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George Rochberg

Person · male · United States · Paterson · born 1918 · died 2005 · recording since 1985

American composer (1918-2005)

classical music opera symphony

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Also known as 喬治·羅奇伯格

Debut: 1985
Recording span: 20 years
Release groups: 20
Awards: 4
Timeline events: 20
Wiki language versions: 15

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Timeline

20 events▣ Album 16◦ Birth 1✦ Award 1★ Debut release 1† Death 1

1910s
1. 5 July 1918 · Birth
  Born 1918-07-05
  source: wikidata
1960s
1. 1962 · Award
  Won: Arts and Letters Award in Music
  source: wikidata
1980s
1. 1985 · Debut release
  Debut release: Caprice Variations
  First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
  source: musicbrainz
2. 1985 · Album
  Album: Caprice Variations
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
1990s
1. 8 December 1992 · Album
  Album: Rochberg: Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra / Druckman: Prism
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2. 1999 · Album
  Album: Piano Music
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
3. 23 February 1999 · Album
  Album: String Quartets nos. 3-6
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2000s
1. 2000 · Album
  Album: American Viola Works
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2. May 2003 · Album
  Album: Black Sounds / Cantio sacra / Phaedra
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
3. May 2003 · Album
  Album: Symphony no. 5 / Black Sounds / Transcendental Variations
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
4. March 2004 · Album
  Album: Violin Concerto
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
5. 29 May 2005 · Death
  Died 2005
  source: wikidata
6. 20 September 2005 · Album
  Album: Symphony no. 2 / Imago Mundi
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
7. 30 October 2007 · Album
  Album: Symphony no. 1
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2010s
1. February 2010 · Album
  Album: Piano Music • 1
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2. April 2010 · Album
  Album: Piano Music • 2
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
3. June 2010 · Album
  Album: Piano Music • 3
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
4. August 2010 · Album
  Album: Piano Music • 4
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
5. March 2015 · Album
  Album: Complete Flute Music • 1
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2020s
1. 15 December 2021 · Album
  Album: Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin
  Album
  source: musicbrainz

Biography

English biography1,690 words · 17 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1353918057

Biography

George Rochberg (July 5, 1918 – May 29, 2005) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Long a serial composer, Rochberg abandoned the technique after his teenage son died in 1964, saying it had proved inadequate to express his grief and was empty of expressive power. By the 1970s, Rochberg's use of tonal passages in his music had provoked controversy among critics and fellow composers. A professor at the University of Pennsylvania until 1983, Rochberg chaired its music department until 1968. He became the first Annenberg Professor of the Humanities in 1978.

Life

Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Rochberg attended first the Mannes College of Music, where his teachers included George Szell and Hans Weisse, then the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Rosario Scalero and Gian Carlo Menotti. He served in the United States Army in the infantry during World War II. He was Jewish.
Rochberg chaired the music department at the University of Pennsylvania until 1968 and continued to teach there until 1983. In 1978, he was named the first Annenberg Professor of the Humanities.
He married Gene Rosenfeld in 1941, and had two children, Paul and Francesca. In 1964, his son died of a brain tumor.
Rochberg died in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 2005, aged 86. Most of his works are in the archive of the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel, Switzerland. Some can also be found in the Music Division of the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, Lincoln Center in New York City, the University of Pennsylvania, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the City University of New York.

Music

A longtime exponent of serialism, Rochberg abandoned this compositional technique upon the death of his teenage son in 1964. He said he had found serialism expressively empty and that it had proved an inadequate means for him to express his grief and rage. By the 1970s, Rochberg had become controversial for the tonal passages in his music. His use of tonality first became widely known through the String Quartet No. 3 (1972), which includes a set of variations in the style of late Beethoven. Another movement of the quartet contains passages reminiscent of Gustav Mahler. This caused critics to classify him as a neoromantic composer. He compared atonality to abstract art and tonality to concrete art and compared his artistic evolution with the painter Philip Guston's, calling "the tension between concreteness and abstraction" a fundamental issue for both of them. His music has also been described as neoconservative postmodernism
Of the works Rochberg composed early in his career, his Symphony No. 2 (1955–56) stands out as one of the most accomplished serial compositions by an American composer. He is perhaps best known for his String Quartets Nos. 3–6 (1972–78). Rochberg conceived Nos. 4–6 as a set and named them the "Concord Quartets" after the Concord String Quartet, which premiered and recorded the works. No. 6 includes a set of variations on Pachelbel's Canon in D.
A few of his works were collages of quotations from other composers. "Contra Mortem et Tempus", for example, contains passages from Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, Edgard Varèse and Charles Ives.
Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, and 5, and the Violin Concerto were recorded in 2001–2002 by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken and conductor Christopher Lyndon-Gee and released on the Naxos label.

