Virgil Thomson: Excerpts From Historic Interviews

Virgil Thomson (1896-1989), important 20th Century composer and influential critic, was interviewed by Vivian Perlis for Yale’s Oral History of American Music archive (OHAM) between 1977 and 1980. Additional material held at OHAM includes tape recordings of his Yale College course, “Words and Music”, a video-taped interview in his apartment at the historic Chelsea Hotel, New York City, and numerous acquired interviews. Excerpts appear in Composers’ Voices from Ives to Ellington, CD and book publication by Vivian Perlis and Libby Van Cleve, (Yale University Press, 2005.) Included are comments on: opera, teaching composition, Nadia Boulanger, Gertrude Stein, and music criticism. For more Yale music netcasts, visit music.yale.edu. For information about music samples and interview transcript, see OHAM website: www.yale.edu/oham/. This podcast was derived from the publication’s second CD, Track 9.