Here is the NY Times obit. of Perle by Allan Kozinn.
I didn't know him personally but his books were important in the development of my approach to composition and analysis. Don't get me wrong -- my music sounds nothing like his. It's just something about the way that he thought that has crept into my methodology.
His books are staples of graduate work in music: Serial Composition and Atonality, Twelve-Tone Tonality and The Operas of Alban Berg are the most well-known. My personal favorite is The Listening Composer.
My little homage to George Perle is today's canon (which I'll probably expand into a larger work at some point.)
I based it loosely on a 12-rone row that was the basis of one of his string quartets. It is a canon in retrograde with the row in the first half of the right hand part and its retrograde in the second half of the left hand part.
I the ornamentation is free (i.e. non-canonic).
(click on image to enlarge)
I find Perle to be one of the most expressive of the "12 tone" composers (whatever that name really means). The best tribute to a composer is to listen to his music. I'll spend some time with Perle's this evening.
Alex Ross has posted a movement of Perle's Serenade #3 on his blog.
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