William Howland (musician)
Encyclopedia
William A. Howland was an American opera
tic bass
, voice teacher
, composer
, conductor
and university administrator. He was the head of the music department at the University of Michigan
from 1900-1914. In 1914 he co-founded the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts
; serving as the school's vice-president and head of the vocal department until his death 31 years later.
, Howland was the youngest of six children born to Emma Lane Howland and her husband Dr. Asa Allan. His mother was a direct descendant of John Howland
, a pilgrim
who travelled from England to North America on the Mayflower
, signed the Mayflower Compact
, and helped found Plymouth Colony
. His father was a prominent dental surgeon and was notably the first president of the Dental Association of New England. William served as President of the Pilgrim John Howland Society from 1924-1945.
After attending grammar school
and graduating from English High School
in Worcester in 1889, Howland moved to New York City where he pursued music studies, sang in various churches, and also taught singing through 1894. In New York he studied singing with Frederick Bristol
, music theory and composition with Dudley Buck
, conducting with Frank Damrosch
, piano with Albert Ross Parsons, and the organ with Richard T. Percy. He also pursued further studies abroad during the summer months of the early 1890s; studying the oratorio
repertoire in London with Alberto Randegger
and Frederick Walker, and music composition, musical analysis, and opera with Alfred Lorenz
in Germany.
. On June 24, 1896 he married Fredreka Shaw Barnard (1870-1964) with whom he had two children: John and Dorothy.
In 1900 he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan
to assume the post of director of the music department at the University of Michigan
. He remained in that role until the conclusion of the 1913-1914 school year. He notably served as the conductor of the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club
from 1911-1914. In 1914 he co-founded the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts
which is now a part of Marygrove College
. He served as the school's vice-president and head of the vocal department until his death in 1945.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
, voice teacher
Voice teacher
A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who trains adults and children in the art of singing. This generally involves training in breath control and support, proper tone production, pitch control and musical intonation, proper formation of vowels and consonants as well as...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and university administrator. He was the head of the music department at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1900-1914. In 1914 he co-founded the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts
Detroit Institute of Musical Arts
The Detroit Institute of Musical Arts was a music conservatory in Detroit, Michigan that was actively providing higher education in music from 1914-1970.-History:...
; serving as the school's vice-president and head of the vocal department until his death 31 years later.
Early life and education
Born in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, 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....
, Howland was the youngest of six children born to Emma Lane Howland and her husband Dr. Asa Allan. His mother was a direct descendant of John Howland
John Howland
John Howland was a passenger on the Mayflower. He was an indentured servant who accompanied the separatists, also called the Pilgrims, when they left England to settle in Plymouth, Massachusetts...
, a pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
who travelled from England to North America on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
, signed the Mayflower Compact
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower...
, and helped found Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
. His father was a prominent dental surgeon and was notably the first president of the Dental Association of New England. William served as President of the Pilgrim John Howland Society from 1924-1945.
After attending grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and graduating from English High School
English High School (Worcester, Massachusetts)
English High School is a historic high school at 20 Irving Street in Worcester, Massachusetts.It was built in 1891 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.-Notable alumni:...
in Worcester in 1889, Howland moved to New York City where he pursued music studies, sang in various churches, and also taught singing through 1894. In New York he studied singing with Frederick Bristol
Frederick Bristol
Frederick E. Bristol was a celebrated American voice teacher who operated a private studios in Boston and New York City during the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. He began teaching singing in 1869 and the 60th anniversary of his teaching career was recognized by an article...
, music theory and composition with Dudley Buck
Dudley Buck
Dudley Buck was an American composer, organist, and writer on music. He published several books, most notably the Dictionary of Musical Terms and Influence of the Organ in History, which was published in New York in 1882. He is best known today for his organ composition, Concert Variations on the...
, conducting with Frank Damrosch
Frank Damrosch
Frank Heino Damrosch was a German-born American music conductor and educator.-Biography:He was born on June 22, 1859 in Breslau, and came to the United States with his father, Leopold Damrosch, and brother, Walter Damrosch in 1871. He had studied music in Germany under Dionys Pruckner. He studied...
, piano with Albert Ross Parsons, and the organ with Richard T. Percy. He also pursued further studies abroad during the summer months of the early 1890s; studying the oratorio
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...
repertoire in London with Alberto Randegger
Alberto Randegger
Alberto Randegger was an Italian-born composer, conductor and singing teacher, best known for promoting opera and new works of British music in England during the Victorian era and for his widely-used textbook on singing technique.-Life and career:Randegger was born in Trieste, Italy, the son of...
and Frederick Walker, and music composition, musical analysis, and opera with Alfred Lorenz
Alfred Lorenz
Alfred Lorenz was an Austrian-German conductor, composer, and musical analyst. His principal work is the four-volume Das Geheimnis der Form bei Richard Wagner, which attempts to comprehensively analyze some of Richard Wagner's best-known operas...
in Germany.
Career
Howland made both his professional concert and opera debuts in New York City in 1889. In 1892-1893 he was a member of Boston's Ideal Opera Company, also known as the "Bostonians". In 1894 he returned to Worcester to assume the post of music director of Piedmont Church; a position he held for five years. During that time, he was also active as an oratorio soloist in concerts in New York and Boston. In 1895 he was a soloist at the Worcester Music FestivalWorcester Music Festival
Worcester Music Festival Is an annual music festival held in Worcester town centre during the 3rd week of August founded in 2008 by Chris Bennion as a platform to encourage live, local and original music in Worcester and the surrounding areas and is staged in over 30 pubs, clubs, cafes, and...
. On June 24, 1896 he married Fredreka Shaw Barnard (1870-1964) with whom he had two children: John and Dorothy.
In 1900 he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
to assume the post of director of the music department at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He remained in that role until the conclusion of the 1913-1914 school year. He notably served as the conductor of the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club
University of Michigan Men's Glee Club
The University of Michigan Men's Glee Club is an all-male glee club at the University of Michigan currently conducted by Eugene Rogers. With roots tracing back to 1859, it is the second oldest glee club in the United States and is the oldest student organization at the University...
from 1911-1914. In 1914 he co-founded the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts
Detroit Institute of Musical Arts
The Detroit Institute of Musical Arts was a music conservatory in Detroit, Michigan that was actively providing higher education in music from 1914-1970.-History:...
which is now a part of Marygrove College
Marygrove College
Marygrove College is an independent, Catholic, liberal arts college located in Detroit, Michigan. The college is sponsored by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.-History:...
. He served as the school's vice-president and head of the vocal department until his death in 1945.