A point of encounter
1924—1979
Composer · Singer · Educator
United States
20th century · Modernism
Overview
Julia Perry’s early musical training embraced singing, piano and violin before composition took her from the United States to study in Europe. She worked with Luigi Dallapiccola in Italy and Nadia Boulanger in France, supported by Guggenheim fellowships, and later taught after returning home. Stabat Mater brought her international attention while she was still in her twenties. Her catalogue extended far beyond that work into orchestral, chamber and dramatic music. Much remained unpublished, making each documented performance or recovered score an opportunity to encounter a wider creative life rather than reduce her achievement to a single surviving success.
[1][2][3]Cultural context
African American concert music; training and professional connections in the United States, Italy and France.
Musical Language
Perry’s Stabat Mater places an expressive solo voice against the concentrated resources of a string orchestra. Its ten connected sections move through changing dramatic perspectives, joining chant-like melodic writing with modern harmonic tension. This early work makes the relationship between voice, instrumental restraint and emotional intensity a clear starting point, without standing in for the variety of her entire catalogue.[1][2][3]
A point of encounter
A few paths into the music. Follow a recording, a score, or the composer’s catalogue.
01 / Recording
Hear Makiko Asakura with the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by William Strickland.
Official label reissue NWCRL133 contains the named performance and track audio controls. Original CRI recording is not copied or rehosted.
Explore the New World Records release — External website; opens in a new tabSelected works
1 / 1 · Selected Works — not a complete catalogue.
| Work | Year & catalogue | Forces & genre | Resources & verification |
|---|---|---|---|
Stabat Mater | 1951 | Contralto and string orchestra Sacred vocal work |
A dash indicates that a date has not been established in this selection. External resources may have access or regional conditions.
Research
Original editorial summaries, checked against the sources below. Linked catalogues and recordings remain with their publishers and archives.
Specialist resource
Nashville Symphony — Julia Perry: Stabat Mater; notes by Thomas May — External website; opens in a new tabResearch institution
The Orchestra Now, Bard College — Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater — External website; opens in a new tabSpecialist resource
New World Records — Moore / Perry — External website; opens in a new tabLast reviewed: