Pascal Dusapin

Pascal Dusapin (29 May 1955), is a French composer born in Nancy. He is one of France's best-known living composers; his works have been performed worldwide.^[1]

He studied fine art, science and aesthetics at the Sorbonne in Paris. At the suggestion of Franco Donatoni he attended the seminars of Iannis Xenakis from 1974 until 1978.^[2] Both composers had a deep influence on his early works but he soon developed his own style based on the use of microtonality and the superposition of several atonal lines creating a kind of "atonal heterophony". Dusapin also uses archaic-sounding scales consisting of four notes filling in the interval of a perfect fifth e.g. A - Bb - D- E or C - D - F - G.^[3] In these scales, the 2nd and 3rd degrees are often a third apart which sets them apart from the traditional tetrachords. His melodies have a "vocal" quality^[4] even in purely instrumental works; hence Dusapin's predilection for instruments that can imitate the human voice (wind instruments and bowed string instruments). It also explains his reluctance to write for the piano in the early stages of his career.

A prolific composer, he often draws his inspiration from such different artistic disciplines as jazz, graphic arts and poetry.^[5]

Contents 1 Works 2 Prizes and awards 3 External links 4 References

Works

• Solo Instrumental
  • Inside, for viola (1980)
  • Incisa, for cello (1982)
  • If, for clarinet (1984)
  • Item, for cello (1985)
  • Itou, for bass clarinet (1985)
  • Ici, for flute (1986)
  • Iti, for violin (1987)
  • Indeed, for trombone (1987)
  • I Pesci, for flute (1989)
  • In et Out, for double bass (1989)
  • Invece, for cello (1991)
  • Ipso, for clarinet (1994)
  • Immer, for cello (1996)
  • In nomine, for viola (2000)
  • Sept études for piano (1999–2001)

• Chamber
  • Musique fugitive, for string trio (1980)
  • Trois Instantanés, for 2 clarinets and 3 cellos (1980)
  • Poco a poco (1986)
  • Sly, for trombone quartet (1987)
  • Laps, for clarinet and double bass (1988)
  • Neuf Musiques pour «Le Fusil de chasse», for clarinet, trombone and cello (1989)
  • String quartet n°2 Time Zones (1989)
  • Attacca, pour 2 trumpets and timpani (1991)
  • Stanze, for brass quintet (1991)
  • Ohimé, for violin and viola, hommage for Besty Jolas (1992)
  • String quartet n°1 (1982–1996)
  • String quartet n°3 (1993)
  • Ohé, for clarinet and cello (1996)
  • String quartet n°4 (1997)
  • Trio Rombach, for piano, violin or clarinet and cello (1997)
  • String quartet n°5 (2004–2005)

• Various Ensembles
  • Souvenir du silence (1976)
  • Le Bal (1978)
  • Timée (1978)
  • La Rivière, for orchestra (1979)
  • Musique captive, for 9 wind instruments (1980)
  • Tre Scalini, for orchestra (1981–1982)
  • Fist (1982)
  • Hop' (1983–1984)
  • La Conversation (1984)
  • Treize Pièces pour Flaubert (1985)
  • Assaï, for orchestra (1985)
  • Haro (1987)
  • Coda (1992)
  • Go, solo n°1 for orchestra (1992)
  • Khôra, for string orchestra (1993)
  • Extenso, solo n°2 for orchestra (1993–1994)
  • Apex, solo n° 3 for orchestra (1995)
  • Loop, for 2 cello quartets (1996)
  • Cascando (1997)
  • Clam, solo n° 4 for orchestra (1997–1998)
  • Exeo, solo n° 5 for orchestra (2002)
  • Perelà Suite, for orchestra (2004)
  • Reverso, solo n°6 for orchestra (2005–2006)

• Concertante
  • L'Aven, flute concerto (1980–1981)
  • Aria, clarinet concerto (1991)
  • Watt, trombone concerto (1994)
  • Celo, cello concerto (1996)
  • Quad, 'In memoriam Gilles Deleuze', for violin and 15 musicians (1996)
  • Galim, 'Requies plena oblectationis', for flute and string orchestra (1998)
  • A Quia, piano concerto (2002)

• Vocal
  • Igitur (1977)
  • Lumen (1977)
  • L'Homme aux liens, for 2 sopranos and 3 violins (1978)
  • Shin'gyo, for soprano and piccolo flute (1981)
  • Niobé ou le rocher de Sypile (1982)
  • To God, for soprano and clarinet (or saxophone soprano) (1985)
  • Mimi for 2 women's voices and ensemble (1986–1987)
  • Aks (1987)
  • Red Rock, from «Roméo et Juliette» (1987)
  • Anacoluthe (1987)
  • Roméo et Juliette, opera (1985–1988)
  • For O., for 2 women's voices and 2 clarinets (1988)
  • So Full of Shapes is Fancy, for soprano and bass clarinet (1990)
  • Medeamaterial, opera (1990–1991)
  • La Melancholia, operatorio (1991)
  • To Be Sung, chamber opera (1992–1993)
  • Comoedia (1993)
  • Canto, for soprano, clarinet and cello (1994)
  • Dona Eis (1998)
  • Perelà, uomo di fumo, opera (2001)
  • Momo (2002)
  • Faustus, The Last Night, opera (2003–2004)
  • Ô Berio, for soprano and 13 instruments (2006)

• A Capella Works
  • Semino (1985)
  • Il-Li-Ko (1987)
  • Two walking (1994)
  • Granum sinapis (1992–1997)
  • Umbrae mortis, for mixed choir (1997)

Prizes and awards

• 1981-1983 He was a scholarship holder at the Villa Medici in Rome.
• 1993-1994 He was composer-in-residence with the Orchestre National de Lyon.
• 1979 - Hervé Dugardin Prize (SACEM)
• 1993 - Prize of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
• 1993 - Prix du Syndicat de la Critique (Critics' Circle Award)
• 1994 - SACEM Prize for Symphonic Music
• 1995 - French Ministry of Culture awarded him the Grand Prix National de Musique
• 1998 - Victoire de la Musique in 1998 for a CD recorded by the Orchestre National de Lyon, and 'Composer of the Year' in 2002.
• 2007 - Dan David Prize (shared with Zubin Mehta)

External links

• Short biography, the ensemble Sospeso
• Biography and list of works, the Living Composers Project
• Dan David Prize laureate 2007
• (French) A biography of Pascal Dusapin, from IRCAM's website.
• Excerpts from sound archives of Dusapin's works.

References

Persondata
Name	Dusapin, Pascal
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	29 May 1955
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death