Schuman, William

Schuman, William

▪ American composer
in full  William Howard Schuman  
born Aug. 4, 1910, New York, N.Y., U.S.
died Feb. 15, 1992, New York

      American composer, educator, and administrator whose symphonies, ballets, and chamber music are noted for their adaptation of European models to American themes.

      Schuman studied harmony and composition at Malkin Conservatory, New York City, and then studied at Teachers College, Columbia University (B.S., 1935; M.A., 1937). From 1936 to 1938 he trained at the Juilliard School under Roy Harris, who brought him to the attention of Aaron Copland and Serge Koussevitzky. In the meantime, a first symphony, a string quartet, and a second symphony were performed and later withdrawn. The American Festival Overture (1939), the Third String Quartet (1939), the Symphony No. 3 (1941), and the cantata A Free Song (1942), based on poems by Walt Whitman, established Schuman's reputation and garnered numerous awards.

      Schuman taught at Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York (1935–45), and then became president of the Juilliard School of Music (1945–62). There he brought about academic reforms and innovations and added a number of prominent American composers to the faculty. He was president of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City (1962–69), where he encouraged the commissioning and performance of American works. In 1970 he entered private business as chairman of the board of Videorecord Corporation of America.

      Schuman wrote 10 symphonies, of which Symphony No. 6, characterized by a major-minor chord that he frequently used, is perhaps his finest achievement. In addition, Schuman composed the ballets Undertow (1945), Night Journey (1947), and Judith (1950). He also wrote four string quartets, an opera with a baseball setting (The Mighty Casey, 1953; revised as a cantata, Casey at the Bat, performed 1976), and various choral works. Among his later orchestral compositions were The Young Dead Soldiers (1976), which accompanies text by Archibald MacLeish, and Concerto on Old English Rounds (1976).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • SCHUMAN, WILLIAM HOWARD — (1910–1985), U.S. composer. Born in New York, Schuman studied at the Malkin conservatory there. After holding various teaching posts, he became director of publications for the music publishing firm of G. Schirmer, Inc. (1945–52). He was head of… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Schuman,William Howard — Schu·man (sho͞oʹmən), William Howard. 1910 1992. American composer whose works include symphonies, an opera, and the cantata A Free Song (1943), for which he received a Pulitzer Prize. * * * …   Universalium

  • Schuman, William (Howard) — born Aug. 4, 1910, New York, N.Y., U.S. died Feb. 15, 1992, New York City U.S. composer and administrator. He wrote songs in high school with his friend Frank Loesser. In 1930 he began studying composition with Roy Harris. He achieved success… …   Universalium

  • Schuman, William Howard — ► (1910 92) Compositor estadounidense. Cuenta con una interesante producción sinfónica, escénica y la ópera Casey el poderoso (1953) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Schuman, William (Howard) — (4 ago. 1910, Nueva York, EE.UU.–15 feb. 1992, ciudad de Nueva York). Compositor y administrador estadounidense. Durante la enseñanza secundaria compuso canciones con su amigo Frank Loesser. En 1930 comenzó a estudiar composición con Roy Harris.… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • William Howard Schuman — (* 4. August 1910 in New York; † 15. Februar 1992 in New York) war ein US amerikanischer Komponist. Leben Gebürtig aus der New Yorker Bronx, spielte Schuman bereits als Kind Violine und Banjo. Als junger Mann gründete er ein Tanzorchester und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Schuman — Schuman, Robert Schuman, William Howard …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • William Schuman — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Schuman. William Howard Schuman (4 août 1910 – 15 février 1992) est un compositeur américain. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William — /wil yeuhm/, n. 1. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter W. 2. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning will and helmet. * * * (as used in expressions) Huddie William Ledbetter Aberhart William George William… …   Universalium

  • William Schuman — William Howard Schuman (August 4, 1910–February 15, 1992) was an American composer and music administrator.Born in the Bronx in New York City to Samuel and Rachel Schuman, Schuman was named after the twenty seventh U.S. president, William Howard… …   Wikipedia

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