Evan Williams (tenor)
Encyclopedia
Harry Evan Williams was an oratorio
tenor
with an exceptionally beautiful and tender voice. He recorded almost one hundred 78-RPM records on the Victor Red Seal label in the United States and His Masters Voice (HMV) in England. Williams gave more than 1,000 performances and recitals during his 25-year professional career in England and the United States. Williams was praised most highly by critics for his interpretations of Handel.
, the son of David Williams and Gwendolyn Harris. His parents were recent poor Welsh immigrants from Pembrokeshire, Wales. They were married in 1867 in Trumbull County, Ohio. When Evan was 13 years old, his Mother died in childbirth, and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Thomas and Sarah Davis in Thomastown, a Welsh immigrant mining community near Akron, Ohio.
in Galion, Ohio
, in 1891. By 1894 he was performing in London
and began dividing his career between appearances in the United Kingdom and in the United States. At this time in his career he was hired to be the soloist at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. He was reputed to be the highest-paid church singer in the world at the time. In 1896 he gave his first performance at the well known Worcester Music Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts
. In 1907 he returned to the United States for most of the rest of his performing career, where he sang as a tenor soloist for various choral societies and in concerts all over the country. His recording career with Victor Red Seal records was very successful.
Williams was a great draw at many music societies and events, among them the Orpheus Club of Springfield, Massachusetts
, from the 1890s until his death in 1918.
Evan Williams performed at the White House at a State Dinner hosted by President and Mrs. President and Mrs. Taft
in 1910. The Tafts were also from Ohio and were introduced to Williams by U.S. Senator and Mrs. Charles W.F. Dick of Akron, whose daughter Grace Amelia later married Williams's son Edgar Morgan in 1917.
H. Evan Williams had five grandchildren, two of whom—Adrienne Williams Bowman of Great Falls, Virginia, and Edgar Morgan Williams Jr of Cambridge, Maryland—survive as of 2010. He also has 13 great-grandchildren. He died in Akron, Ohio
.
(1862–1946). Evan Williams also recorded many records for His Masters Voice Company ( HMV) in England.
.
H. Evan Williams is buried in Ohio's East Akron Cemetery in the Williams family plot. The gravestone on Evan Williams grave reads:
An antique oil portrait of Evan Williams was given in 2009 by his descendants to the University of Akron
. In his lifetime Evan Williams was sculpted by the famous American sculptor Jo Davidson
. ( It was said at the time about celebrities that they were not truly famous unless Davidson had sculpted them)
Evan Williams' family house still stands as of 2010. He built the substantial house circa 1914 at 105 Mayfield Avenue in Akron with his record royalties and concert proceeds. It was quite commodious and had a billiard room and a music room with a Mason and Hamlin piano and also a lovely rose garden. After Evan Williams' premature death in 1917, his widow Nona built a smaller house in the side lot at 97 Mayfield Avenue where she subsequently moved. She died in 1944.
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
with an exceptionally beautiful and tender voice. He recorded almost one hundred 78-RPM records on the Victor Red Seal label in the United States and His Masters Voice (HMV) in England. Williams gave more than 1,000 performances and recitals during his 25-year professional career in England and the United States. Williams was praised most highly by critics for his interpretations of Handel.
Early life
Evan Williams was born in Mineral Ridge, OhioMineral Ridge, Ohio
Mineral Ridge is a census-designated place in Mahoning and Trumbull counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 3,900 at the 2000 census...
, the son of David Williams and Gwendolyn Harris. His parents were recent poor Welsh immigrants from Pembrokeshire, Wales. They were married in 1867 in Trumbull County, Ohio. When Evan was 13 years old, his Mother died in childbirth, and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Thomas and Sarah Davis in Thomastown, a Welsh immigrant mining community near Akron, Ohio.
