W. A. Mathieu

William Allaudin Mathieu (b. 1937) — pianist, composer, author, and teacher — is one of the most influential musicians of his generation. He has composed a large variety of chamber pieces, choral works, and song cycles. His solo piano albums include Streaming Wisdom, In The Wind, Available Light, Narratives, Three Compositions for Piano, and Songs of Samsara. He has written and recorded several song cycle settings of poetry, including Say I Am You, Rumi & Strings, and The Indian Parrot. Duet, trio, and ensemble recordings include This Marriage, Game/No Game, The Bloom, and The Ghost Opera. Mathieu's four books on music are – Bridge of Waves: What Music Is and How Listening to It Changes the World – The Listening Book: Discovering Your Own Music – The Musical Life: Reflections on What It Is and How to Live It – Harmonic Experience: Tonal Harmony from Its Natural Origins to Its Modern Expression For 25 years, Mathieu was a disciple of North Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath. He studied with composers William Russo and Easley Blackwood, and collaborated with Nubian master musician Hamza El Din. In the 1960s, he spent several years as an arranger and composer for Stan Kenton and Duke Ellington Orchestras, and was the musical director for the Second City Theater in Chicago (which he helped found) and for the Committee Theater in San Francisco. In the 1970s, he served on the faculties of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Mills College. In 1969 he founded the Sufi Choir, which he directed until 1982. Mathieu now devotes himself to practice, performance, recording, composition, teaching, and writing from his home near Sebastopol, California. Mathieu's website is ColdMountainMusic.com