Legacy

For notable students See: List of music students by teacher: R to S#George Rochberg.
James Freeman, musician and teacher at Swarthmore College, said of Rochberg and serialism: "If George Rochberg can do something like that, there's nothing that I can't do and get away with it. I don't have to write 12-tone music; I can if I want to. I can write stuff that sounds like Brahms. I can do anything I want. I'm free. And that was an extraordinary feeling in the late 1960s for young composers, I think, many of whom felt really constrained to write serial music."

Writings

Rochberg's collected essays were published by the University of Michigan Press in 1984 as The Aesthetics of Survival. A revised and expanded edition, published shortly before his death, was awarded an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award in 2006. Selections from his correspondence with the Canadian composer István Anhalt were published in 2007 by Wilfrid Laurier University Press. His memoir, Five Lines, Four Spaces, was published by the University of Illinois Press in 2009.

Stage

The Confidence Man, an opera in two parts (1982); libretto by Gene Rochberg, based on the novel of the same name by Herman Melville

Orchestral

Symphonies
Symphony No. 1 (1948–49; revised 1977; 2003)
Symphony No. 2 (1955–56)
Symphony No. 3, for double chorus, chamber chorus, soloists, and large orchestra (1966–69)
Symphony No. 4 (1976)
Symphony No. 5 (1984)
Symphony No. 6 (1986–87)
Canto Sacra, for small orchestra (1954)
Cheltenham Concerto, for small orchestra (1958)
Imago Mundi, for large orchestra (1973)
Night Music, for orchestra with cello solo (1948) (based on 2nd movement of Symphony No. 1)
Music for the Magic Theater, for small orchestra (1965–69)
Time-Span I (1960)
Time-Span II (1965)
Transcendental Variations, for string orchestra (based on 3rd movement of String Quartet No. 3) (1975)
Zodiac (A Circle of 12 Pieces), (1964–65) (orchestration of the piano work Twelve Bagatelles)

Concerti

Clarinet Concerto (1996)
Oboe Concerto (1983), written for and premiered by Joe Robinson
Violin Concerto (1974; rev. 2001), written for and premiered by Isaac Stern with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Donald Johanos conducting. The concerto was commissioned by the Steinfirst family in memory of Donald Steinfirst, the music critic for over 35 years of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette which participated in the commission. Long a friend of Mr. Steinfirst, Isaac Stern consulted with the family. He premiered and recorded the concerto in Pittsburgh, and included it in his repertoire for several years.
Eden: Out of Time and Out of Space, for guitar and ensemble (1998)

Wind ensemble

Black Sounds, for winds and percussion (1965)
Apocalyptica, for large wind ensemble (1964)

2 players

Duo for Oboe and Bassoon (1946; rev. 1969)
Duo Concertante, for violin and cello (1955–59)
Dialogues, for clarinet and piano (1957–58)
La bocca della verita, for oboe and piano (1958–59); version for violin and piano (1964)
Ricordanza Soliloquy, for cello and piano (1972)
Slow Fires of Autumn (Ukiyo II), for flute and harp (1978–79)
Viola Sonata (1979)
Between Two Worlds (Ukiyo III), for flute and piano (1982)
Violin Sonata (1988)
Muse of Fire, for flute and guitar (1989–90)
Ora pro nobis, for flute and guitar (1989)
Rhapsody and Prayer, for violin and piano (1989)

3 players

Piano trios
Piano Trio No. 1 (1963)
Piano Trio No. 2 (1985)
Piano Trio No. 3 Summer (1990)
Trio for Clarinet, Horn, and Piano (1980) see recording below

4 players

String quartets
String Quartet No. 1 (1952)
String Quartet No. 2, with soprano (1959–61)
String Quartet No. 3 (1972)
String Quartet No. 4 (1977)
String Quartet No. 5 (1978)
String Quartet No. 6 (1978)
String Quartet No. 7, with baritone (1979)
Contra Mortem et Tempus, for violin, flute, clarinet, and piano (1965)
Piano Quartet (1983)

5 or more players

Chamber Symphony for Nine Instruments (1953)
Serenata d'estate, for six instruments (1955)
Electrikaleidoscope, for an amplified ensemble of flute, clarinet, cello, piano, and electric piano (1972)
Quintet for piano and string quartet (1975)
Octet: A Grand Fantasia, for flute, clarinet, horn, piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass (1980)
String Quintet (1982)
To the Dark Wood, for wind quintet (1985)

Instrumental

50 Caprice Variations, for violin (1970)
Ukiyo-E, for harp (1973)
American Bouquet, for guitar (1991)

Keyboard

Arioso (1959)
Bartokiana (1959)
Book of Contrapuntal Pieces for Keyboard Instruments (1979)
Carnival Music, for piano (1971)
Circles of Fire, for two pianos (1996–1997)
Four Short Sonatas, for piano (1984)
Nach Bach: Fantasia, for harpsichord or piano (1966)
Partita-Variations, for piano (1976)
Sonata Seria, for piano (1948/98)
Sonata-Fantasia, for piano (1956)
Three Elegiac Pieces, for piano (1945/48/98)
Twelve Bagatelles, for piano (1952)
Variations on an Original Theme, for piano (1941)

Vocal/Choral

Behold, My Servant, for mixed chorus, a capella (1973)
Blake Songs, for soprano and chamber ensemble (1957; rev. 1962)
David, the Psalmist, for tenor and orchestra (1954)
Eleven Songs to Poems of Paul Rochberg, for mezzo-soprano and piano (1969)
Fantasies, for voice and piano (1971)
Four Songs of Solomon, for voice and piano (1946)
Music for 'The Alchemist', for soprano and eleven players (1966; rev. 1968)
Passions [According to the Twentieth Century], for singers, jazz quintet, brass ensemble, percussion, piano, and tape (1967)
Phaedra, monodrama for mezzo-soprano and orchestra (1973–74)
Sacred Song of Reconciliation (Mizmor L'piyus), for baritone and orchestra (1970)
Seven Early Love Songs, for voice and piano (1991)
Songs in Praise of Krishna, for soprano and piano (1970)
Songs of Inanna and Dumuzi, for alto and piano (1977)
Tableaux, for soprano, two speakers, small men's chorus, and twelve players (1968)
Three Cantes Flamencos, for high baritone (1969)
Three Psalms, for mixed chorus, a capella (1954)

Awards and recognitions

1950–1951 – Fulbright Fellow
1950–52 – Fellow of American Academy in Rome
1952 – George Gershwin Memorial Award for Night Music
1956 – Society for the Publication of American Music award for String Quartet No. 1
1956 – Guggenheim Fellowship
1959 – First prize in Italian ISCM International Music Competition for Cheltenham Concerto
1961 – Naumburg Recording Award for Symphony No. 2
1962 – Honorary degree from Montclair State University
1964 – Honorary degree from University of the Arts
1966 – Prix Italia for Black Sounds
1966 – Guggenheim Fellowship
1972 – Naumburg Chamber Composition Award for String Quartet No. 3
1972–74 – National Endowment for the Arts Grants
1979 – Kennedy Center Friedhelm Award for String Quartet No. 4
1980 – Honorary degree from University of Michigan
1985 – Honorary degree from University of Pennsylvania
1985 – Gold Medal at Brandeis Creative Arts Awards
1986 – Lancaster Symphony Composers Award
1987 – University of Bridgeport's Andre and Clara Mertens Contemporary Composer Award
1987 – Alfred I. duPont Composer's Award
1991 – Bellagio artist in residence
1994 – Honorary degree from Miami University
1997 – Longy School of Music Distinguished Achievement Award
1998 – Grammy Award (nominated) "String Quartet No. 3"
1999 – ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award
2004 – Grammy Award (nominated) "String Quartet No. 5"
2006 – Deems Taylor Award for The Aesthetics of Survival: A Composer's View of Twentieth-Century Music

Discography & profile

Normalised profile

Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.

Normalised profile metrics with percentile rank
Metric	Value	Percentile
Wikipedia language versions	15	72.5th
Spotify monthly listeners	—	no data
Release groups in DB	20	87.1th
Studio albums	18	95.8th
Awards recorded	4	96.3th
Timeline events	20	93.9th
Recording span (years)	20	45.6th
Genres	5	88.3th

Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.

Discography (20 release groups · 18 studio albums)

