Kay, Ulysses: String Triptych

for String Orchestra

Ulysses Kay favored neoclassical tendencies in his works, featuring lyricism, contrapuntal textures, clear formal designs and a tonal, yet chromatic harmonic vocabulary, all of which are evident in his approachable and elegant String Triptych from 1988. Composed for the Missouri All-State High School String Orchestra, the piece features three contrasting movements, identified as “Lyric, “Cadence,” and “Finale.” Ulysses Kay was a prolific composer, mentored by such distinguished pedagogues as William Grant Still, Howard Hanson, Paul Hindemith and Bernard Rogers. His numerous honors and awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, an American Prix de Rome prize and a Fulbright Scholarship for studies in Europe, and honorary doctorates from Lincoln College, Bucknell University, the University of Arizona and Illinois Wesleyan University.