Gunther Schuller, Pulitzer Prize Winner and Third Stream Innovator, Dies at 89

Gunther Schuller, a Pulitzer-prize winning composer and leading proponent of the Third Stream movement that synergized jazz and classical, died Sunday in Boston. He was 89 years old.

His son, Ed Schuller, stated that his father died on Sunday morning at a hospital in Boston, Mass., where he was treated for various medical conditions.

The cause of death stemmed from complications with leukemia, said his personal assistant, Jennique Horrigan.

His son, Ed, also commented, "He was a great musician. I loved him and we will miss him."

He continued, "He had a great life, he lived his dream."

A French horn prodigy, Mr. Gunther Schuller established himself as a wide-ranging musician rooting himself in both classical and jazz. Born in New York on Nov. 22, 1925, Schuller grew up in a musical household, with his father playing violin in the New York Philharmonic for more than four decades.

However, in 1932, Schuller was shipped off to a boarding school in Germany and remained there for four years. The experience led to the loss of his left eye in a knife fight accident and forced him to enroll in the Nazis' Hitler Youth.

His parents promptly pulled him out of school shortly thereafter.

Mr. Schuller returned with his mother to New York in 1936 and was enrolled in the choir school of St. Thomas Church. Soon after, Schuller would gain notoriety as a good French horn player in his teen years, allowing him to drop out of school at age 16.

Performing for the American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera and so on, Mr. Schuller built a name for himself across the nation and ultimately achieved global fame by winning the Pulitzer Prize for his work Of Reminiscences and Reflections in 1994.

With the Metropolitan Opera, too, he served as principal until 1959 and published his first book, Horn Technique--originally published in 1962--that still remains as a standard text.

As a composer, Mr. Schuller was self-taught but rediscovered a new musical genre by bridging the gap between classical and jazz. He would describe of himself later on as "a high school dropout without a single earned degree."

Mr. Schuller leaves a strong legacy with his lifetime work as a pioneer in music.

Our condolences to Mr. Schuller's family and loved ones.

Remember him fondly below.