Randall Thompson

Thompson received his training at Harvard, the University of Rochester, and the University of Pennsylvania. Distinction marked his professional years, during which he taught at numerous respected universities and received more honors than can be catalogued. He remains known above all for choral works created on commission or for particular occasions. These pieces rely on diatonic harmony, adopt a generally grave and devotional tone, and reveal his sensitivity to language, allowing the music to follow the natural contours of each text.