Arthur Shepherd (February 19, 1880 – January 12, 1958) was an American composer and conductor in the 20th century.
Arthur Shepherd | |
|---|---|
 Burr McIntosh Monthly, September, 1908 | |
| Born | February 19, 1880 Paris, Idaho, USA |
| Died | January 12, 1958 (aged 77) Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Orchestra Conductor and Professor of Music |
Life and career edit
Shepherd was born in Paris, Idaho, into a Mormon family. His family loved to sing and his father, William N. B. Shepherd, wrote the hymn “Give Us Room That We May Dwell.”[1] Shepherd performed with both the Paris Brass Band and the Bear Lake Stake Choir.[1]
Shepherd entered the New England Conservatory when he was only twelve years old. After graduating with honors and as president of his class,[1] Shepherd returned to his family who had moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and led a local orchestra for six years.[1] In 1901, he married Hattie Hooper Jennings.[1]
After some encouragement, he returned to the east and took a teaching position at the New England Conservatory where he studied under Charles F. Dennée, Percy Goetschius, Carl Faelten, and George W. Chadwick.[1] He briefly served as a bandmaster during World War I. His marriage fell apart after his return from Europe[1] and he moved with his children to Cleveland, Ohio. He took a job as the Assistant Director of the Cleveland Orchestra.
In 1922 he married Grazella Shepherd.[1]
In 1927 he returned to teaching at the Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He retired in 1950 and died in 1958, after a failed operation at a Cleveland hospital.[2] He composed over 100 works, including symphonies, string quartets and songs.[3]
Shepherd was a Latter-day Saint.[4] Although around the time of World War I, his divorce and remarriage, he distanced himself from the faith, he maintained a faith in God and his connections to the church and his people.[1] His work made reference to the geography and music of the Latter-day Saints.[1]
Awards edit
- 1905 Paderewski Prize for Overture Joyeuse (orchestral work performed by the New York Symphony conducted by Walter Damrosch
- 1909 First prize in the National Federal of Music Clubs for Sonata for the Pianoforte
Works edit
- 1904 Capriccio (for piano)
- 1904 Etude (for piano)
- 1905 Overture Joyeuse
- 1907 The Lord Hath Brought Again Zion (choral work with text from Doctrine and Covenants)
- 1909 Five Songs on Poems by James Russell Lowell
- 1909 Sonata for the Pianoforte
- 1913 The City in the Sea (cantata)
- 1927 Horizons (symphony)
Influences edit
His influences include Percy Goetschius and George W. Chadwick, Arthur Farwell, French Impressionists and Englishman, Vaughan Williams.
Selected works edit
- Ouverture Joyeuse
- Horizons
- Triptych
- Piano Quintet
- Matin Song
- He Came All So Still
- The Lost Child
- Nocturn
- Solitude
- Where Loveliness Keeps House
- Two-Step
- Exotic Dance No. 1
- From a Mountain lake
- Gigue Fantasque
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mormon Arts Center Newsletter, May 2017. Accessed May 22, 2017.
- ^ DR. ARTHUR SHEPHERD New York Times; January 14, 1958; pg. 30
- ^ 80327 Archived December 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Musical Compositions by LDS Composers in NYC Collections
- ^ ARTHUR SHEPHERD selected works: Classical CD Reviews-May 2000 Music on the Web(UK)
External links edit
- Arthur Shepherd Biography at the University of Utah Marriott Library of Special Collections
- Arthur Shepherd Biography from Allmusic
- Encyclopedia of Cleveland article on Arthur Shepherd
- Free scores by Arthur Shepherd at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Arthur Shepherd at Find a Grave