John Barnes Chance (November 20, 1932–August 16, 1972) was a composer, born in Beaumont, Texas. Chance studied composition with Clifton Williams at the University of Texas, Austin, and is best known for his concert band works, which include Variations on a Korean Folk Song, Incantation and Dance, and Blue Lake Overture. Many of his works are written for young musicians, particularly those written between 1960 and 1962, when he was composer-in-residence in the Greensboro, North Carolina public school system--specifically at Greensboro Senior High School (now Grimsley Senior High School) under the supervision of Herbert Hazelman--as part of the Ford Foundation Young Composers Project. Before he became a full-time composer, Chance played timpani with the Austin Symphony and later was an arranger for the Fourth and Eighth U.S. Army bands. Chance taught at the University of Kentucky from 1966 until his death by electrocution (in a bizarre gardening accident) in 1972. He and his wife Linda had two children.
Works
- Symphony No. 1, orchestra (1956)
- Overture to a Fairy Tale, orchestra (1957)
- Credo, trumpet and piano (1959)
- Incantation and Dance, concert band (1960)
- Fiesta! orchestra (1960)
- Satiric Suite, string orchestra (1961)
- Blessed are They that Mourn, from Biblical text, chorus, horn, strings, and percussion (1961)
- The Noiseless, Patient Spider, text from Walt Whitman, female choir and flutes (1961)
- Alleluia, chorus and concert band (1962)
- 3 Songs, text e. e. cummings, soprano, flute, and piano (1962)
- Ballad and March, on American traditional text, chorus and concert band (1962)
- Introduction and Capriccio, wind ensemble with piano (1966)
- Variations on a Korean Folk Song, concert band (1967)
- Kyrie and Alleluia, chorus and orchestra (1967)
- Blue Lake Overture, concert band (1971)
- Elegy, concert band (1972)
- Symphony no. 2, wind ensemble (1972)
- Burletta, a chromatic piece
Note: This list of works is incomplete.
References
- Raoul F. Camus: "John Barnes Chance", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy. Accessed 27 Mar 05.
- Program Notes, Community Band of Brevard
