David Borden
David Borden (b. December 25, 1938 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American composer of minimalist music. In 1969, with the support of Robert Moog, he founded what is considered to be the first synthesizer ensemble, Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company. In addition to his work with electronics and the Mother Mallard ensemble, David Borden has written music for various chamber and vocal ensembles. He is also an accomplished jazz pianist.
Borden's compositions are heavily influenced by the repetitive minimalist style of Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley. Borden is also very interested in counterpoint, best demonstrated in his large scale series of works The Continuing Story of Counterpoint, Parts 1-12.
David Borden was commissioned to write the score to the 1973 film The Exorcist by director William Friedkin. However, less than a minute of Borden's music was actually used in the film (Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells was prominently featured on the soundtrack instead.)
Borden participated in the many activities surrounding the 30th anniversary of the founding of Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company in 1999, including several live performances and CD reissues on the Cuneiform record label.
He is currently the Director of the Digital Music Program at Cornell University.
Selected Works
1959 Dialogues for trombone and trumpet
1970 Cloudscape for Peggy
1970 Easter for Mother Mallard ensemble
1972 (?) C-A-G-E, Part I for Mother Mallard ensemble
1974 C-A-G-E, Part II for Mother Mallard ensemble
1975 C-A-G-E, Part III for Mother Mallard ensemble
1976-1987 The Continuing Story of Counterpoint, Parts 1-12 for Mother Mallard ensemble
1976 Part 1
1976 Part 3
1977 Part 5
1978 Part 6
1978 Part 7
1979 Part 8, Part 8A, Part 8B, Part 8C
1980 Part 9
1982 Part 2
1983 Part 4
1986 Part 11
1987 Part 10
1987 Part 12A, Part 12B, Part 12C
1978 Enfield in Summer
1987 Double Portrait for two pianos
1989 Angels for vocal ensemble and Mother Mallard ensemble
1994 Notes From Vienna for solo electric guitar and wind ensemble (or synthesizers)
1995 Infinity Variations for two fortepianos and chamber orchestra
2003 K216.01a for solo electric violin and synthesizers
Discography (Mother Mallard and David Borden)
1973 Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company [Earthquack]
1988 Reissued as 1970-1973 with previously unissued recordings [Cuneiform]
1976 Like A Duck To Water [Earthquack]
1999 Reissued with previously unissued recordsings [Cuneiform]
1981 Music For Amplified Keyboard Instruments [Red]
1983 Anatidae [Cuneiform: LP only]
1988 Migration [Cuneiform: LP only]
1988 The Continuing Story of Counterpoint Parts 9-12 [Cuneiform]
1990 The Continuing Story of Counterpoint Parts 5-8 [Cuneiform]
1990 The Continuing Story of Counterpoint Parts 1-4+8 [Cuneiform]
1992 Double Portrait (1987) included in collection U.S. Choice by Double Edge piano duo [CRI]
1995 Cayuga Night Music [Lameduck]
1995 Places, Times, and People [Cuneiform]
2003 Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co., music by David Borden (previously unissued 1976-77 recordings of "Counterpoint" Parts 1 & 3 and "C-A-G-E" part 3) [Arbiter]
2005 Waterwheel (by Steve Drews) (excerpt: Film by Edin Velez, Music by Mother Mallard) included in collection Ohm+ [DVD, Ellipsis Arts] |
