Richard Lane

Scherzo

In 1957, the Ford Foundation launched a large cultural project intended to boost music education in the United States. Composer Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008) was charged with creating an appropriate infrastructure. To start the Young Composer Projects (YPC), Dello Joio's committee selected 12 young composers (from 123 candidates), among them Richard Lane, placing them as internship composers-in-residence in different state's public school systems. Dello Joio's imaginative and creative idea was to create a synergy between the 'interchange of musical ideas, techniques, and attitudes resulting from the close association of composers, school music directors, and students.'
Twenty six year old Richard Lane had just completed his composition studies at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and become composer in residence for the public school system of that city for the year 1959-1960). His mandate was renewed (as was the case for only four of the twelve) for 1960-1961, but this time in Lexington, Kentucky.
During these two seasons, Richard Lane composed more than sixty works (34 for the YPC): vocals, choirs, instrumental and orchestral, adapted to the school system and in close collaboration with the local conductors and music teachers. This represented an epiphanic development in the course of Richard Lane's career.
This Scherzo (ca. 3 minutes) composed in October 1960, published here for the first time, reveals the obvious strong talent of Richard Lane. It features the contrasts between woodwinds and brass punctuated by the creative use of percussions. The composer's unique brand of melodic-harmonic musicianship appears already strong in this short and medium level Scherzo.
During his life, Richard Lane wrote around 500 works. Many are already available from Editions Bim.