20th century
Baroque
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20th century
21st century
Solo repertoire
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Alto flute
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Grier Lita
Aitken, Robert
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Sonata for flute and piano
Sonata for flute and piano
Lita Grier: Sonata for flute and piano was written in 1956 when Lita Grier was nineteen years old. The piece was later adapted into a concertino for flute and orchestra entitled Renascence, completed in 1996, which marked her return to composition after a 30-year hiatus. The work was written as an homage to the late, renowned American flutist Julius Baker, who was a principal flutist with the New York Philharmonic at that time.
The Sonata is characterized by a "distinct American flavor in its neoclassical trappings," featuring driving outer movements and a lyrical, waltzing second movement. It is often described as having a "jazz-francaise" or "American in Paris" feel.
Grier was a child prodigy who won the New York Philharmonic Young Composers' Contest at age 16. In 1956, she was studying at Juilliard under Peter Mennin and later at Tanglewood with Lukas Foss.
In 1964, Grier stopped composing due to a lack of encouragement for women composers and dissatisfaction with the then-dominant, strict academic, and atonal musical environment. In the 1990s, she returned to composition, leading to the publication and widespread performance of her earlier, more tonal works, such as this Sonata.
Asako Arai (flute), Ana Maria Tradatti (piano), 2009, Albany Records / Orchard
1. Con Spirito
Asako Arai (flute), Ana Maria Tradatti (piano), 2009, Albany Records / Orchard
2. Lento
Asako Arai (flute), Ana Maria Tradatti (piano), 2009, Albany Records / Orchard
3. Presto
Grier Lita
Lita Grier (1937) is an American composer whose career is noted for a remarkable "renaissance" after a thirty-year hiatus from composition.
Born and raised in New York City, she was immersed in a vibrant musical culture. She demonstrated significant talent at a young age. At just 16 years old, she won First Prize in the New York Philharmonic Young Composers' Contest. Her winning work was performed at Carnegie Hall and subsequently published by Carl Fischer while she was still a teenager. She continued her studies with Peter Mennin at the Juilliard School and spent a summer at Tanglewood working with Lukas Foss and attending master classes with Aaron Copland. She earned her Master’s degree in composition at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she continued her studies with Lukas Foss and Roy Harris.
Despite her early accolades, Grier abandoned composition shortly after completing her graduate studies in the early 1960s. She later noted that during that era, there was little encouragement for women composers, particularly those who wrote in a tonal harmonic language rather than the academic serialism prevalent at the time. She spent three decades in other areas of the industry, including artist management, teaching, and broadcasting, eventually establishing a leading classical music radio production company with her husband.
She returned to serious composition in the 1990s, leading to a prolific period of commissions from major organizations like the Ravinia Festival and being named a "Chicagoan of the Year" in music in 2005.
Lita Grier’s compositional style is defined by a tonally-based harmonic language that balances American neoclassicism with European sensibilities. Grier’s harmonic palette often draws from the French tradition of Poulenc and Milhaud, featuring "jazz-francaise" colors and sophisticated, pungent dissonances that enrich her tonal foundation.