Harry Benjamin Jepson (August 16, 1870 – August 23, 1952) was an American

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and (starting in 1906) the first University Organist of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

.A New Endowment to Secure the Future of The Newberry Memorial Organ / Woolsey Hall
" Accessed June 21, 2012. Jepson was born August 16, 1870, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

. Jepson studied at Yale under

Horatio Parker Horatio William Parker (September 15, 1863 – December 18, 1919) was an American composer, organist and teacher. He was a central figure in musical life in New Haven, Connecticut in the late 19th century, and is best remembered as the undergradu ...

and Gustave Stoeckel, earning a B.A. in 1893 and a B.M. in 1894. While at Yale he was the organist for New Haven's Christ Church (in 1889) and Old Center Church (from 1890 to 1894 where he was succeeded by

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed f ...

). He then studied in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

under

Charles Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the mid-Romantic era, most notable for his ten organ symphonies. His Toccata from the fifth organ symphony has become one of the ...

and

Louis Vierne Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French organist and composer. As the organist of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death, he focused on organ music, including six organ symphonies and a '' Messe solennelle ...

. He was appointed instructor at Yale in 1895, eventually rising to a full professorship in 1907. He also directed the

Battell Chapel Battell Chapel is the largest chapel of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Built in 1874–76, it was funded primarily with gifts from Joseph Battell and others of his family. Succeeding two previous chapel buildings on Yale's Old Campus, ...

choir. He retired in 1939;

Charles Kullman Charles Kullman (January 13, 1903February 8, 1983), originally Charles Kullmann, was an American tenor who enjoyed a wide-ranging career, both in Europe and America. Life and career Charles Kullman was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and be ...

was among the performers at the musical service in held for his retirement. Among his students were

Edward Shippen Barnes Edward Shippen Barnes (September 14, 1887 in Seabright, New Jersey – February 14, 1958, in Idyllwild, California) was an American organist. Life and career He was a graduate of Yale University, where he studied with Horatio Parker and Harry Je ...

, Seth Bingham, and

Edwin Arthur Kraft Edwin Arthur Kraft (January 8, 1883 - July 15, 1962) was an American organist and choir-director. Biography Kraft was born in New Haven, Connecticut on January 8, 1883. At age 15 he became organist at New Haven's Grace Methodist Church, and soon a ...

. Jepson died August 23, 1952, in

Noank, Connecticut Noank ( ) is a village in the town of Groton, Connecticut. This dense community of historic homes and local businesses sits on a small, steep peninsula at the mouth of the Mystic River with a long tradition of fishing, lobstering and boat-buildin ...

. Yale's Harry B. Jepson Memorial Scholarship is named after him, and he oversaw the design and construction of the renowned

Newberry Memorial Organ The Newberry Memorial Organ is among the largest and most notable symphonic organs in the world. Located in Woolsey Hall at Yale University, the organ contains 197 ranks and 166 stops comprising 12,617 pipes. The original Woolsey Hall organ was bu ...

in Yale's

Woolsey Hall Woolsey Hall is the primary auditorium at Yale University, located on the campus' Hewitt Quadrangle in New Haven, Connecticut. It was built as part of the Bicentennial Buildings complex that includes the Memorial Rotunda and the University Comm ...

Selected works

* ''Ballade'' for organ (), dedicated to Florence Annette Wells, New Haven area organist and 1900 Yale graduate. * ''Veni, Sancte Spiritus'', anthem for chorus and organ.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jepson, Harry Benjamin American classical organists American male organists 1870 births 1952 deaths Yale University alumni Yale University faculty Male classical organists People from New Haven, Connecticut