Richard Wernick papers, 1943-2015.

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Wernick, Richard, 1934-2025, creator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wernick, Richard, 1934-2025.

Wernick, Richard.

Penn Contemporary Players.

University of Pennsylvania. Department of Music.

University of Pennsylvania.

Composers--United States.

Composers.

Music.

Music--Instruction and study.

Performing arts.

Genre:

Manuscripts, American -- 20th century.

Audiovisual materials.

Concert programs.

Correspondence.

Reprographic copies.

Scores.

Tape reels.

Penn Provenance:

Gifts of Richard Wernick, 1996 and 2013

Physical Description:

53 boxes (22 linear feet)

Arrangement:

Organized into 7 series: I. Scores; II. Professional material; III. Concert programs; IV. Articles collected by Wernick; V. Material from others; VI. Recordings; and VII. Photographs.

Place of Publication:

1943-2015.

Biography/History:

Richard Wernick is an American composer and professor of music composition. Born in 1934 in Boston, Massachusetts, he began playing piano at age eleven and completed his undergraduate study of music at Brandeis University, where he studied with Irving Fine. He also attended Tanglewood Music Center, where he studied composition with Aaron Copland and conducting with Leonard Bernstein; and Mills College, where he studied with Leonard Kirchner. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Wernick worked as a composer for theater, film, television, and dance. He later became a composition professor, teaching at SUNY Buffalo (1964 to 1965) and the University of Chicago (1965 to 1968). His longest tenure was at the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught, from 1968 to 1996, alongside George Crumb and George Rochberg. In 1983, Riccardo Muti selected Wernick to be the Consultant for New Music to the Philadelphia Orchestra, and he held this position until 1989, when he was re-appointed as Special Consultant to the Music Director. He continued in that position until 1993, which coincided with the end of Muti's tenure with the Philadelphia Orchestra.Wernick won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his composition Visions of terror and wonder. He won Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards in 1986 for his Violin concerto (first place, tie with Bernard Rands), in 1991 for String quartet no. 4 (first place), and in 1992 for Piano Concerto (second place). He has also received awards from the Ford, Guggenheim and Naumburg Foundations.Wernick lives outside of Philadelphia with his wife, bassoonist Bea Wernick. His son Adam Wernick is a theatrical composer. His other son, Lew Wernick, is also a musician.

Summary:

This collection largely documents Richard Wernick's professional career as a musician; and to a lesser degree, his career as a professor. The collection is arranged in seven series: I. Scores; II. Professional material; III. Concert programs; IV. Articles collected by Wernick; V. Material from others; VI. Recordings; and VII. Photographs.The bulk of the collection is contained within I. Scores and includes scores by Wernick (arranged alphabetically by title), scores by others that he conducted and are marked by Wernick for conducting purposes (arranged alphabetically by composer), and scores by others that Wernick either collected-some of which are dedicated or inscribed to him--or were arranged and edited by Wernick (arranged alphabetically by composer). These scores show not only the breadth of Wernick's own composing career, but also his influence within the musical world. Series II. Professional material contains correspondence and information concerning teaching logistics related to Wernick's employment as a professional composer and professor. Included is material created during his time as a student at Brandeis, where he composed and conducted music for plays, ballets, and concerts; his time as a composer for film and television in New York City; and his four decades of teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers will also find correspondence congratulating Wernick on the award of the Pulitzer Prize in 1977. The series is arranged chronologically. The concert programs contained in Series III document concerts featuring Wernick's works, as well as concerts that did not feature his works, but which he attended. For the most part, events were held in the United States. Both subseries in this series are arranged chronologically. Series IV. Articles collected by Wernick contains clippings of newspaper and magazine articles related to Wernick's work, including notable concerts and festivals. It also includes a significant number of clippings documenting Wernick being awarded the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his composition Visions of terror and wonder. The series is arranged chronologically. Series V. Material from others includes reviews written by friends and other people who were part of Wernick's social circle and material related to Wernick's wife, Bea. Of note, there are reviews written by Robert Brustein and writings to and from Bea Wernick. The relationships between Wernick, Charles Reznikoff and his family, and Nathan Prince are unclear. Series VI. Recordings, most of which are reel-to-reel (with a very small number of audio cassettes and a cd), represent concerts by the Penn Contemporary Players and the University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra, both of which featured Wernick as musical director, as well as recordings of Wernick's works and the works of others. This series contains audio recordings of works written, conducted, or directed by Wernick. It is broken into four subseries: recordings of the Penn Contemporary Players, for which Wernick served as musical director; recordings by the University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for which Wernick served as musical director; recordings of compositions by Wernick; and miscellaneous recordings of work by others. All four subseries are in chronological order. The final series, VII. Photographs consist of personal and professional publicity photographs of Wernick and other musicians, including promotional photos for his 1977 Pulitzer Prize win. A couple of Wernick's music colleagues who appear in the photographs are Shulamit Rin and Lambert Orkis. The series is arranged chronologically.

OCLC:

1122931026

Online:

Finding aid