Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

1918

Death

:

1999

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Vocal

 

Howard Boatwright was an American composer, pianist, and music educator who was born on August 1, 1918, in Syracuse, New York. He was the son of a music teacher and grew up in a musical family. His father, Howard Boatwright Sr., was a violinist and conductor, and his mother, Edith Boatwright, was a pianist and organist. Boatwright began playing the piano at a young age and showed a natural talent for music. Boatwright attended Syracuse University, where he studied music composition with Arthur Frackenpohl and piano with Harold Gleason. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1940 and went on to study at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. There, he studied composition with Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers and piano with Cecile Genhart. He earned a Master of Music degree in 1942 and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 1950. Boatwright began his career as a music educator, teaching at Syracuse University, the University of Rochester, and the Eastman School of Music. He also served in the United States Army during World War II, where he played in the Army Band and conducted the Army Chorus. After the war, he returned to the Eastman School of Music, where he taught composition and piano for over 30 years. As a composer, Boatwright was known for his classical style and his use of traditional forms and structures. He wrote music for a variety of ensembles, including orchestra, chamber groups, and solo instruments. Some of his most notable works include his Symphony No. 1, which was premiered by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in 1951, and his Piano Concerto, which was premiered by the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra in 1955. Boatwright also wrote a number of vocal works, including choral music and art songs. His choral works include his setting of Psalm 23, which has become a popular piece in the choral repertoire, and his cantata The Last Supper, which was premiered by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in 1962. His art songs include settings of poems by Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Langston Hughes. In addition to his work as a composer and educator, Boatwright was also a pianist and performed regularly throughout his career. He was known for his interpretations of the music of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, as well as his performances of contemporary music. Boatwright received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1953 and a Fulbright Scholarship in 1958. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Boatwright retired from the Eastman School of Music in 1983 but continued to compose and perform until his death in 1999. His legacy as a composer and educator continues to be celebrated today, and his music remains an important part of the classical repertoire.

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