Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
David Borden (born December 25, 1938 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American composer of minimalist music.
In 1969, with the support of Robert Moog, he founded the synthesizer ensemble, Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company in Ithaca New York. Mother Mallard performed pieces by Robert Ashley, John Cage, Terry Riley, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich. In addition to his work with electronics and the Mother Mallard ensemble, Borden has written music for various chamber and vocal ensembles. He is also an accomplished jazz pianist.
David Borden was educated at the Eastman School of Music and Harvard University. At Harvard he studied with Leon Kirchner and Randall Thompson, and at Eastman with Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson. He was also a Fulbright student in Berlin Germany, where he studied at the Hochschule für Musik [1].
Borden's compositions are similar to the repetitive minimalist style of Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley. Borden is also very interested in counterpoint, best demonstrated in his large scale series of works The Continuing Story of Counterpoint, Parts 1-12.
David Borden was commissioned to write the score to the 1973 film The Exorcist by director William Friedkin. However, less than a minute of Borden's music was actually used in the film (Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells was prominently featured on the soundtrack instead.)
Borden participated in the many activities surrounding the 30th anniversary of the founding of Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company in 1999, including several live performances and CD reissues on the Cuneiform record label.
HisThe Continuing Story of Counterpoint, a twelve-part cycle of pieces for synthesizers, acoustic instruments and voice has been called the "Goldberg Variations of minimalism.'" John DiLiberto
Four books have cited and discussed his work. In keeping with his interdisciplinary approach to his life and work, two books deal with American music history, one with music technology and one with the paintings of George Deem:
America's Music in the Twentieth Century by Kyle Gann (Schirmer Books, New York, 1997)America's Musical Life: A History by Richard Crawford (W. W, Norton & Company, New York, London, 2001)Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer by Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England, 2002)How to Paint a Vermeer by George Deem (Thames & Hudson, N.Y., 2004)Borden's music is recorded by the Cuneiform, New World Records, Lameduck and Arbiter labels.
His first composition teachers were jazz musicians Jimmy Giuffre and Jaki Byard. He collaborates and performs with his son, Gabriel Borden and stepson, Sam Godin. Borden resides in Ithaca, NY with his wife, Rebecca Godin. He is the retired founder and Director of the Digital Music Program (now the Cornell Electroacoustic Music Center) at Cornell University.
Selected works
1959 Dialogues for trombone and trumpet1967 All-American, Teenage, Lovesongs for wind ensemble and tape, commissioned by Ithaca High School1970 Cloudscape for Peggy1970 Easter for Mother Mallard ensemble1972 (?) C-A-G-E, Part I for Mother Mallard ensemble1974 C-A-G-E, Part II for Mother Mallard ensemble1975 C-A-G-E, Part III for Mother Mallard ensemble1976-1987 The Continuing Story of Counterpoint, Parts 1-12 for Mother Mallard ensemble 1976 Part 11976 Part 31977 Part 51978 Part 61978 Part 71979 Part 8, Part 8A, Part 8B, Part 8C1980 Part 91982 Part 21983 Part 41986 Part 111987 Part 101987 Part 12A, Part 12B, Part 12C1978 Enfield in Summer1987 Double Portrait for two pianos1989 Angels for vocal ensemble and Mother Mallard ensemble1994 Notes From Vienna for solo electric guitar and wind ensemble (or synthesizers)1995 Infinity Variations for two fortepianos and chamber orchestra2002 Naked American (anagram of Diane Ackerman)2003 K216.01a for solo electric violin and synthesizers2005 A Tin Haiku (anagram of Kia-Hui Tan)2006 Smart Hubris (anagram of Ritsu Brahm)2007 Heaven-Kept Soul (anagram of Kathleen Supové)2007 Tribute to Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn1990-2010 Earth Journeys by David Borden numerous Birthday Variations2009 Viola Farber in 7 Movements2010 Remembering Jimmy2010 ESP 9461 NYDiscography (Mother Mallard and David Borden)
1973 Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company [Earthquack] 1999 Reissued as 1970-1973 with previously unissued recordings [Cuneiform]1976 Like A Duck To Water [Earthquack] 1999 Reissued with previously unissued recordsings [Cuneiform]1981 Music For Amplified Keyboard Instruments [Red Music]1983 Anatidae [Cuneiform: LP only]1988 Migration [Cuneiform: LP only]1988 The Continuing Story of Counterpoint Parts 9-12 [Cuneiform]1990 The Continuing Story of Counterpoint Parts 5-8 [Cuneiform]1990 The Continuing Story of Counterpoint Parts 1-4+8 [Cuneiform]1992 Double Portrait (1987) included in collection U.S. Choice by Double Edge piano duo [CRI]1995 Cayuga Night Music [Lameduck]1995 Places, Times, and People [Cuneiform]2003 Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co., music by David Borden (previously unissued 1976-77 recordings of "Counterpoint" Parts 1 & 3 and "C-A-G-E" part 3) [Arbiter]2005 Waterwheel (by Steve Drews) (excerpt: Film by Edin Velez, Music by Mother Mallard) included in collection Ohm+ [DVD, Ellipsis Arts]2011 FRKWYS07 [Rvng Intl], with James Ferraro, Laurel Halo, Daniel Lopatin and Sam Godin.Films David Borden
Composer:
Marathon (1965)Flatland (1965)Branches (1970)The Exorcist (1973)They Made Movies in Ithaca (1975)It's Tough To Make It In This League (1977) CBS SportsLouisville (1998)More info on all films at http://www.imdb.com