Albums · 18

Caprice Variations
1985 · studio album
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Tracklist · 51 tracks · 1:15:01
1Caprice Variations: Variation 1: Allegro energico1:17
2Caprice Variations: Variation 50: Fantasy2:17
3Caprice Variations: Variation 41: Allegro molto (after Webern's Passacaglia, op. 1)0:32
4Caprice Variations: Variation 35: Allegro molto; fantastico1:21
5Caprice Variations: Variation 5: Poco agitato ma con molto rubato1:12
6Caprice Variations: Variation 20: Quasi cadenza; andante con molto espressivo2:47
7Caprice Variations: Variation 7: Presto (after Beethoven's op. 74, Scherzo)0:59
8Caprice Variations: Variation 10: Vivace (after Brahms' op. 35, Bk. 1, no. 3)0:56
9Caprice Variations: Variation 16: Andanta amoroso2:15
10Caprice Variations: Variation 2: Presto0:48
11Caprice Variations: Variation 3: Allegro molto e con fuoco0:45
12Caprice Variations: Variation 13: Feroce energico (after Brahms' op. 35, Bk. 2, no. 10)0:59
13Caprice Variations: Variation 39: Elegiac; fantastico1:58
14Caprice Variations: Variation 37: Barcarolle; legatissimo e dolcissimo1:33
15Caprice Variations: Variation 33: Moderato; con amore1:36
16Caprice Variations: Variation 18: Allegro fantastico2:16
17Caprice Variations: Variation 4: Poco allegro ma quasi recitando0:54
18Caprice Variations: Variation 14: Alla guitarra; allegretto con molto rubato1:43
19Caprice Variations: Variation 6: Poco allegretto ma con rubato1:17
20Caprice Variations: Variation 36: Largo; sereno2:28
21Caprice Variations: Variation 44: Scherzo (after Mahler's Symphony no. 5, Scherzo)0:59
22Caprice Variations: Variation 21: Allegro con brio (after Beethoven's Symphony no. 7, Finale)0:47
23Caprice Variations: Variation 25: Schezo0:26
24Caprice Variations: Variation 19: Vivace; exact rhythm thoughout1:06
25Caprice Variations: Variation 11: Andante (after Brahms' op. 35, Bk. 1, no. 1)1:51
26Caprice Variations: Variation 9: Non troppo presto (after Brahms' op. 35, Bk. 1, no. 2)0:44
27Caprice Variations: Variation 17: Pcoco adagio, molto rubato3:16
28Caprice Variations: Variation 12: Andante con moto (after Brahms' op. 35, Bk. 1, no. 12)1:41
29Caprice Variations: Variation 34: Molto adagio1:34
30Caprice Variations: Variation 24: Allegretto0:42
31Caprice Variations: Variation 28: Molto agitato1:15
32Caprice Variations: Variation 32: Allegro assai; burlesco0:56
33Caprice Variations: Variation 8: Languido (after Schubert's Waltz, op. 9, no. 22)1:47
34Caprice Variations: Variation 49: Feroce1:18
35Caprice Variations: Variation 15: Con grazia; un poco agitato1:00
36Caprice Variations: Variation 29: Lento ma non troppo2:03
37Caprice Variations: Variation 46: Bravura; sempre recitando; in the "grand manner"1:37
38Caprice Variations: Variation 47: Arabesque; fantastico1:39
39Caprice Variations: Variation 22: Molto espressivo e cantando1:38
40Caprice Variations: Variation 30: Poco allegretto e leggiero1:39
41Caprice Variations: Variation 48: Moderately fast; fantastico1:59
42Caprice Variations: Variation 43: Andantino1:40
43Caprice Variations: Variation 40: Robust; do not rush0:56
44Caprice Variations: Variation 42: Nocturnal; slow1:41
45Caprice Variations: Variation 23: Andante grazioso e tranquillo2:48
46Caprice Variations: Variation 27: Aria2:45
47Caprice Variations: Variation 45: Presto0:19
48Caprice Variations: Variation 26: Con brio0:36
49Caprice Variations: Variation 31: Molto adagio2:51
50Caprice Variations: Variation 38: Can-can tempo; presto1:05
51Caprice Variations: Variation 51: Quasi robusto (Paganini's theme from Caprice XXIV, Bk II)0:30
Rochberg: Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra / Druckman: Prism
1992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 40:47
1Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra18:32
2Prism: After Marc-Antoine Charpentier4:35
3Prism: After Francesco Cavalli9:30
4Prism: After Luigi Cherubini8:10
Piano Music
1999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 25 tracks · 2:16:07
Disc 115 tracks · 1:07:23
1Partita-Variations: 1. Preludium2:42
2Partita-Variations: 2. Intermezzo2:20
3Partita-Variations: 3. Burlesca1:00
4Partita-Variations: 4. Cortège4:07
5Partita-Variations: 5. Impromptu1:50
6Partita-Variations: 6. The Deepest Carillon4:19
7Partita-Variations: 7. Tema: Ballade2:17
8Partita-Variations: 8. Capriccio1:07
9Partita-Variations: 9. Minuetto2:43
10Partita-Variations: 10. Canon1:41
11Partita-Variations: 11. Nocturne4:49
12Partita-Variations: 12. Arabesque2:16
13Partita-Variations: 13. Fuga a tre voci3:48
14Nach Bach8:48
15Sonata-Fantasia23:36
Disc 210 tracks · 1:08:44
1Carnival Music: I. Fanfares and March4:12
2Carnival Music: II. Blues5:07
3Carnival Music: III. Largo doloroso5:04
4Carnival Music: IV. Sfumato8:00
5Carnival Music: V. Toccata - Rag5:13
6Four Short Sonatas: No. 1. Poco allegro piacevole4:22
7Four Short Sonatas: No. 2. Molto rubato4:21
8Four Short Sonatas: No. 3. Allegro assai1:44
9Four Short Sonatas: No. 4. Presto2:08
10Variations on an Original Theme28:33
String Quartets nos. 3-6
1999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 2:16:23
Disc 17 tracks · 1:15:13
1String Quartet no. 3: Part A: I. Introduzione: Fantasia - II. March9:57
2String Quartet no. 3: Part B: III. Variations15:55
3String Quartet no. 3: Part C: IV. March - V. Finale: Scherzos and Serenades21:41
