Background
Horatio Parker was born on September 15, 1863, in Auburndale, Massachussets, United States.
(Excerpt from The Progressive Music Series: One-Book Cours...)
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Horatio Parker was born on September 15, 1863, in Auburndale, Massachussets, United States.
In 1882 Parker went to Europe to study at the Royal School of Music in Munich.
He received a doctor of music degree from Cambridge University in 1902.
At 14 he began taking piano lessons from his mother and soon wrote a collection of songs for children. At 16 he became organist of a church at Dedham and began to compose hymns and anthems.
Upon returning to America after studying, Parker settled in New York, teaching at the Cathedral School in Garden City. He taught at the National Conservatory of Music in New York City at the time Antonin Dvorák was its director and in 1893 became choirmaster and organist at Trinity Church in Boston. The following year Parker was appointed head of the Music Department of Yale University, a position he held until his death. While at Yale, he organized the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Although Parker attempted a number of symphonic and instrumental pieces, his choral music was his finest work. His most lasting composition, the oratorio Hora Novissima (1891 - 1892), was written during a time when he was grieving over the loss of a sister. Here the composer reveals his ability at massed choral effects, as well as his skill for developing hymnlike themes. The music is masculine and vital, if at times overly calculated.
Parker's first opera, Mona, was premiered on March 14, 1912, but was dropped from the Metropolitan repertoire after four performances.
His second opera, Fairyland, was also awarded a $10, 000 prize, this time by the National Federation of Music Clubs; the work was performed six times in 1915 during the federation's biennial in Los Angeles. Parker served as editor in chief for a series of graded songbooks for children and remained actively interested in music education in the public schools.
(Excerpt from The Progressive Music Series: One-Book Cours...)
strong-willed, individualistic
During his studies abroad Parker married fellow music student Anna Plossl, a Munich banker's daughter.