- Kay, Ulysses Simpson
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▪ 1996U.S. composer (b. Jan. 7, 1917, Tucson, Ariz.—d. May 20, 1995, Englewood, N.J.), produced hundreds of neoclassical works that were marked by vibrant harmonic and orchestral colouring, complex polyphony, melodic lyricism, and tonal orientation supplemented by chromaticism. He composed hundreds of choral, chamber, and film compositions, most notably An Essay on Death (1964), a tribute to John F. Kennedy. He dealt with the abolition of slavery in two of his five operas, Jubilee (1976) and Frederick Douglass (1991). Kay, a nephew of New Orleans jazz trumpeter Joe ("King") Oliver, played jazz saxophone before turning to piano, violin, and composition. He earned (1938) a B.A. at the University of Arizona and studied at the Eastman School of Music, the Berkshire Music Center, Yale University (with composer Paul Hindemith), and Columbia University, New York City. In 1968 he was named professor of music at Lehman College of the City University of New York, and he was made distinguished professor of music there in 1972. Among his more than 200 works were such orchestral pieces as Symphony (1967) and Southern Harmony (1975); cantatas, notably Song of Jeremiah (1945); organ and piano music; and two one-act operas, The Boor (1955) and The Juggler of Our Lady (1956).
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