author
Roger Sessions
1896–1985
A major voice in 20th-century American music, this composer wrote works of striking complexity and emotional depth while also shaping generations of musicians as a teacher and essayist. His career moved from a more classical early style toward the demanding, richly textured language that made him one of the century’s most respected modernists.
1 Audiobook
Reflections on the Music Life in the United States
by Roger Sessions
About the author
Born in Brooklyn on December 28, 1896, Roger Sessions became one of the most important American composers of his era. He studied at Harvard and Yale, and over time developed a musical language known for its intensity, intricate structure, and serious expressive power.
Sessions did not follow a single style for his whole career. His early music showed a clearer neoclassical influence, but he later moved toward a denser, more chromatic and often twelve-tone approach. Alongside composing, he was also a widely admired teacher and writer on music, helping audiences and students engage with modern composition.
His influence was recognized at the highest level. Sessions received the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1982 for his Concerto for Orchestra, and his long career left a lasting mark on American concert music.