Born in Washington, D.C., Bill Rust writes and records music that reflects his early years as a self-taught rock ’n’ roll guitarist and his subsequent academic education in music. His original instrumentals feature snarling electric guitars (both forward and backward), classic rock keyboards, otherworldly effects, and imitative counterpoint.
After an undistinguished career playing in teen bands and working in record stores, Bill entered George Washington University, where he learned a great deal about musical coherence, development, and form from the late Robert Parris. An extraordinary musician and a well-respected composer, Bob was an inspiring teacher for those who could endure his occasionally gruff manner. A raised eyebrow at the piano while effortlessly sight-reading a student’s “composition” was one of his more effective pedagogic techniques.
Graduating in 1977, Bill entered a PhD program in music theory at Yale University. Although he completed his first-semester courses with honors, it soon became clear that Yale and he had erred in assessing his promise as a musical scholar. In short, Yale’s approach to music theory was a little too theoretical for him. He believed that analyzing music should be a means for becoming a better composer, performer, or listener. As an end in itself, music theory was of no interest to him. During his second semester at Yale, he abruptly dropped out. A subsequent year of graduate study with Bob Parris enriched his musical life but did little to boost his prospects for making a living from music.
Benefiting from excellent undergraduate instruction in nonfiction writing, Bill then began a long and checkered career as a journalist, an author, and an editorial hack for foundations and corporations. When discussing his editorial work, he is fond of quoting the German author Paul Thomas Mann: “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” (For information about Bill’s books, visit beforethequagmire.com).
A turning point in Bill’s ongoing musical endeavors occurred in 1991, when he purchased an Apple Mac Classic personal computer (4 MB of RAM and a 40 MB hard drive). Using music-notation software, he was able to print out a fine-looking score for a three-voice fugue he had written in college. More importantly, he was astonished to discover that the notation program correctly played back the notes in the score. The sounds were wretched and lifeless, but the promise of such technology was breathtaking.
Since 2008, Bill has lived and been making music in the Berkshires region of western Massachusetts.
Bagatelles & Such 