Harry Bulow was born in Des Moines,
Iowa on February 19, 1951 and grew up in Iowa,
Minnesota and California. In his formative
years he studied organ, saxophone, clarinet and
flute. His principal teachers of musical
composition and orchestration include Aaron
Copland, Peter Mennin, Henri Lazarof, Roy
Travis, David Ward-Steinman and Henry
Mancini. His works have received numerous
prizes including 1st Prize at the International
Composers Competition in Trieste, Italy, the
“Oscar Espla” Prize from the city of Alicante,
Spain, and NEA Composer Fellowship and 28
consecutive awards from the American Society
of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He
received a Diploma in Saxophone Performance
from Trinity College of Music in London (1975)
and his bachelor's degree in music education
Iowa on February 19, 1951 and grew up in Iowa,
Minnesota and California. In his formative
years he studied organ, saxophone, clarinet and
flute. His principal teachers of musical
composition and orchestration include Aaron
Copland, Peter Mennin, Henri Lazarof, Roy
Travis, David Ward-Steinman and Henry
Mancini. His works have received numerous
prizes including 1st Prize at the International
Composers Competition in Trieste, Italy, the
“Oscar Espla” Prize from the city of Alicante,
Spain, and NEA Composer Fellowship and 28
consecutive awards from the American Society
of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He
received a Diploma in Saxophone Performance
from Trinity College of Music in London (1975)
and his bachelor's degree in music education
from San Diego State University (1975). Harry Bulow studied music theory and composition at
UCLA, earning his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in 1978 and 1981. His works have been performed by
the San Antonio Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, the Eastman Wind Ensemble,
New England Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble, Moscow National Symphonic Band and the
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Bulow's musical style reveals influences from Witold Lutoslawski,
Karel Husa, Peter Mennin and Henry Mancini. Musically eclectic, his music often includes aspects
of sound-mass composition, minimalism, and American jazz. One of the key elements of his musical
idiom is the integration of jazz and commercial music with more classical and avant-garde oriented
designs. The contemporary problems of fragmentation and brokenness found throughout society are
qualities that the composer has integrated into his music. He was the first to combine the use of
traditional Japanese instruments with the Western wind ensemble. And he developed two new forms
of music, Micro Music and Fracto-Music. Micro-Music is the creation of concise musical art pieces
of short duration. Some works may be as short as 5 seconds (Ex.: "The Pitch" for Band, Announcer,
P.A. System and Data Projector). Fracto music is a form of music where a melody or other musical
parameters such as harmony, rhythm, or timbre, may be broken into small fragmented units and
recombined with itself or other musical structures within a work; a form of musical deconstructionism
(Ex.: "Boulevard Blues" for Two Pianos).
He has appeared as a saxophone soloist with numerous bands and orchestras throughout the United
States including the Honolulu, Santa Barbara, and the San Diego symphony orchestras. He is
Professor of Music and Head of the Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts at Purdue
University.
UCLA, earning his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in 1978 and 1981. His works have been performed by
the San Antonio Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, the Eastman Wind Ensemble,
New England Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble, Moscow National Symphonic Band and the
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Bulow's musical style reveals influences from Witold Lutoslawski,
Karel Husa, Peter Mennin and Henry Mancini. Musically eclectic, his music often includes aspects
of sound-mass composition, minimalism, and American jazz. One of the key elements of his musical
idiom is the integration of jazz and commercial music with more classical and avant-garde oriented
designs. The contemporary problems of fragmentation and brokenness found throughout society are
qualities that the composer has integrated into his music. He was the first to combine the use of
traditional Japanese instruments with the Western wind ensemble. And he developed two new forms
of music, Micro Music and Fracto-Music. Micro-Music is the creation of concise musical art pieces
of short duration. Some works may be as short as 5 seconds (Ex.: "The Pitch" for Band, Announcer,
P.A. System and Data Projector). Fracto music is a form of music where a melody or other musical
parameters such as harmony, rhythm, or timbre, may be broken into small fragmented units and
recombined with itself or other musical structures within a work; a form of musical deconstructionism
(Ex.: "Boulevard Blues" for Two Pianos).
He has appeared as a saxophone soloist with numerous bands and orchestras throughout the United
States including the Honolulu, Santa Barbara, and the San Diego symphony orchestras. He is
Professor of Music and Head of the Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts at Purdue
University.
Harry T. Bulow