4String Quartet no. 4: I. Fantasia (Ironica)4:32
5String Quartet no. 4: II. Fuga8:37
6String Quartet no. 4: III. Serenade8:17
7String Quartet no. 4: IV. Fantasia (Serioso)6:14
Disc 210 tracks · 1:01:10
1String Quartet no. 5: I. Molto allegro marziale6:24
2String Quartet no. 5: II. Mesto7:01
3String Quartet no. 5: III. Scherzo2:25
4String Quartet no. 5: IV. Serenade4:47
5String Quartet no. 5: V. Rondo-Finale5:48
6String Quartet no. 6: I. Fantasia4:27
7String Quartet no. 6: II. Scherzo-Humoresque6:34
8String Quartet no. 6: III. Variations (on Pachelbel Canon)8:18
9String Quartet no. 6: IV. Serenade2:45
10String Quartet no. 6: V. Introduction and Finale12:41
American Viola Works
2000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:12:35
1Sonata for Viola and Piano: I. Allegro moderato10:16
2Sonata for Viola and Piano: II. Adagio lamentoso7:11
3Sonata for Viola and Piano: III. Fantasia: Epilogue3:06
4Fantasy for Viola and Piano9:56
5Theme and Variations14:11
6Speed Etude2:28
7Sonata for Viola and Piano: I. Allegro moderato8:58
8Sonata for Viola and Piano: II. Andante9:01
9Sonata for Viola and Piano: III. Recitativo7:28
Black Sounds / Cantio sacra / Phaedra
2003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 20 tracks · 1:13:45
1Black Sounds17:24
2Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in cantu2:08
3Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in cantu1:24
4Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in tenore0:49
5Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in cantu0:59
6Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in cantu1:13
7Cantio Sacra: Versus. Biemium contrapumento duplici1:31
8Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in cantu0:46
9Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in tenore1:12
10Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in basso1:08
11Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in basso0:53
12Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in cantu1:07
13Cantio Sacra: Versus. Choralis in cantu colorato0:57
14Phaedra: Aria: “In May, in Brilliant Athens”5:58
15Phaedra: Orchestral Interlude: Black Sails4:10
16Phaedra: Aria: “You Monster!”4:36
17Phaedra: Orchestral Interlude: Thesus’ Homecoming5:06
18Phaedra: Supplication: “Thesus, I Heard the Deluge of Your Voice”5:49
19Phaedra: Cathaletta: “My Last Calamity Has Come”8:25
20Phaedra: Orchestral Postlude: The Death of Hippolytus8:10
Symphony no. 5 / Black Sounds / Transcendental Variations
2003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:01:01
1Symphony no. 528:58
2Black Sounds14:30
3Transcendental Variations: I. Adagio sereno; molto espressivo e tranquillo3:51
4Transcendental Variations: II. Andante con moto1:16
5Transcendental Variations: III. Poco adagio2:14
6Transcendental Variations: IV. Poco allegretto; grazioso e leggiero; amoroso2:35
7Transcendental Variations: V. Andantino grazioso; sempre leggiero1:31
8Transcendental Variations: VI. Moving gently2:04
9Transcendental Variations: VII. Molto adagio e tranquillo; sereno4:02
Violin Concerto
2004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 51:42
1Violin Concerto: Introduction6:53
2Violin Concerto: Intermezzo A8:07
3Violin Concerto: Fantasia7:41
4Violin Concerto: Intermezzo B18:35
5Violin Concerto: Epilogue10:26
Symphony no. 2 / Imago Mundi
2005 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 55:31
1Symphony no. 2: I. Declamando8:47
2Symphony no. 2: II. Allegro scherzoso5:27
3Symphony no. 2: III. Adagio9:45
4Symphony no. 2: IV. Quasi tempo primo5:00
5Symphony no. 2: V. Coda2:31
6Imago Mundi24:01
Symphony no. 1
2007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 1:04:12
1Symphony no. 1: I. Allegro molto, ma un poco pesante. Exultant!!11:07
2Symphony no. 1: II. Night Music. Poco adagio; like a slow March13:34
3Symphony no. 1: III. Capriccio. Fast and Impetuous; like a curtain-raiser13:30
4Symphony no. 1: IV. Variations. Molto adagio; very slow and stately17:32
5Symphony no. 1: V. Finale. Adagio; parlando e rubato - Allegro gioioso8:29
Piano Music • 1
2010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:10:21
1Circles of Fire: I. Solemn Refrain I2:31
2Circles of Fire: II. Chiaroscuro I3:37
3Circles of Fire: III. Canonic Variations3:08
4Circles of Fire: IV. Gioco del fuoco7:15
5Circles of Fire: V. Solemn Refrain II1:39
6Circles of Fire: VI. Gargoyles1:29
7Circles of Fire: VII. Nebulae8:13
8Circles of Fire: VIII. Solemn Refrain III1:53
9Circles of Fire: IX. Sognando11:31
10Circles of Fire: X. The Infinite Ricercar2:35
11Circles of Fire: XI. Solemn Refrain IV1:35
12Circles of Fire: XII. Caprichos14:02
13Circles of Fire: XIII. Fuga a sei voci2:56
14Circles of Fire: XIV. Chiaroscuro II4:31
15Circles of Fire: XV. Solemn Refrain V3:26
Piano Music • 2
2010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 18 tracks · 56:13
1Twelve Bagatelles: No. 1. Drammaticamente e con un tempo libero1:10
2Twelve Bagatelles: No. 2. Scherzoso e tempo giusto0:30
3Twelve Bagatelles: No. 3. Con brio0:38
4Twelve Bagatelles: No. 4. Tempo di marcia0:54
5Twelve Bagatelles: No. 5. Quasi parlando2:14
6Twelve Bagatelles: No. 6. Satirico0:54
7Twelve Bagatelles: No. 7. Teneramente e liricamente2:20
8Twelve Bagatelles: No. 8. Giocoso0:41
9Twelve Bagatelles: No. 9. Intenso, con un sentimento di destino2:00
10Twelve Bagatelles: No. 10.1:05
11Twelve Bagatelles: No. 11. Con moto, passionamente0:51
12Twelve Bagatelles: No. 12. Burlesca1:16
13Three Elegiac Pieces: No. 1. Molto cantabile e flessibile8:42
14Three Elegiac Pieces: No. 2. Poco adagio5:26
15Three Elegiac Pieces: No. 3. Adagio - Grave - Sorrowing8:16
16Sonata Seria: I. Vigoroso6:34
17Sonata Seria: II. Poco andante con espressione e flessibilita6:44
18Sonata Seria: III. Giocoso ma non troppo5:58
Piano Music • 3
2010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:07:25
1Partita-Variations: 1. Preludium2:45
2Partita-Variations: 2. Intermezzo2:20
3Partita-Variations: 3. Burlesca0:59
4Partita-Variations: 4. Cortège4:07
5Partita-Variations: 5. Impromptu1:50
6Partita-Variations: 6. The Deepest Carillon4:19
7Partita-Variations: 7. Tema: Ballade2:17
8Partita-Variations: 8. Capriccio1:07
9Partita-Variations: 9. Minuetto2:43
10Partita-Variations: 10. Canon1:41
11Partita-Variations: 11. Nocturne4:49
12Partita-Variations: 12. Arabesque2:16
13Partita-Variations: 13. Fuga a tre voci3:48
14Nach Bach8:48
15Sonata-Fantasia23:36
Piano Music • 4
2010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:08:44
1Carnival Music: I. Fanfares and March4:12
2Carnival Music: II. Blues5:07
3Carnival Music: III. Largo doloroso5:04
4Carnival Music: IV. Sfumato8:00
5Carnival Music: V. Toccata - Rag5:13
6Four Short Sonatas: No. 1. Poco allegro piacevole4:22
7Four Short Sonatas: No. 2. Molto rubato4:21
8Four Short Sonatas: No. 3. Allegro assai1:44
9Four Short Sonatas: No. 4. Presto2:08
10Variations on an Original Theme28:33
Complete Flute Music • 1
2015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 27 tracks · 59:15
1Caprice Variations: No. 1. Allegro energico0:55
2Caprice Variations: No. 2. Presto0:57
3Caprice Variations: No. 7. Presto0:38
4Caprice Variations: No. 8. Languido1:22
5Caprice Variations: No. 10. Vivace0:45
6Caprice Variations: No. 12. Andante con moto1:00
7Caprice Variations: No. 14. Alla guitarra; allegretto con molto rubato2:10
8Caprice Variations: No. 18. Allegro fantastico2:06
9Caprice Variations: No. 20. Quasi cadenza; andante con molto espressivo2:46
10Caprice Variations: No. 21. Allegro con brio0:35
11Caprice Variations: No. 23. Andante grazioso e tranquillo1:51
12Caprice Variations: No. 24. Allegretto0:32
13Caprice Variations: No. 25. Scherzo0:32
14Caprice Variations: No. 27. Aria2:09
15Caprice Variations: No. 31. Molto adagio2:42
16Caprice Variations: No. 32. Allegro assai; burlesca1:35
17Caprice Variations: No. 37. Barcarolle0:57
18Caprice Variations: No. 43. Andantino1:09
19Caprice Variations: No. 45. Presto0:23
20Caprice Variations: No. 50. Fantasy2:10
21Caprice Variations: No. 51. Quasi presto; robusto0:33
22Between Two Worlds (Ukiyo-e III), Five Images for Flute and Piano: No. 1. Fantasia2:15
23Between Two Worlds (Ukiyo-e III), Five Images for Flute and Piano: No. 2. Scherzoso (Fast Dance)1:50
24Between Two Worlds (Ukiyo-e III), Five Images for Flute and Piano: No. 3. Night Scene (A)3:57
25Between Two Worlds (Ukiyo-e III), Five Images for Flute and Piano: No. 4. Sarabande (Slow Dance)4:27
26Between Two Worlds (Ukiyo-e III), Five Images for Flute and Piano: No. 5. Night Scene (B)1:59
27Slow Fires of Autumn (Ukiyo-e II) for Flute and Harp17:00
Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin
2021 · studio album
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Tracklist · 51 tracks · 1:12:56
1Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 1 - Allegro energico0:55
2Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 2 - Presto0:42
3Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 3 - Allegro molto e con fuoco0:47
4Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 4 - Poco allegro ma quasi recitando1:52
5Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 5 - Poco agitato ma con molto rubato0:48
6Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 6 - Poco allegretto ma con rubato0:48
7Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 7 - Presto (after Beethoven String Quartet no. 10 in E-flat major, op. 74: Scherzo)0:51
8Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 8 - Languido (after Schubert D.365, no. 22)1:26
9Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 9 - Non troppo presto (after Brahms Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, Variation 1)0:33
10Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 10 - Vivace (after Brahms Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, Variation 2)0:33
11Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 11 - Andante (after Brahms Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, Variation 10)1:45
12Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 12 - Andante con moto (after Brahms Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, Variation 11. Andante)1:22
13Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 13 - Feroce, energico (after Brahms Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, Variation 9)0:54
14Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 14 - Alla guitarra; allegretto con molto rubato2:04
15Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 15 - Con grazia; un poco agitato2:04
16Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 16 - Andante amoroso2:00
17Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 17 - Poco adagio2:38
18Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 18 - Allegro fantastic2:01
19Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 19 - Vivace1:26
20Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 20 - Quasi cadenza; andante con molto espressivo2:59
21Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 21 - Allegro con brio (after Beethoven Symphony no. 7: Finale)0:48
22Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 22 - Molto espressivo e cantando1:33
23Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 23 - Andante grazioso e tranquillo1:06
24Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 24 - Allegretto0:40
25Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 25 - Scherzo0:31
26Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 26 - Attaca subito: Con brio0:41
27Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 27 - Aria2:28
28Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 28 - Molto agitato1:10
29Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 29 - Lento ma non troppo1:56
30Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 30 - Poco allegretto e leggiero1:19
31Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 31 - Molto adagio2:30
32Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 32 - Allegro assai; burlesco0:59
33Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 33 - Moderato; con umore0:49
34Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 34 - Molto adagio (senza tempo)2:10
35Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 35 - Allegro molto; fantastic1:18
36Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 36 - Largo; sereno2:37
37Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 37 - Barcarolle1:40
38Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 38 - Can-can tempo: presto1:03
39Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 39 - Elegiac; fantastic2:39
40Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 40 - Robust; do not rush0:46
41Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 41 - Allegro molto (after Webern Passacaglia, op. 1)0:32
42Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 42 - Nocturnal, slow3:07
43Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 43 - Andantino1:00
44Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 44 - Scherzo (after Mahler Symphony no. 5: Scherzo)1:04
45Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 45 - Presto0:21
46Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 46 - Bravura; sempre recitando; in the "grand manner"1:40
47Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 47 - Arabesque; fantastic1:35
48Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 48 - Moderately fast: fantastic1:49
49Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 49 - Feroce1:56
50Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 50 - Fantasy2:17
51Caprice Variations for Unaccompanied Violin: Variation 51 - Quasi Presto; robusto. Paganini's Theme (Caprice XXIV, Bk. II)0:24
Caprice Variations
— · studio album
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Tracklist · 50 tracks · 1:04:20
1Caprice Variations: Var. 11:09
2Caprice Variations: Var. 20:56
3Caprice Variations: Var. 31:21
4Caprice Variations: Var. 41:17
5Caprice Variations: Var. 50:43
6Caprice Variations: Var. 60:58
7Caprice Variations: Var. 71:02
8Caprice Variations: Var. 80:52
9Caprice Variations: Var. 491:04
10Caprice Variations: Var. 421:38
11Caprice Variations: Var. 191:29
12Caprice Variations: Var. 90:40
13Caprice Variations: Var. 10 - 112:31
14Caprice Variations: Var. 121:15
15Caprice Variations: Var. 131:02
16Caprice Variations: Var. 142:46
17Caprice Variations: Var. 410:42
18Caprice Variations: Var. 471:39
19Caprice Variations: Var. 341:33
20Caprice Variations: Var. 351:12
21Caprice Variations: Var. 202:31
22Caprice Variations: Var. 321:06
23Caprice Variations: Var. 151:07
24Caprice Variations: Var. 361:58
25Caprice Variations: Var. 330:54
26Caprice Variations: Var. 450:22
27Caprice Variations: Var. 181:21
28Caprice Variations: Var. 161:25
29Caprice Variations: Var. 171:50
30Caprice Variations: Var. 462:02
31Caprice Variations: Var. 431:05
32Caprice Variations: Var. 210:48
33Caprice Variations: Var. 220:50
34Caprice Variations: Var. 231:49
35Caprice Variations: Var. 240:34
36Caprice Variations: Var. 250:40
37Caprice Variations: Var. 260:46
38Caprice Variations: Var. 271:23
39Caprice Variations: Var. 281:04
40Caprice Variations: Var. 291:43
41Caprice Variations: Var. 301:03
42Caprice Variations: Var. 312:17
43Caprice Variations: Var. 400:42
44Caprice Variations: Var. 481:09
45Caprice Variations: Var. 371:10
46Caprice Variations: Var. 381:01
47Caprice Variations: Var. 441:10
48Caprice Variations: Var. 392:02
49Caprice Variations: Var. 502:06
50Caprice Variations: Var. 510:33
Eden: Out of Time & Out of Space
— · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:02:18
1Eden: Out of Time & Out of Space17:44
2Muse of Fire17:45
3American Bouquet: My Heart Stood Still (Rodgers)4:26
4American Bouquet: I Only Have Eyes for You (Warren)4:41
5American Bouquet: Two Sleepy People (Carmichael)3:07
6American Bouquet: Liza (Gershwin)1:57
7American Bouquet: How to Explain (Rochberg)3:39
8American Bouquet: Deep Purple (De Rose)4:37
9American Bouquet: Notre Dame Blues (Rochberg)4:22

