ANTHONY VILLA
Anthony Villa, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, received his M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park where he studied composition under Lawrence Moss and Mark Wilson. His works, written for a variety of instrumental and vocal combinations, including chamber music, works for dance, scores for video productions and compositions incorporating electronic and acoustic instruments, have been performed throughout the Baltimore-Washington area. In March of 1991, he joined the Contemporary Music Forum of Washington as a composer member. Villa is currently Director of Music and recent past Chairman of the Department of Fine Arts at Loyola College in Maryland.
He writes: “Music for Clarinet, Viola, and Marimba (1982) consists of three movements in a fast/slow/fast arrangement. The trio’s harmonic and melodic material make prominent use of minor seconds and sevenths and the tritone. The three instruments in this work were chosen because of their ability to create a variety of timbres and textures in a small ensemble. In terms of timbre, the warmth of the viola, the distinct personalities of the three registers of the clarinet and the percussive nature of the marimba, I believe, made for an attractive combination. Each instrument’s ability to serve as accompanist and soloist allowed for a variety of textures in which each instrument could take the lead in presenting and developing musical material.”
