Archibald Thompson Davison (11 October 1883 – 6 February 1961) was an American musicologist, conductor, composer and music educator. Davison was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He completed his studies in music at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, finally graduating in 1908 with a PhD. He is best remembered as an academic for his work as editor of the two volumes of 'The Historical Anthology of Music', done together with

Willi Apel Willi Apel (10 October 1893 – 14 March 1988) was a German-American musicologist and noted author of a number of books devoted to music. Among his most important publications are the 1944 edition of '' The Harvard Dictionary of Music'' and ''Fre ...

. He died in

Brant Rock Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, composed of the neighborhoods of Ocean Bluff, Brant Rock, Fieldston, and Rexhame in the town of Marshfield. The population of the CDP ...

. Davison was also the first conductor of the

Harvard Glee Club The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, Tenor-Bass choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the United States. The Glee Club is part of the H ...

, which under his direction, from 1920 to 1933, came to be regarded as the best amateur chorus in the U.S. Davison (known as "Doc"), transformed the Glee Club from a small, informal, and rowdy group that performed popular tunes to a more serious group, which toured the U.S. performing a more serious repertory:

By the end of the ‘teens, HGC was singing sacred and secular pieces from the renaissance times till the present, folk songs from around the world, and college songs and had ceased its relationships with the mandolin clubs and popular music.

The Glee Club would go on to introduce modern French works scored for men's chorus, especially those of

Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

and

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

to their repertories and to audiences around the United States. The group would tour the United States and, along with the

Radcliffe Choral Society The Radcliffe Choral Society (RCS) is a 60-voice treble choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1899, it is one of the country's oldest soprano-alto choruses and one of its most prominent collegiate choirs. With the tenor-bass Harvard ...

began performing regularly with the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

, an association that would continue into the 1970s. Davison's goals in directing the Glee Club were both artistic and educational: under his direction, the Glee Club grew much larger, in order to introduce more students to the music and to the practice of performance. Some (including The New York Times) criticized the resulting performance style, but it was a direct result of the Glee Club's dual purpose, which remains to this day. As a result, the Harvard Glee Club went on to become a premier training ground for conductors, directors and other music professionals. Davison also composed his own music early in life, but none of his original compositions are part of the standard repertoire. His arrangements have been more widely performed, including an arrangement of Webbe's Glorious Apollo, performed regularly by the HGC. His musicology writings include: * ''The Harmonic Contributions of Claude Debussy'', 1908 * ''Choral Conducting'', 1940 * ''The Technique of Choral Composition'', 1945 * ''The Historical Anthology of Music Volume I: Oriental, Medieval and Renaissance Music'', 1949 * ''The Historical Anthology of Music Volume II: Baroque, Rococo and Pre-Classical Music'', 1950

References

* * John Ogasapian
"Church Music in America, 1620-2000"
Mercer University Press, 2007, , S. 248–251
"The Harvard University Hymn Book"
Harvard University Press, 1964, , S. 288
LibraryThing - Archibald T. Davison (1883–1961)
*Essays on Music in Honor of Archibald Thompson Davison- Harvard University. Dept. Of Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Archibald Thompson 1883 births 1961 deaths Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni American male conductors (music) American male composers American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians