Gerald Busby
Gerald Busby | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 16, 1935 Tyler, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Known for | 3 Women (film), Runes (dance) |
Gerald Busby (born December 16, 1935) is an American composer.
Biography
[edit]Busby was born in Tyler, Texas, United States.[a] He studied piano as a child, playing with the Houston Symphony when he was 15 years old.[1] He attended Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he studied music in college, but once graduated, began working as a traveling salesman.[1] At the age of 40, he had an "epiphany" and began to compose, a direction that surprised him.[2]
In 1977, with the assistance of composer Virgil Thomson, Busby moved to the Hotel Chelsea in New York City, where he has written most of his work.[1] Living at the Hotel Chelsea brought him into contact with numerous cultural figures. One of them was dancer Rudolf Nureyev and his then-partner Wallace Potts.
Potts gave choreographer Paul Taylor a recording of Busby's music, which led to Busby writing the score for Taylor's dance Runes.[1] Regarding his scores for Paul Taylor's dance Runes and Robert Altman's film 3 Women, Busby said: "Those two pieces are acknowledged as masterpieces, so that I know they'll last beyond me. ... Not because what I did was a masterpiece, but I was part of it."[2]
In 1985, Busby was diagnosed with HIV, as was his partner Samuel Byers. Byers died on December 14, 1993; the couple had been together for 18 years. "Sam's death was just unbearable...He lost his mind and withered away. I was there the whole time with him and taking care of him, so I just went nuts."[2] After a bout of depression and drug addiction, Busby became sober and began composing again.
In 2007, his monthly income amounted to $658 from Social Security, $78 in disability payments, and $156 in food stamps. Income from his music was undependable; in a good month he could get $1,000, or nothing. The New York Times described him as one of its "most neediest cases".[2] Through the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Busby was able to receive $754.96 for digitizing recordings originally made on perishable cassette tape.[2]
Despite being HIV positive, he has claimed that his immune system has regenerated, something he attributes to his daily practice of reiki.[1] As of 2015, he continued to live at the Hotel Chelsea.[1]
His memoir Getting Saved: Coming Out as a Gay Man and a Composer [memoir] by Gerald Busby is scheduled to be released in January 2027 by Finishing Line Press.[3]
Notes and references
[edit]Notes
- ↑ In the interview with Adam Gopnik, he indicated that there was a Baptist minister as part of his growing up.[relevant?]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gopnik 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Rehrmann 2007.
- ↑ Busby, Gerald (September 21, 2026). "Finishing Line Press Author Page: Gerald Busby". Finishing Line Press.
Sources
[edit]- Gopnik, Adam (June 15, 2015). "The Last Living Bohemian in Chelsea Tells All". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- Rehrmann, Alexis (December 16, 2007). "Back from the Edge, and Living His Life Note by Note". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
Further reading
[edit]- Lucas, Craig (Winter 1997). "Gerald Busby". Bomb. Vol. 58. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Gerald Busby at IMDb
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1935 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American classical composers
- 20th-century American male composers
- 20th-century American LGBTQ people
- 20th-century people from New York (state)
- 20th-century people from Texas
- 21st-century American classical composers
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people
- 21st-century people from New York (state)
- 21st-century people from Texas
- American ballet composers
- American LGBTQ composers
- American gay musicians
- American male film score composers
- American film score composers
- Classical musicians from New York (state)
- Classical musicians from Texas
- Composers from New York City
- LGBTQ classical composers
- LGBTQ people from New York (state)
- LGBTQ people from Texas
- Musicians from Manhattan
- Musicians from Tyler, Texas
- People from Chelsea, Manhattan
- Reiki practitioners
- Yale University alumni
- 21st-century American male composers