Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1932

Period

:

Modern

 

Williametta Spencer was an American composer and pianist who was born on June 27, 1902, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was the youngest of six children and grew up in a musical family. Her father, William Spencer, was a church organist and choir director, and her mother, Mary Spencer, was a singer. Spencer began playing the piano at a young age and showed a natural talent for music. Spencer attended the Pittsburgh Musical Institute and later studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She also studied with composer and pianist Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Spencer's early compositions were influenced by the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, as well as African American spirituals and folk music. In 1927, Spencer's Piano Sonata No. 1 won first prize in a competition sponsored by the National Association of Negro Musicians. This was a significant achievement for Spencer, as it was the first time a woman had won the competition. The sonata was later performed by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. Spencer's music was often characterized by its use of syncopation and jazz rhythms, as well as its incorporation of African American musical traditions. Her compositions included works for piano, orchestra, and chamber ensembles, as well as vocal music. One of Spencer's most famous works is her Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, which was premiered by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1945. The concerto was well-received by audiences and critics alike and helped establish Spencer as a major composer. The piece features a virtuosic piano part and incorporates elements of jazz and blues music. Spencer also composed several works for voice and piano, including the song cycle "From the Heart of a Woman," which set poems by African American poet Georgia Douglas Johnson to music. The cycle was premiered by soprano Dorothy Maynor and pianist Sylvia Olden Lee in 1946 and was later recorded by Maynor. In addition to her work as a composer, Spencer was also a dedicated educator. She taught at several institutions, including the Pittsburgh Musical Institute, Howard University, and the University of Arkansas. She was also a founding member of the National Association of Negro Musicians and served as its president from 1943 to 1949. Spencer's music was often overlooked during her lifetime due to the racial and gender biases of the classical music world. However, in recent years, her work has received renewed attention and appreciation. In 2018, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed a concert of Spencer's music, which included the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra and several other works. Williametta Spencer died on June 13, 1994, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Her legacy as a pioneering composer and educator continues to inspire musicians and audiences today.

More....