(b. 17 November 1952, Vancouver, British Columbia).
Canadian composer of mostly stage, chamber, vocal, and multimedia works that have been performed in Europe and North America.
Mr. Butterfield studied as a chorister with Sir David Willcocks at King's College, Cambridge from 1961–66. He later studied composition with Rudolf Komorous at the University of Victoria in British Columbia from 1969–75 and with Bülent Arel at the State University of New York at Stony Brook from 1975–77.
He teaches composition at the University of Victoria.
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
Dust Pastures (dance music, choreography by Christine Chin), fixed media, 1984
Transparencies (dance music, choreography by Grant Strate), fixed media, 1986
Homework (choreography by Lin Snelling), sound installation, 1987
Intertête (dance music, choreography by Benoît Lachambre), E-flat clarinet, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, bass guitar, synthesizer, vibraphone (+ xylophone), fixed media, 1988
the vacant goddess (music for image-opera by Thom Sokoloski), 1989
The Dumbfounding (dance music, text by T. S. Eliot, choreography by Jennifer Mascall), 6 voices, fixed media, 1990
The Light at the End of the Tunnel May Be the Other Train Coming towards You (dance music, choreography by Jennifer Mascall), fixed media, 1990
Superjack (dance music, choreography by Benoît Lachambre), electric guitar, fixed media, 1990
The Inner Sea (multimedia work, choreography by Benoît Lachambre), sound installation, 1990
Project for an Opera of the Twentieth Century: something that happened once and it is very interesting (libretto by John Bentley Mays), 9 voices, piano, 1986–93 (three sections may be performed separately as concert works: Fragment; Incipit; Act I, Scenes 1–2; also version as Zürich 1916 [music drama in 13 scenes], 9 voices, small orchestra [16 players], 1995–98)
Incessant (dance music, choreography by Jennifer Mascall), bass clarinet, violin, percussion, 1994
ORCHESTRAL:
belladonna from maccabaeus canoe, 1999
Monument for Cage, 2000
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Music for Klein and Beuys, melodica, bass recorder, harp, tenor banjo, violin, double bass, percussion, 1987
Eating and Sleeping, flute, French horn, 1987
Flamingo Limo, Baroque flute, vibraphone, 1988
Garden Truck with option, Baroque flute, Baroque violin, viola da gamba, amplified clavichord, percussion, 1989
The Mechanics of Desire, piccolo (+ flute), bassoon, 2 French horns, 3 violins, cello, 1990
Primal Union of the Philosophical Infant with the Maternal Breast and Womb, E-flat clarinet, B-flat trumpet, 1990
Lullaby, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, 1991
Beuys the wounded Stuka pilot, ocarina, clarinet (+ melodica), trumpet, hurdy-gurdy, toy piano (+ birdcall, toy trumpet), reed organ, 1991
Empress of Russia, clarinet, trumpet, double bass, piano, 2 percussion, 1991
Catalogue, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1991
Arrangement of Morden, E-flat clarinet (+ bass clarinet), trumpet, double bass, piano, vibraphone, marimba, 1992
beach whistle (drowning in the sea of love), cello, 1993
Quintet/Dear Stalin, tuba, guitar, piano, accordion, percussion, 1994
Souvenir, piccolo (+ flute), alto flute, A-clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, fixed media, 1995
Philadelphia, guitar, double bass, harmonium, 1996
Philadelphia, guitar, harmonium, 1996
Crusader, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello, double bass, piano, 1996
computer felicity church, bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1996
Philadelphia, guitar, violin, double bass, harmonium, 1997
prayer/valve, harp, viola, darabukka (goblet drum from the Middle East), 1997
Quick thinking about the movement of trains, English horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, Ondes Martenot, percussion, 1999
Clinamen, violin, 1999
Four Short Pieces for Violin and Piano, 1999
Praeludium e Fantasia sul B. A. C. H., clarinet, violin, viola, piano, 2000
VOCAL:
Five Songs (texts by Rudolf Arnheim, Guy Debord, Thomas von Hartmann), 2 tenors, vibraphone, bongos, 1983
Incipit, voice, bass guitar, 3 synthesizers, drum machine, 1986 (section of Project for an Opera of the Twentieth Century: something that happened once and it is very interesting; may be performed separately as a concert work; also version for voice, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, bass guitar, 3 synthesizers, xylophone, drum machine, percussion, 1988)
Act I, Scenes 1–2, soprano, tenor, clarinet, B-flat trumpet, violin, double bass, piano, percussion, 1988 (section of Project for an Opera of the Twentieth Century: something that happened once and it is very interesting; may be performed separately as a concert work)
Fragment, voice, jazz orchestra, 1988 (section of Project for an Opera of the Twentieth Century: something that happened once and it is very interesting; may be performed separately as a concert work)
from Orpheus (text by John Bentley Mays), tenor, bass, piano, 1989
Jappements à la lune (text by Claude Gauvreau), mezzo-soprano, 9 players, 1990
PIANO:
She was beautiful II, 1979
Spring Fever, 2 pianos, 1979
Pillar of Snails, 1984–87
Souvenir, 1995
Sonata, 1995
For Linda C. Smith, 1995
MULTIMEDIA/PERFORMANCE:
Dark Set (text by the composer), voice, fixed media, 1978
Trotsky in Amherst (text by Leon Trotsky), voice, harpsichord, transistor radio, fixed media, 1978
My World as I Remember It, Part 1 (outdoor installation, text by the composer), loudspeaker, fixed media, 1979
My World as I Remember It, Part 3 (wall installation [with loudspeaker]), 8-millimetre film (with soundtrack Garbage), 1980 (as 'Isabel Foote')
My World as I Remember It, Part 4 (multimedia work, text by the composer), fixed media, drawing on a wall, 1980
Killing off the Past (performance piece, text by the composer), speaker (with eggs), 1980
Lecture (performance piece, text by the composer), speaker, bassoon, fixed media, oscillators, 1982
Music for Firing Squad (performance piece), electronic organ, fixed media, 1983
20 Secrets (multimedia work, text by the composer), speaker, fixed media, film, 1983
ARRANGEMENTS:
Seven Songs by Sylvia Tyson, voice, orchestra, 1985
3 Nocturnes (Erik Satie), string quartet, 1996
DISCOGRAPHY
Flamingo Limo. Elissa Poole, Baroque flute; Richard Sacks, vibraphone (Artifact Music, 1991)
Music for Klein and Beuys; Pillar of Snails. Schwitters/Butterfield (independent, 1992 [reissued on Artifact Music, 1997])
Empress of Russia. Arraymusic (Artifact Music, 1993)
Jappements à la lune. Fides Krucker, mezzo-soprano; Vancouver New Music Ensemble (CBC Records: 119798, 1997)