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2012 in review: Notable deaths in classical music and dance

Composer Elliott Carter, shown at his New York home in 2008. The renowned composer, 103, was one of several notable classical-music figures who died in 2012.
Composer Elliott Carter, shown at his New York home in 2008. The renowned composer, 103, was one of several notable classical-music figures who died in 2012.
(Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)
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The fields of classical music and dance lost several great names in 2012, including notable composers, prominent ballet dancers and virtuoso musicians.

Elliott Carter, the titan of new music, died in November at 103. The innovative composer was considered one of the greatest musical talents of the last 100 years.

His compositions weren’t always accessible by general audiences, but his influence in the field of composition was immeasurable.

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Best of 2012: Jazz | Art | Theater | Dance | Classical music

A month after Carter’s death, his colleague and friend Charles Rosen -- the pianist and writer -- died at 85. The author of “The Classical Style” was an intellectual and a musician -- a highly respected cultural figure whose career spanned multiple disciplines.

Local dance fans lost two significant talents -- Yvonne Mounsey, who directed the Westside School of Ballet, and Zina Bethune, who brought dance to disabled children around Southern California.

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PHOTOS: Notable deaths in arts and culture in 2012

Click through the photo gallery above for notable talents from classical music, dance and the arts who died in 2012.

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