Born in Charleston, West Virginia, George Crumb studied at institutions throughout the United States (as well as Berlin), finishing his doctorate at the University of Michigan. His first teaching job was at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where his compositions began to garner attention, especially Night Music I (1963, for soprano, piano/celesta, and two percussionists).

Crumb took a teaching position at the University of Pennsylvania in 1965 and remained there for 30 years. Crumb was very prolific during his time at Penn, setting the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca more often than any other poet. However, American poetry was also at the heart of his vocal works, such as Apparition (1979, Walt Whitman text) and The Sleeper (1984, Edgar Allan Poe text).

While Crumb’s music is certainly experimental, his delicate use of timbre and echoing of American (and especially West Virginian) traditions makes it accessible to a wide audience. Towards the end of his life, Crumb explored American folk traditions more overtly in his music, with his American Songbooks. The American Songbooks set dozens of American folk and traditional songs using Crumb’s unique approach to sound and instrumentation.

–Christie Finn