Singing career
While he was working in his youth in coal mines in the Akron area, the quality of his voice was discovered when he was singing in a local church choir. He began voice lessons with Madame Louise Von Feilitsch in Cleveland. He began rising to prominence as a singer when he participated in a Welsh choirMusic of Wales
Wales has a strong and distinctive link with music. The country is traditionally referred to as "the land of song". This is a modern stereotype based on 19th century conceptions of Nonconformist choral music and 20th century male voice choirs, Eisteddfodau and arena singing, such as sporting...
in Galion, Ohio
Galion, Ohio
Settlers arrived in the area as early as 1817. The location was at the crossroads of a north-south road from Columbus to Portland , and the east-west route that later became the Lincoln Highway and subsequently the Harding Highway....
, in 1891. By 1894 he was performing in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and began dividing his career between appearances in the United Kingdom and in the United States. At this time in his career he was hired to be the soloist at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. He was reputed to be the highest-paid church singer in the world at the time. In 1896 he gave his first performance at the well known Worcester Music Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
. In 1907 he returned to the United States for most of the rest of his performing career, where he sang as a tenor soloist for various choral societies and in concerts all over the country. His recording career with Victor Red Seal records was very successful.
Williams was a great draw at many music societies and events, among them the Orpheus Club of Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, from the 1890s until his death in 1918.
Evan Williams performed at the White House at a State Dinner hosted by President and Mrs. President and Mrs. Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
in 1910. The Tafts were also from Ohio and were introduced to Williams by U.S. Senator and Mrs. Charles W.F. Dick of Akron, whose daughter Grace Amelia later married Williams's son Edgar Morgan in 1917.
Family
Evan Williams was married on 1888 October 18 to Margaret Jane née Morgan "Nona" Williams in Thomastown, Ohio. She was the daughter of Welsh immigrant parents Levi Morgan and Ann Williams. They had four children:- Vernon (1889–1945) was also a tenor and voice teacher.
- Edgar (1892–1963) was a lawyer.
- H. Evan Jr (1899–1954) became a newspaper journalist.
- Gwendolyn (1909–1972).
H. Evan Williams had five grandchildren, two of whom—Adrienne Williams Bowman of Great Falls, Virginia, and Edgar Morgan Williams Jr of Cambridge, Maryland—survive as of 2010. He also has 13 great-grandchildren. He died in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
.
Recordings
Williams' voice was recorded on many Victor Red Seal 78 RPM records and he was reported to be the Victor Company's third most popular recording artist(after Enrico Caruso and John McCormack) as ranked by record sales. His two best selling records were "Open the Gates of the Temple" and "A Perfect Day" For two publicly available (pre-1923) recordings of his singing, click "Just a-Wearyin' for You" and "A Perfect Day"—both composed by Carrie Jacobs-BondCarrie Jacobs-Bond
Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular sheet music from the 1890s through the early 1940s....
(1862–1946). Evan Williams also recorded many records for His Masters Voice Company ( HMV) in England.
Legacy
According to his obituary in the New York Times, Williams was fondly remembered for his singing of "Tim Rooney's at the Fighting" to audiences of soldiers during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
H. Evan Williams is buried in Ohio's East Akron Cemetery in the Williams family plot. The gravestone on Evan Williams grave reads:
- God grew near to his children through the singing heart of Evan Williams. A world that laughs and loves and sings has enshrined the memory of this gentle soul whose song restored and brightened the deep places.
An antique oil portrait of Evan Williams was given in 2009 by his descendants to the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
. In his lifetime Evan Williams was sculpted by the famous American sculptor Jo Davidson
Jo Davidson
Jo Davidson was an American sculptor of Russian-Jewish descent. Although he specialized in realistic, intense portrait busts, Davidson did not require his subjects to formally pose for him; rather, he observed and spoke with them...
. ( It was said at the time about celebrities that they were not truly famous unless Davidson had sculpted them)
Evan Williams' family house still stands as of 2010. He built the substantial house circa 1914 at 105 Mayfield Avenue in Akron with his record royalties and concert proceeds. It was quite commodious and had a billiard room and a music room with a Mason and Hamlin piano and also a lovely rose garden. After Evan Williams' premature death in 1917, his widow Nona built a smaller house in the side lot at 97 Mayfield Avenue where she subsequently moved. She died in 1944.
External links
- Discography of Evan Williams on Victor RecordsVictor Talking Machine CompanyThe Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR)