Of course, no sooner do I declare a composer’s music as ‘original’, than does that same composer get accused of being a musical plagiarist. I claim no responsibility! I’m not sure how much validity there is to the assertions of two Eugene music authorities (writer and critic Tom Manoff and UO trumpet faculty Brian McWhorter) that Osvaldo Golijov ripped off a composition of fellow composer (and actual musical collaborator) Michael Ward-Bergeman. Golijov himself has used large chunks of his own material in subsequent compositions (such as sections from his 2003 Tenebrae for string quartet that was reworked and incorporated into his 2006 cello concerto, Azul). It seems to be a matter of lack of attribution (though the tune used by Golijov was attributed to Ward-Bergeman. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Seems a little bit like a tempest in a teapot.
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