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Frank Lewin- March 27,1925 -- January 18, 2008.
It is with deep sorrow that we report the passing of composer Frank Lewin, who died at his home in Princeton, NJ on January 18, 2008. He was 82 years old. Born in Breslau, Germany, Lewin came to America by way of Cuba in 1940 after his parents fled Nazi Germany in 1939.

Lewin studied with a number of noted composers during his University years, including Felix Dayo, Jack Kilpatrick, Roy Harris, and Paul Hindemith. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Yale University in 1951, and returned there to teach composition as a professor at the Yale School of Music from 1971 to 1992. His academic career came to an end a few years later when he lost his sight. He continued to be involved with music through 2007, producing six CD masters of his music for Albany Records.

Lewin appreciated the potential of the new violin family and composed some of the earliest works written for the full octet, including an arrangement of the Sanctus and Pleni Sunt Coeli from the Mass L’Homme Arme by Palestrina. Original works included the Dramatic Suite for New Violins, scored for the lower six instruments of the family, and the Introduction on a Psalm Tune, which many have called a “masterpiece in miniature.” These pieces appeared first on vinyl discs from the Musical Heritage Society in 1979, and were subsequently remastered by Lewin and former NVFA President RJ Miller for a CD released by the New Violin Family in 2004.