Paul Fetler

Paul Fetler is an American composer born in 1920. He received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and was taught composition by David Van Vactor. Following his bachelor's, Fetler earned a master's degrees from Yale, and then accepted a position at the University of Minnesota where he obtained his doctorate. In addition to Vactor, Fetler also studied with Paul Hindemith, Quincy Porter, and Boris Blacher, and taught many composers at Minnesota including Eric Stokes, Donald Keats, Michael Schelle, Stephen Paulus, Libby Larsen, and Carol Barnett. See: List of music students by teacher: C to F#Paul Fetler.

Fetler's style is atypical of the well-known composers of the 20th century. Fetler's music, as he has described it, is “the merger of listener and music.” Few recordings of Fetler's music exist, though in 2009, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra released an album of Fetler pieces. Works include Fetler's Three Poems by Walt Whitman, Capriccio, and Violin Concerto no. 2.

Three Poems by Walt Whitman, scored for orchestra and narrator, is described as “delicate and sometimes languid but essentially reflective and thoughtful.” The 2nd movement is an exception and is described as “lear in the storm hysteria” by reviewer Bret Johnson.

Fetler's 2nd violin concerto focuses on the interaction of the soloist with the orchestra rather than technical virtuosity, allowing for rich harmonies and thoroughly developed ideas. The challenge to the soloist and ensemble is to set an ethereal and mysterious scene. There is a slight similarity to the Samuel Barber Violin Concerto.

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