Sessions, Roger Huntington

American twentieth century composer Roger Huntington Sessions (1896-1985) wrote music of strong emotional content. Although neo-classical strains reappear, his later works were dominated by atonality. His first major work was The Black Maskers: Suite. His Violin Concerto was more chromatic while his Symphony No. 3 was built on the twelve note technique. He received many honors, including a special Pulitzer Prize for life's work and the Pulitzer for music in 1982 for his final composition, Concerto for Orchestra.