Stephen Jaffe

with Vivian Perlis

Tanglewood Music Center

Lenox, MA

July 28, 1992

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side a-b                                                                                                         pp.1-20

early musical environment; parents; grandmother was a professional singer, great-uncle Archie Gottler a famous Tin Pan Alley composer, father, brother, sister--strong early training in piano, violin, guitar and composition under the tutelage of Paul Larsen in Amherst (MA)--born in Washington D.C., moved to Monroe, N.Y.--Parents take sabbatical to Switzerland; studies with Andre Francois Marescotti, composer, at the Geneva Conservatory--early intentions of becoming a composer--moved back to Western Massachusetts, exposed to the Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood--participates in church choral societies in Amherst--raised Jewish; mother had converted but not ardently religious when they move to Amherst--issue of Religion and influence in his works--Bar Mitzvah at 19 years old--conscious objector during time of Vietnam--exposed to poetry of Robert Francis--sets a lot of poetry to musical works--transfers to University of Pennsylvania; studies with Richard Wernick, George Crumb, and George Rochberg--influences, embraces a ‘large palette’--problems of communicating pieces through notation to musicians and conductors--time constraints; teaching and composing--Duke University since 1981--marries Mindy Oshrain 1988, father to daughter Anna--most pieces commissioned--entertains possibility of working on a large scale libretto work.