Virgil Thomson(1896-1989)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
One of the driving forces, both as critic and musician, of 20th century
American music, Thomson studied music at both Harvard University and
elsewhere in the Boston area before moving to Paris to study with Nadia
Boulanger in 1921. After spending a short time in his native land, he
returned to Paris and remained there until 1940, working with many of
the major composers, writers, and artists of the period, most
significantly Gertrude Stein, with whom he wrote the opera "Four Saints
in Three Acts" (1927-28). Upon returning to the US, Thomson became the
music critic for the NY Herald-Tribune, earning himself a Pulitzer
Prize in Music for his score for the film Louisiana Story (1948). Hated by many in the
music world for his acerbic criticism, Thomson nevertheless won
numerous accolades, including the Legion d'honneur (1947) and the
Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievement (1983).
