Dennis Báthory-Kitsz

Biography

Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (born March 14, 1949, in Plainfield, New Jersey) (pseudonyms: Dennis Bathory, Dennis Kitsz, Dennis J. Kitsz, Dennis Bathory Kitsz, Kalvos Gesamte, Grey Shadé, D.B. Cowell, Brady Kynans, Kalvos Zondrios, Báthory Dénes, Orra Maussade, Don Johnson, Kerry Merritt, Calvin Dion, Enimtu Bemanyna) is a Hungarian-American author and composer.

Aside from music, he was an author during the first generation of personal computers (1979–85), and interviewed Bill Gates. His career in technology is evident in over 600 articles and books on the subject. He was involved in the post-Fluxus art movement (1973–78), and was also director of Vermont's Alliance of Independent Country Stores (2001–2010). Since 2010 he has been adjunct professor composition, theory, and music technology at Johnson State College.
Báthory lives in Northfield, Vermont. He claims to be a descendant of the Báthory family, a prominent central European clan during the Middle Ages but no proof of this can be found.

Music and works

A prolific composer, Báthory-Kitsz has more than 1,100 compositions, sound installations, and electronic works for all manner of vocal and instrumental combinations. His compositions include sound sculpture, solo and chamber music for the instruments of classical music, electronic music, stage shows, orchestral pieces, dance music, opera, interactive multimedia, sound installations, and performance art events. He has also designed and built new musical instruments. Over the years he has earned 28 ASCAP Awards for his works.
Báthory has advocated what he calls contemporary "non-pop" music, and the performance of contemporary classical music (new music) in preference to the music of composers of past eras. He offers his compositions to be downloaded and played for free, but does not release them into the public domain and takes royalties for public performance as usual. His organ work Yer Attention, Please has been performed by Kevin Bowyer. His Dashuki Music Theatre has performed at Charlotte Moorman's Annual Avant Garde Festival of New York.
Although primarily self-taught, Clarence Barlow was his only composition teacher.

Kalvos & Damian

Dennis Báthory-Kitsz is known for co-founding and co-hosting Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar with the composer David Gunn.
Kalvos & Damian's New Music Bazaar was an ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award-winning radio/web program that ran 537 shows from 1995-2005.

Ought-One festival

Dennis Báthory-Kitsz also founded and organized the Ought-One festival.

We Are All Mozart

The We Are All Mozart project (WAAM) demanded a finished commissioned composition each day in year 2007. Not a complete success the project received a 100 commissions which Dennis Báthory-Kitsz completed.

Erzsébet: The Opera

In 1987 Dennis Bathory-Kitsz was planning to write an opera about Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian ruler which considered to be the most profiled female serial killer in all of history. Bathory-Kitsz created the "Erzsébet: The Opera" website in 1996, which was featured at Microsoft's old home page; it received millions of hits in one week. People submitted articles, artwork and novels for the website. The first article on Erzsébet: The Opera was published in "Requiem" in France in 1998. In 2001 a team from The Travel Channel found the website and sent Dennis Bathory-Kitsz to Cachtice in Slovakia for a show called "World’s Bloodiest Dungeons". A clip of the makings of the opera behind the scenes was on "Deadly Women" a show aired in 2004 on The Discovery Channel. The entire opera was produced by the composer in 2011.

Scores

Triple quartet: for three groups of two violins, viola and cello Dennis Báthory-Kitsz, Westleaf Edition
Binky plays marbles: a Bruckner Boulevard dance : for contrabass and viola Dennis Báthory-Kitsz, Frog Peak Music, 1992

Interviews, articles, and reviews

American Composer: Dennis Bathory-Kitsz by Kyle Gann, Chamber Music, November/December, 2011
We Will, We Will Nonpop You Archived February 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine by Kyle Gann, Village Voice, September 11, 2001
Retuning the Dial: Rethinking the Relationship between Radio and New American Music NewMusicBox Published: May 1, 2000
Sound Bytes of Truth Archived July 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine by Kyle Gann, Village Voice July 6, 1999

Selected list of compositions

For a full list of compositions, please see here.

