Virgil Thomson
1896 – 1989

Virgil Thomson

American composer and critic (1896–1989)

journalistfilm score composermusic criticconductorcomposer
Born
1896-11-25, Kansas City
Died
1989-09-30
Birthplace state
Missouri

Biography

Virgil Thomson was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. He has been described as a modernist, a neoromantic, a neoclassicist, and a composer of "an Olympian blend of humanity and detachment" whose "expressive voice was always carefully muted" until his late opera Lord Byron which, in contrast to all his previous work, exhibited an emotional content that rises to "moments of real passion".

Occupation

Virgil Thomson is recorded as a journalist, a film score composer, a music critic, a conductor and a composer, born in Missouri (1896–1989).

Connections to Missouri

Virgil Thomson was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1896. Explore other notable figures from Missouri, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

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More notable figures from Missouri

Other historical figures born in Missouri, ranked by historical prominence.

Mark Twain
Mark Twain
American author and humorist (1835–1910)
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
president of the United States from 1945 to 1953; politician (1884–1972)
T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
US-British poet (1888–1965)
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
American poet, author, and civil rights activist (1928–2014)
Edwin Hubble
Edwin Hubble
American astronomer (1889–1953)
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
American author and aeronautical engineer (1907–1988)
Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie
American writer and lecturer (1888-1955)

Frequently asked about Virgil Thomson

Who was Virgil Thomson?
Virgil Thomson was American composer and critic (1896–1989), born in Missouri (1896 – 1989).
When and where was Virgil Thomson born?
Virgil Thomson was born on 1896-11-25 in Kansas City.
When did Virgil Thomson die?
Virgil died on 1989-09-30.
What was Virgil Thomson known for?
Virgil Thomson is recorded as a journalist, a film score composer, a music critic, a conductor and a composer.
Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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