A Conversation with Adolphus Hailstork, composer
Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork III is an American composer and educator. He was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in Albany, New York, where he studied violin, piano, organ, and voice. Hailstork began his musical career in 1963, when he studied composition with Mark Fax at Howard University, Washington, DC. In the summer of 1963 he attended the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, France, where he studied with Nadia Boulanger. In 1965, Hailstork received a Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied under Vittorio Giannini and David Diamond, and in 1966 received a Master of Music at the same institution. After studying under H. Owen Reed, Hailstork received his PhD in composition from Michigan State University in 1971. He is professor emeritus of music at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Here is William Ford in conversation with composer Adolphus Hailstork. Contents: 01:30- Greetings! 02:44- You were born in Albany, NY. 02:54- In your childhood, how did music play a role? 03:10- At what age did you realize music was everything? 03:35- You started with a violin? 04:51- What was the reaction of your peers? 05:17- I assume you focused on sacred music? 05:27- What instrument did you “master”? 06:04- Did you start to compose when you went to college? 06:31- Do you still have your earliest works? 06:45- When you look back on that, what do you think? 07:30- When you went to Howard University was it in music? 10:00- You were trained by Nadia Boulanger? 10:37- What made her so influential? 11:14- What you’re your very first piece played by a major organization? 12:50- How do you get your music played? 15:27- Do you have the arc of the piece in mind when you start to compose? 16:06- Do you carry a notebook to jot down ideas? 17:28- Do you do all the orchestrations yourself? 17:44- Your music seems very American. 21:58- Are there other contemporary composers you particularly admire? 22:51- How about composers in the past? 26:08- What about Prokofiev? 26:55- Is there something you feel compelled to put in your music? 28:00- Is there something else you would like people to know about you? Remember to Like, Subscribe, and Comment below. Become a supporter at www.Patreon.com/AtlantaMusicCritic. If you would like a custome video produced, contact [email protected]. If you would like to suggest someone to be interviewed by William, put your suggestion in the comments below. Thanks to Laird for his hard work!
