The American composer and teacher David Diamond (born 1915) wrote in a wide variety of styles and in virtually every medium. The strength of his music lies in its imposing formal design and its serious expression, which is, however, not without lyrical warmth and romanticism.

David Diamond was born in Rochester, New York, on July 9, 1915. He was the son of Austrian-Polish Jewish immigrants who could not afford to cultivate the musical aptitude that he showed from about the age of six. Fortunately, the young boy's abilities also impressed others who were in a better position to help him. At a public school in Rochester he received a violin and free lessons, and in 1927, when the family moved to Cleveland, André de Ribaupierre taught him violin and theory without remuneration at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Upon returning to Rochester in 1929 Diamond entered the preparatory department of the Eastman...