Construction "on nix rest... in china" (1972), for trombones and tape
Somnambula (1975), for recorder and electronic sound
Plasm over ocean (1977), a chamber opera for small ensemble
Mass (1978), for small ensemble
Rando's Poetic License (1978), for electronics, microcomputer, voices, instruments
Echo, A Performance Ritual in Four Parts (1985)
Mantra Canon (1986), for large ensemble
In Bocca al Lupo (1986), environmental sound design. Installation: Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, Montana, 1986
Beepers (1986), a high-tech cabaret
Rough Edges (1987), for piano
Winter, Three Songs on the Nature of Armageddon (1987), for mezzo-soprano and orchestra
Variations on Amanda (1989), for three strings and harpsichord
Csárdás (1989), for piano
Yçuré (1990), for two chamber orchestras
The Lily and the Thorn (1990), for orchestra
Traveler's Rest and Wolf5 (1991), sound environments. Installation: Randolph, Vermont, 1991
A Time Machine (1990), for voice, small ensemble, dance and computers
Softening Cries (1991), for orchestra
The Pretty Songs (1991), for saxophone and voice
Binky Plays Marbles (1992), for double bass and viola
Emerald Canticles, Below (1993), for small ensemble
Llama Butter (1993), for tuba and tape
Build, Make, Do (1994), for small ensemble
Hypertunes, Baby (1994), for voice and tape
xirx (1996), a performance work for electronic tape, ice and aromas
Gardens (1996), for English horn and string quartet
zéyu, quânh & sweeh (1996), for playback
Detritus of Mating (1997), electroacoustic work. Installation: Exquisite Corpse Gallery, Burlington, Vermont, 1997
Into the Morning Rain (1998), for small ensemble
Zonule Glaes II (1999), electroacoustic work with string quartet
LowBirds (1999), for small ensemble
Sourian Slide (1999), for string orchestra
The Sub-Aether Bande (2000), for flute and percussion
Quince & Fog Falls (2000), for chamber ensemble
Mountain Dawn Fanfare (2000), for orchestra
RatGeyser (2000), for MalletKat and playback
HighBirds (Prime) (2001), for two electric guitars and playback
The Key of Locust (2001), for chamber trio
Fuliginous Quadrant (2001), for chamber ensemble
Mirrored Birds (2001), a flute concerto
Tïrkíinistrá: 25 Landscape Preludes (2002), for piano
Bales, Barrels, & Cones: Antebellum/Antibellum (2002), for drumkit and playback
Warbler Garden (2003), for electronic playback
Spammung (2003), for extended voice and playback
LiquidBirds (2003), for 3 Theremins, video, and playback
Northsea Balletic Spicebush (2003) for double bass
Shahmat (2004) for solo flute
Krikisque (2004), for electronic playback
Icecut (2004) for orchestra
By Still Waters (2004) for solo voice and drone
Rose Quartz Crystal Radio (2005) for sax and percussion
Jameo y el Delfin Mareado (2005) for orchestra
Sweet Ovals (2005) for solo horn
L'Estampie du Chevalier (2005) for string quartet
Yer Attention, Please (2006) for organ
Clouds of Endless Summer (2006) for piano trio
Eventide (2006) for piccolo, small clarinet and contrabassoon
One hundred "We Are All Mozart" compositions
I lift my heavy heart (2007) for voice, flute and guitar
Lunar Cascade in Serial Time (2007) for tenor guitar, in 13 parts
Mountains of Spices (2007) for mezzo-soprano, violin, viola & piano
Compound Refractions (2007) for flute
Turn Around, Bustle and Blaze (2007) for viola, horn, cello & piano
New Granite (2007) for flute, bass clarinet, violin, cello & piano
For the Beauty of the Earth (2007) for violin
Fanfare:Heat (2007) for orchestra
Morning in Nodar (2007) for double bass
Scalar Rainbows (2007) for piano
She Who Saves (2007) for two natural horns and soprano
O Vox Pop (2007) for bass clarinet and bassoon
Adeste Hedecasyllabi (2007) for voice and piano
Framing the Sum of Three (2007) for piano
Autumn Dig (2008) for intermediate orchestra
Crosscut (2009) for piano and large wind band
Erzsébet (2010), chamber opera in 3 acts, and film score
Giè (2011), small ensemble
O: Eleven Songs (2011), chorus SATB
Air (2012), harp and percussion
Evil Pony (2012), sax quartet
Chelsea Moods (2012), bass clarinet and band
Five Hungarian Folk Songs (2013), string orchestra
The Forest at the South Field (2013), for percussionist
I think of thee (2013), voice, alto flute, guitar
Ave Verum Corpus: In Memoriam John Tavener (2013), for chorus
Aveaux Gadreaux (2014), for cello and bass clarinet
Thread Count (2014), for string orchestra
The Lake Isle of Innisfree (2014), for voice, flute and piano
Wonder and Astonishment (2014), for two MIDI-controlled pipe organs