There it was staring me in the face: Jack Beeson had died. I saw it when I clicked over to NewMusicBox.org. I had just seen Jack at the American Music Center awards barely a month ago, and so it goes.

There is very fine obituary by Tony Tommasini that appeared in today’s New York Times.

I had the great good fortune of getting to know Jack Beeson early on in my tenure at the American Music Center. He was someone whom had been closely associated with the AMC for many, many years and had loved the organization. Right from my earliest days as executive director, Jack reached out to me to offer support, reminding me that the Alice M. Ditson Fund, for whom he was long-term chair, had for many years provided extra help to the AMC during tough financial times.

The care that Jack had for organizations such as the AMC and the old Composers Recordings Inc., connected Jack to a generation of composers who cared deeply for their colleagues and worked hard to advance the field for others. Included with Jack Beeson in this regard are Aaron Copland, Otto Luening, Douglas Moore, and others. These were composers who helped to create organizations by and for their fellow artists, in the days when there were few such organizations. His work in this respect extended to his years guiding the Ditson Fund, the Columbia University Opera Project, and work his many years with the Pulitzer Prize music committee. He was a man who built things.

Primarily known as an opera composer, which considering long periods of drought in the 20th century for American operas premiered by American opera companies, says quite a bit about his work. Of course, his composition extended well beyond opera, to most other forms, including symphonic, chamber, band, etc.

If you take a good look at his composition, particularly his choice of material for opera, you will see an obvious leaning towards American subjects. He was, after all, straight from the Midwest: Muncie, Indiana.

Here’s a list of audio links from his music publisher: Boosey and Hawkes.

Jack Beeson was a smart, funny, and extremely straightforward guy. The only composition student of Bela Bartok during his life in America, Jack was a stand–up guy that could be counted on. I consider myself lucky to have known the man, a quintessential American composer.

As I remember Jack, I think also of the end of the first act of Lizzie Borden, an opera I would encourage you all to experience. The end of the first act is one of the most electric, jaw dropping moments I have ever experienced in opera. The work propels itself to the end of that act and leaves you just frozen for a moment. Absolutely brilliant.

The last time I saw Lizzie Borden, I attended a pre-performance dinner at the New York City Opera. At the table was Jack Beeson and Arthur Miller. I remember thinking to myself, wow!, two great, American artists.

Rest in peace, Jack Beeson.