Album · 2

Album release groups, by first release date
Cover	Year	Title	Notes	First release
	1995	Rochberg: To the Dark Wood / Trio / Harbison: Quintet for WindsSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 9 tracks · 56:10 1To the Dark Wood14:11 2Trio for Clarinet, Horn and Piano: I. Liberamente e molto espressivo5:48 3Trio for Clarinet, Horn and Piano: II. Adagio7:24 4Trio for Clarinet, Horn and Piano: III. Adagio7:55 5Quintet for Winds: I. Intrada: Moderato3:11 6Quintet for Winds: II. Intermezzo: Allegretto, lusinghando2:36 7Quintet for Winds: III. Romanza: Andante6:00 8Quintet for Winds: IV. Scherzo: Prestissimo2:24 9Quintet for Winds: V. Finale: Adagio6:41	Compilation	1995
	1997	Music of George Rochberg, Vol. 1: String Quartet No. 1 / Contra mortem et tempus / Symphony No. 2Search Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:05:11 1String Quartet no. 1: Molto adagio7:12 2String Quartet no. 1: Vivace3:25 3String Quartet no. 1: Molto tranquillo6:49 4String Quartet no. 1: Allegro energico6:40 5Contra mortem et tempus11:31 6Symphony no. 2: Declamando9:01 7Symphony no. 2: Allegro scherzoso6:54 8Symphony no. 2: Molto tranquillo7:20 9Symphony no. 2: Tempo primo, ma incalzando6:19	Compilation	1997

Stats & PK

Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put George Rochberg head-to-head →

George Rochberg metrics with percentile rank among published artists
Metric	Value	Percentile
Wikipedia language versions	15	72.5th
Spotify monthly listeners	—	no data
Release groups in DB	20	87.1th
Studio albums	18	95.8th
Awards recorded	4	96.3th
Timeline events	20	93.9th
Recording span (years)	20	45.6th
Genres	5	88.3th

Awards & honours

Awards and honours, by year
Year	Award	Result
1962	Arts and Letters Award in Music	won
—	Fulbright Scholarship	won
—	Guggenheim Fellowship	won
—	Rome Prize	won

Where this record comes from

aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f58d69d7-fc17-419f-8348-e11bcc7fd1dc
discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f58d69d7-fc17-419f-8348-e11bcc7fd1dc
core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q710733
genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q710733
seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Rochberg
biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Rochberg

Why this artist is in the database

List of composers by name

Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q710733 · MusicBrainz: f58d69d7-fc17-419f-8348-e11bcc7fd1dc

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