EXTREMES
– The composer represented in the Living Composers Project ('LCP') who was born the earliest is Leo Ornstein, who was born in or near 1893. He is also the only composer to have lived in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The composer represented in the LCP with a confirmed birth date who was born the earliest is Jenő Takács, who was born in September 1902.
– The composer represented in the LCP who was born the latest is currently John Franek, who was born in 1996.
– The composer represented in the LCP who lived the longest is probably also Leo Ornstein, but among composers with a confirmed birth date, it is Elliott Carter. However, H. Owen Reed, Jenő Takács and Julien-François Zbinden all also celebrated their 103rd birthday.
– The composer represented in the LCP who lived the shortest is Andrew Yin Svoboda.
– The composer represented in the LCP who is currently the oldest is Kirke Mechem, who is 97 years old. Until his death in 2021, Julien-François Zbinden was, at 103 years old, the only composer in the LCP older than 100.
– The composer who was first to be represented in the LCP was either Beth Anderson or Arnold Rosner. Each one 'joined' the database several months before the website existed.
– The country that has the most number of composers represented in the LCP is the USA, with the UK in second place and Germany in third place.
– The countries that have the least number of composers represented in the LCP are Algeria, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Congo (Kinshasa), Guatemala, Jamaica, Montenegro, Morocco, Nigeria, and the Sudan, all tied at one composer per country. Of course, several countries have no composer yet represented.
– The letter with the most number of composers represented in the LCP is S, with B in second place and M in third place.
– The letter with the least number of composers represented in the LCP is X.
– The surname with the most number of occurrences among composers represented in the LCP is Smith, with ten. Runners-up are Baker and García/Garcia, both with nine. Following are Brown, Kim and Lee, each with eight; Chen, Hall, Wang, Williams, and Young, all of which have seven; and Chan, Harrison, López/Lopez, and Wilson, each of which has six.
– The year of birth among composers represented in the LCP that recurs most often is currently a tie between 1953 and 1956, with 1960 in third place, 1954 in fourth place and 1971 in fifth place.
– The year of birth of one composer, Steve Martland, has changed posthumously, from 1958 or sometimes 1959 in his lifetime to 1954 now.
– The year with the greatest number of deaths among composers represented in the LCP is 2021, with 41, though 2019 is directly behind with 39. Following are 2022, with 36, and 2020, with 35, then 2017 and 2018, each with 34, and not far behind is 2016, with 31.
– The year with the least number of deaths among composers represented in the LCP is currently 2001 and 2004, both with 12.
– Though composers born in all years from 1910–92 are represented in the LCP, there is an exception: no composer represented was born in 1914.
FAMILIES
– Five sets of siblings are represented in the LCP: Marcin Łukaszewski and Paweł Łukaszewski; Daniel Luzko and Nancy Luzko; Colin Matthews and David Matthews; Hannes Pohlit and Stefan Pohlit; and Mohammed Uthman Sidiq and Zaid Uthman Sidiq.
– Seventeen pairs of parent and child are represented in the LCP: John Adams and Samuel Adams; Jacob Avshalomov and David Avshalomov; Vytautas Barkauskas and Vytautas V. Barkauskas; George Crumb and David Crumb; Norman Dello Joio and Justin Dello Joio; Jack Gallagher and Ryan Gallagher; Marin Goleminov and Michail Goleminov; Vytautas Jurgutis and Vytautas V. Jurgutis; György Ligeti and Lukas Ligeti; Henri Pousseur and Denis Pousseur; Gwyn Pritchard and Alwynne Pritchard; John Ritchie and Anthony Ritchie; Anatoly Varelas and Dmitry Varelas; Peter Wettstein and Martin Wettstein; Felix Yanov-Yanovsky and Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky; Alexander Zhurbin and Lev Zhurbin; and Ramon Zupko and Mischa Zupko.
– Two composers have both parents represented in the LCP: Alissa Firsova (Dmitri N. Smirnov and Elena Firsova); and Roman Vlad (Ulpiu Vlad and Marina-Marta Vlad).
MISCELLANEOUS
– Two sets of composers represented in the LCP are known professionally by the same name, Emily Hall (b. 1976, Canada) and Emily Hall (b. 1978, UK) and John Hawkins (b. 1944 – d. 2007, Canada) and John Hawkins (b. 1949, UK).
More tidbits to follow!