20 Facts About Gunther Schuller

Gunther Alexander Schuller was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician.

Gunther Schuller studied at the Saint Thomas Choir School and became an accomplished French horn player and flute player.

But, already a high school dropout because he wanted to play professionally, Schuller never obtained a degree from any institution.

Gunther Schuller began his career in jazz by recording as a horn player with Miles Davis.

Gunther Schuller became an enthusiastic advocate of this style and wrote many works according to its principles, among them Transformation, Concertino, Abstraction, and Variants on a Theme of Thelonious Monk utilizing Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman.

Gunther Schuller orchestrated Scott Joplin's only known surviving opera Treemonisha for the Houston Grand Opera's premiere production of this work in 1975.

In 1959, Gunther Schuller largely gave up performance to devote himself to composition, teaching and writing.

Gunther Schuller conducted internationally and studied and recorded jazz with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and John Lewis among many others.

Gunther Schuller wrote over 190 original compositions in many musical genres.

Gunther Schuller recorded the LP Country Fiddle Band with the Conservatory's country fiddle band, released by Columbia Records in 1976.

Gunther Schuller was the author of two major books on the history of jazz, Early Jazz and The Swing Era.

Gunther Schuller's students included Irwin Swack, Ralph Patt, John Ferritto, Eric Alexander Hewitt, Mohammed Fairouz, Gitta Steiner, Oliver Knussen, Nancy Zeltsman, Riccardo Dalli Cardillo and hundreds of others.

From 1993 until his death, Gunther Schuller served as Artistic Director for the Northwest Bach Festival in Spokane, Washington state.

At the 2010 festival, Gunther Schuller conducted the Mass in B minor at St John's Cathedral, sung by the Bach Festival Chorus, composed of professional singers in Eastern Washington, and the BachFestival, composed of members of the Spokane Symphony and others.

Gunther Schuller then served as Music Director from 1984 to 1985 and later regularly appeared as a guest conductor.

Gunther Schuller served as Artistic Director to the nearby Festival at Sandpoint.

In 2012, Gunther Schuller premiered a new arrangement, the Treemonisha suite from Joplin's opera.

Gunther Schuller died on June 21,2015 in Boston, from complications from leukemia.

Gunther Schuller married Marjorie Black, a singer and pianist, in 1948.

Gunther Schuller's sons survive him, as does his brother Edgar.