ABSTRACT
Jerome Moross (1913–83) is perhaps best known as the composer of the Academy Award–nominated score for The Big Country (1958), an innovative score whose large orchestral conception and assimilation of popular music idioms transformed the way in which Westerns were accompanied. But for Moross film scoring was primarily a means for supporting his musical composition outside the cinematic realm. Moross’s first love was the theatre, and he dedicated most of his career to seeking new ways to challenge audiences with hybrid forms that anticipated the integrated musical; late in his career he turned to writing for such small ensembles as clarinet sextet, brass and woodwind quintets, and piano duets combined with string quartet. This chapter surveys Moross’s theatrical and chamber music compositions, highlighting his nonconformist approach. It includes commentary from the composer gleaned from Moross’s correspondence, published articles, and recorded interviews.
