Background

He was born on November 10, 1857 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, the older of two children (the only one to survive infancy) of Lewellyn and Sarah Putnam (Gulliver) Pratt. His father, a teacher in the Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and later a Presbyterian minister, became during the boy's childhood professor of natural science at a college for the deaf in Washington, and then professor of Latin at Knox College, Galesburg. and pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church there.

Education

After early schooling at home and at the academy of Knox College, young Pratt entered Drury Academy in North Adams, Massachussets, where his father had taken up a pastorate in 1871. After a year (1873 - 74) at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachussets, he entered Williams College (of which his father was an alumnus), graduating in 1878.

Meanwhile he had become interested in music, in which, except for some study with R. C. Blodgett in Pittsburgh, he was entirely self-taught. While a student at Williams he acted as organist successively of St. John's Church in North Adams and of the Williams College Chapel.

After graduating from Williams, Pratt spent two years at Johns Hopkins, the first as a student of Greek archeology and the second as a fellow in aesthetics. These studies earned him his master's degree from Williams in 1881.

Career

His work in Greek archeology brought him an appointment as assistant director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1880, a position he held for two years. In 1882 he joined the faculty of the Hartford (Connecticut) Theological Seminary, at which his father had been appointed professor of homiletics in 1880, and became in 1889 professor of music and hymnology.

From 1917 until 1925, when he retired from teaching, he was professor of public worship. In addition to his work at the seminary Pratt served as organist and choirmaster of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church and conductor of the Hosmer Hall Choral Union and the St. Cecilia Club, all in Hartford; as instructor in elocution at Trinity College, Hartford (1891 - 1905); and as lecturer on music history at Smith College (1895 - 1908), Mt. Holyoke College (1896 - 99), the Institute of Musical Art in New York (1905 - 20), and the New York Y. W. C. A. Training School (1908 - 12).

Pratt also compiled several collections of songs and hymns and served as music editor of the Century Dictionary (1892) and of its supplement (1909). As president of the Music Teachers National Association (1906 - 08), he reorganized and greatly strengthened that organization. He was also president of the American Section of the International Musical Society (1911 - 16).

Pratt was stricken while spending the summer at Pomfret Center, Connecticut, and died at Hartford two days later in his eighty-second year.

Achievements

• Waldo Selden Pratt brought to the field of musicology and music history scholarly qualities that made him a pioneer among Americans in the field of music research. Through his teaching and writings Pratt exerted great influence on music education and scholarship. His famous published works include: The Church Music Problem (1887); Musical Ministries of the Church (1901) and others.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The History of Music: A Handbook and Guide for Students

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • The Music of the Pilgrims: A Description of the Psalm-Book Brought to Plymouth in 1620

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

Connections

In 1887 he married Mary Elizabeth Smyly of New York. Their only child died at an early age.

Father:

Lewellyn Pratt

Mother:

Sarah Putnam (Gulliver) Pratt

Spouse:

Mary Elizabeth Smyly

colleague:

Theodore Baker

teacher:

R. C. Blodgett