Gil Trythall
Born
Harry Gilbert Trythall

(1930-10-28)October 28, 1930
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedFebruary 17, 2023(2023-02-17) (aged 92)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee
Northwestern University
Cornell University
Occupation(s)Composer, pianist, educator
Spouses
Jean Marie Slater
​
​
(m. 1951; div. 1976)​
    Carol King
    ​
    (m. 1985)​
    Children2
    Musical career
    GenresClassical, Electronic
    Instrument(s)Piano
    LabelsGrosset & Dunlap
    Websitemusicstudy.com

    Harry Gilbert Trythall (October 28, 1930 – February 17, 2023) was an American composer and pianist of contemporary classical music.

    Early life and education

    Harry Gilbert Trythall was born on October 28, 1930, in Knoxville, Tennessee,[1] the older brother of composer and pianist Richard Aaker Trythall. He attended Central High School in Knoxville and, in 1948, he enrolled at the University of Tennessee where he studied under David Van Vactor graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1951. He was then admitted, that same year, to Northwestern University where he studied under Wallingford Riegger obtaining a Master of Music in 1952.[2]

    Trythall served in the United States Air Force from 1953 to 1957. He then completed his music studies attending, from 1957 to 1960, advanced composition courses at Cornell University where he studied under Robert Moffat Palmer obtaining a Doctor of Musical Arts degree.[3]

    Trythall was part of the group of David Van Vactor's notable students named the Van Vactor Five together with Richard Aaker Trythall,[4] David P. Sartor, Jesse Ayers, and Doug Davis.

    Career

    Trythall started his academic career as a graduate assistant during his studies at Cornell University after which he served as an assistant professor at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, from 1960 to 1964 where he was director of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony Orchestra. He was then appointed professor of music theory and composition at Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he taught from 1964 to 1975. During his academic tenure he also served as chairman of the Department of Music from 1973 to 1975. He was then appointed dean of the Creative Arts Center at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, from 1975 to 1981.[5]

    Following his retirement in 1996, he was a visiting professor of music at the Federal University of Espírito Santo in Vitória, Brazil from 1999 to 2001, where he taught courses in music.[6]

    As a musician, Trythall is best known for his experiments and compositions in electronic music. For instance, "Planet" by Four Tet and "myriad.industries" by Oneohtrix Point Never sample his 1980 composition "Echospace."

    Personal life and death

    Trythall married Jean Marie Slater on December 28, 1951, but the couple divorced in 1976. He then married Carol King on September 19, 1985. Trythall had two daughters from his first marriage, Linda Marie and Karen Elizabeth.

    Gil Trythall died in Dallas, Texas on February 17, 2023, at the age of 92.[7]

    Compositions

    • 1960 – Symphony no. 1
    • 1958 – A Solemn Chant, for strings
    • 1960 – The Music Lesson
    • 1961 – Fanfare and Celebration
    • 1961 – A String Quartet
    • 1962 – Surfaces, for wind ensemble, tape, and lights
    • 1963 – A Harp Concerto
    • 1964 – Dionysia, for chamber orchestra
    • 1964 – A Flute Sonata
    • 1966 – A Vacuum Soprano, for brass quintet and tape
    • 1967 – Entropy, for stereo brass, improvisation group, and stereo tape
    • 1968 – In the Presence, for chorus and tape
    • 1969 – The Electronic Womb, for tape
    • 1971 – Echospace, for brass, tape, and film
    • 1971 – A Time to Every Purpose, for chorus and tape
    • 1975 – Cyndy the Synth (Minnie the Moog), for synthesizer and string orchestra
    • 1981 – Luxikon II, for tape
    • 1982 – The Terminal Opera
    • 1988 – Mass in English and Spanish, for congregation, organ, and descant
    • 1989 – Sinfonia Concertante
    • 1990 – From the Egyptian Book of the Dead, for soprano, saxophone or wind controller, and synthesizer
    • 1993 – The Pastimes of Lord Chaitanya, for jazz soprano and synthesizer
    • 1994 – Intermission, for soprano and synthesizer

    Discography

    • Symphony No. 1 , Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, David Van Vactor, Composers Recordings, Inc. (1961)
    • Yakety Moog / Foggy Mountain Breakdown , Athena Records, (1970)[8]
    • Switched On Nashville (Country Moog), Athena Records, (1972)[9]
    • Nashville Gold (Switched On Moog), Summit Records Australia, (1973)[10]
    • Principles and Practice of Electronic Music, Grosset & Dunlap, (1973)[11]
    • Luxikon II / Echospace, Pandora Music, (1980)[12]
    • Country Moog + Nashville Gold, Vroom Sound Records, (2003)[13]
    • Country Moog (Switched On Nashville) / Nashville Gold (Switched On Moog), The Omni Recording Corporation, (2007)[14]

    Publications

    • Principles and Practice of Electronic Music, Grosset & Dunlap, 1973
    • Eighteenth Century Counterpoint, Brown & Benchmark, 1993
    • Sixteenth Century Counterpoint, Brown & Benchmark, 1994

    References

    1. ↑ Don, Randel (1996). Gilbert Harry Trythall, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674372993.
    2. ↑ Butterworth, Neil (2 October 2013). Gilbert Harry Trythall, Dictionary of American Classical Composers. Routledge. ISBN 9781136790249.
    3. ↑ Don, Randel (1996). Gilbert Harry Trythall, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674372993.
    4. ↑ Don, Randel (1996). Richard Aaker Trythall, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674372993.
    5. ↑ Butterworth, Neil (2 October 2013). Gilbert Harry Trythall, Dictionary of American Classical Composers. Routledge. ISBN 9781136790249.
    6. ↑ "Harry Gilbert Trythall, Artist Biography by Michael Morrison". AllMusic.
    7. ↑ "In loving memory of #giltrythall (October 28, 1930 – February 17, 2023) The Gil Trythall Appreciation Society". Hyperbubble on Facebook. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
    8. ↑ "Yakety Moog / Foggy Mountain Breakdown". Discogs. 1970.
    9. ↑ "Switched On Nashville (Country Moog)". Discogs. 1972.
    10. ↑ "Nashville Gold (Switched On Moog)". Discogs. 1973.
    11. ↑ "Principles and Practice of Electronic Music". Discogs. 1973.
    12. ↑ "Luxikon II / Echospace". Discogs. 1980.
    13. ↑ "Country Moog + Nashville Gold". Discogs. 1973.
    14. ↑ "Country Moog (Switched On Nashville) / Nashville Gold (Switched On Moog)". Discogs. 2007.
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