, oboe/English horn, bassoon, and piano, 1988

“Our Father’s Road,” A Cantata for New Sweden for narrator, soprano, oboe/English horn, violoncello, piano, and percussion, 1989

Voices of Our Youth for flute, viola, violoncello, harp, and mixed choir, 1997

Two Settings of the Serenity Prayer for mixed choir and organ, 2007

To Hold Us for mixed choir and piano, 2008

Like the Risen Grain for mixed choir, brass quintet, timpani, and organ, 2011

Piano

Cuttings, 1980

Without Warning, 1992

Trumpet(s)/Flügelhorn

The Mysteries Remain for trumpet and organ, 1978

Passage for viola and flügelhorn, 1979

Litany of Breath for trumpet, 1980

Trumpet Descants on Festive Hymns for trumpet, 1981

Flight for three trumpets, 1982

Winter Ceremony for two trumpets and percussion, 198.

Trumpet Descants on Christmas Hymns for trumpet, 1983

Triptych for trumpet and orchestra, 1991

Solo for unaccompanied flügelhorn, 1991

Serenade for flügelhorn and string orchestra, 1998

Notes from Faraway Places - three suites of concert etudes for one or two trumpets, 2001

Breakaway for two trumpets and digital audio, 2004

Serenade for trumpet and wind ensemble, 2006

Morning Pages for unaccompanied trumpet, 2007

Three Sides for trumpet, vibraphone and piano, 2009

Inamere for 12 trumpets, 2011

Memories to Keep Awhile for trumpet/flügelhorn, violin, violoncello, and piano, 2014

The Wind Came In Red for trumpet and piano, 2015

Double Back for solo trumpet, trombone, and wind ensemble, 2015

Random Acts for trumpet and piano, 2018

In Time for bass trombone, percussion, and piano, 1988

Tuba

Three Portraits for tuba and chamber orchestra, 1990

Emma’s Dance for tuba and piano, 1994

Evensong for tuba and digital audio, 1995

Serenata for tuba and wind ensemble, 2005

Sightline for tuba and piano, 2017

Wind Ensemble

Moving Parts for wind ensemble, 2003

Serenata for tuba and wind ensemble, 2005

Serenade for trumpet and wind ensemble, 2006

Outburst for wind ensemble, 2006

Millbrook Suite for wind ensemble, 2008

Legend for wind ensemble, 2011

Future Relics for baritone saxophone, marimba/xylophone, and wind ensemble, 2013

Double Back for solo trumpet, trombone, and wind ensemble, 2015

Brass Ensemble

Fanfare for Canterbury Cathedral for double brass quintet, 1978

Points for brass octet and percussion, 1983; rev. 1987

Reflections On a Dance for 14 brass and two percussion, 1988

Westfield Fanfare for 13 brass and three percussion, 1993

Hommage JFK for 14 brass and three percussion, 1995

Edge for 13 brass, snare drum, and timpani, 2008

Changewater Suite for eight trombones, 2008

Crosscurrents for 15 brass and two percussion, 2009

Chants and Flourishes for double brass quintet, 2009

Inamere for twelve trumpets, 2011.

Brass Quintet

Echoes and Other Ghosts, 1986

Morning Music, 1986

Distant Voices, 1990

Strata, 1999

Entrance/Exit, 2003

A Family Portrait, 2008

Chesapeake, 2010

Smoky Mountain Fanfare, 2010

Still, 2013

Brass Trio

Duncan Trio, 1980

Chamber Winds

The Endless Instant for clarinet and percussion, 1980

In Memoriam: W.E.S. for woodwind quintet, 1981

Nine Times Mime for oboe, harp, and percussion, 1983

Four Winds for wind quartet, 1991

Short Stories for woodwind quintet, 1994

String Orchestra

Serenade for flügelhorn and string orchestra, 1998

Concerto for Dancers and String Orchestra for dancers and string orchestra, 2000

Concerto for soprano saxophone and string orchestra, 2004

Single Instrument

Litany of Breath for unaccompanied trumpet, 1980

Solo for unaccompanied flugelhorn, 1991

Notes From Faraway Places for unaccompanied trumpet(s), 2001

Undercurrents for unaccompanied flute, 2007

Morning Pages for unaccompanied trumpet, 2007

String Quartet

Elements, 2002

Breathing Lessons, 2006

Concerto

Triptych for trumpet and orchestra, 1991

Turns for violoncello and orchestras, 1994

Serenade for flügelhorn and string orchestra, 1998

Concerto for Dancers and String Orchestra for dancers and string orchestra, 2000

Concerto for oboe and string orchestra, 2003

Concerto for soprano saxophone and string orchestra, 2004

Black River Concerto for violin, percussion, and orchestra, 2007

Future Relics for baritone saxophone, marimba/xylophone, and wind ensemble, 2013

Double Back for trumpet, trombone, and wind ensemble, 2015