Meyer Kupferman, 77; Prolific Composer, Music Theory Teacher
Meyer Kupferman, 77, a prolific composer of music that ranged from opera and ballet to jazz and contemporary classical pieces, died of heart failure Nov. 26 near Rhinebeck, N.Y.
After studying violin and switching to clarinet as a child, Kupferman began composing in 1948.
His remarkable and widely recorded output included seven operas, 12 symphonies, nine ballets, seven string quartets, 10 concertos and hundreds of chamber works.
He was commissioned by the Hudson Valley Philharmonic to write “FDR” for the centennial of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s birth, and that manuscript now belongs to the Roosevelt Library.
After attending New York’s High School of Music and Art and Queens College, Kupferman worked in clubs as a jazz clarinetist and arranged music for jazz bands.
In 1992, he published the book “Atonal Jazz,” about chromatic techniques in contemporary jazz.
From 1951 to 1993, Kupferman taught composition and music theory at Sarah Lawrence College.
During his tenure there, he served as chairman of the music department and conducted the orchestra, chorus and chamber improvisation ensemble.
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