Composers

Duke Ellington

1899 - 1974

About

Duke Ellington led an illustrious career as a composer, pianist, and bandleader. He is considered by many to be one of America's most brilliant jazz composers of the twentieth century. He performed regularly at the Cotton Club in Harlem, and after World War II toured with his band in Europe regularly, as well as in South America, Asia, and Australia. He also wrote film scores and stage musicals, and several of his instrumental works were adapted into songs that became jazz standards.

Ellington was the recipient of numerous Grammy Awards throughout his career, and in 1959 he was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1964. The city of New York gave him a prize and Yale University awarded him a Doctor of Music degree in 1967; Morgan State and Washington universities also gave him honorary degrees that year. On his seventieth birthday Ellington was honored by President Richard Nixon (1913–1994) at a White House ceremony and was given the Medal of Freedom. In 1970 he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters.

Ellington was the most important composer in the history of jazz and his influence over musicians is as important today as it was during his lifetime.

Related Information

Title	Collection	Voice Type	Range	Poet
Ain't But the One	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice	C4 - Ab5	Composer
Books of the Bible - The New Testament	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice		Composer
Books of the Bible - The Old Testament	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice	Spoken	Composer
Come Sunday	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice	G3 - F5	Composer
David Danced	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice	G3 - Eb5	Composer
In the Beginning God	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice	B3 - F5	Composer
Tell Me It's The Truth	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice		Composer
The Lord's Prayer	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice		Composer
Theme from a New World A - coming	Sacred Concert No. 1	Voice		Composer
Will You Be There?	Sacred Concert No. 1	SATB		Composer

Title	Published	Size	Duration Range	Level	Orchestration
Black, Brown and Beige	Yes	Full Orchestra	20+	Professional	2[1.2/pic] 2[1.2/Eh] 2[1.2/Asx/Bari] 2[1.2/Cbn]-4431- timp-perc(2)-dm-hp-str OR 2[1.2/pic] 1[1/Eh] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2[1.2/Asx]-4331-timp.perc-dmhp-pf-jazz bass-str
Caravan	No	Full Orchestra	Under 5	Professional	Reed1(fl, cl)+reed2(cl, bcl)+reed3(fl, cl)+reed4(Eh)+1111-2330-timp-vib-mbaconga(2)-pf-hp-gtr-str
Ellington Portrait	Yes	Full Orchestra	10-20	Professional	2[1.2/pic] 1[1/Eh] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2[1.2/Asx]-2122-4331-timp-perc(2)- drmkit-hp-pf-jazz bass-str
Grand Slam Jam	No	Full Orchestra	5-10	Professional	23[1.2.3/Eh] 4[1.2.3.4/Bcl] 3[1.2.3./Cbn]-4431-timp-perc(2)-hp-str
Harlem	Yes	Full Orchestra	10-20	Professional	2[1.2/Picc] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2-Asx(2)Tsx(2), Bari-4331- timp-perc(2)-hp-str OR 3[1.2.3/Picc] 2[1.2/Eh] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2-Asx(2), Tsx(2), Bari-3222- 4531-timp-perc(2)-hp-kbd-str
Mood Indigo	No	Chamber	5-10	Professional	Asx(2), Tsx(2), 11[1/Eh]11-0320-dmkit-pf-gtrhp-str OR Asx, Tsx, Bari, 11[1/Eh]11[1/Bcl]-0330-dmkit-pfgtr-hp-st
New World A-Comin'	Yes	Full Orchestra	5-10	Professional	22[Eh]32[Bcl]-4431-timp-perc(2)-pf-jazz bass-str
Night Creature	Yes	Full Orchestra	10-20	Professional	Asx(2), Tsx(2), Bari, 2222[Bcl]-4431-timpperc(2)-hp-str
Nutcracker Suite (After Tchaikovsky)	Yes	Full Orchestra	10-20	Professional	22[1.2/Eh] 3[1.2.3/Bcl] 2-4331-asx/tsx-jazz bass-percstr
Satin Doll	Yes	Full Orchestra	Under 5	Professional	2222-4430-vib-pf-str
Solitude	No	String Orchestra	Under 5	Professional	Hp-cel-str
Sophisticated Lady	No	String Orchestra	Under 5	Professional	Hp-cel-str
The Golden Broom and the Green Apple	No	Full Orchestra	10-20	Professional	3[1.2.3/pic] 3[1.2.3/Eh] 3[1.2.3/Bcl] 3[1.2.3/Cbn]-4441-timp-percdms-hp-str
The River	Yes	Full Orchestra	20+	Professional	2[1.2/pic] 2[1.2/Eh] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2-4331-timp-perc(2)-hp-pfstr
Three Black Kings - ballet	Yes	Full Orchestra	10-20	Professional	3333-4441-timp+2-pf-elec gtr-hp-str