American composer, music theorist, and writer on music.

Career Summary

Roger Sessions studied music at Harvard University (BA) from the age of 14, and subsequently at Yale University (BMus, 1917), then taught at Smith College 1917–21. He spent much of 1925 to 1933 in Europe. He then taught at Princeton University (1935–45), UC Berkeley (1945–52), Princeton (1953–65), and after retirement, at the Juilliard School of Music (1965–83).

He composed two operas, nine symphonies and a Concerto for Orchestra,, three instrumental concertos, and much chamber and instrumental music. He wrote four books between 1951 and 1970, and many articles, including "Heinrich Schenker's Contribution," Modern Music, xii (1934/35), and a volume of his essays was edited in 1979.

Correspondence

Arnold Schoenberg wrote to Sesssions on November 7, 1949 (letter preserved at the Library of Congress, Arnold Schoenberg Collection), drawing his attention to the presence of Violin in San Francisco and recommending him. The letter from Sessions to Moriz Violin that resulted from this survives (OJ 70/37, [1], December 14, 1949), inviting him to meet and talk. The outcome of this is reported in Violin's letters to Schoenberg, LC ASC 27/45, [35], December 22, 1949, and LC ASC 27/45, [36], undated. There are two letters from Sessions to Schoenberg regarding Violin, dated December 23 and 29, 1949 (LC ASC), the latter declaring an intention to involve Violin in teaching at U. C. Berkeley. Whether anything resulted from this is unclear.

Sources

Contributor