Howard Shelton Swan (March 19, 1906 – September 19, 1995)
was an American choral conductor, tenor, music educator, and writer on music. A highly influential figure in American choral music during the 20th century, Swan was sometimes referred to as the "Dean of American Choral Directors" during his lifetime.
A choral director and professor of voice at
Occidental College
Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...
from 1934 through 1971, his choirs at Occidental gained international critical acclaim.
Conductor
Robert Shaw stated about Swan's choral work at Occidental that it was "the most distinguished and varied choral repertoire at the highest level of performance in American collegiate history."
After retiring from Occidental in 1971, Swan worked as the coordinator of graduate music studies at
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
from 1971-1977, and after that as a lecturer in choral music and conducting at the
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
.
The book ''Conscience of a Profession: Howard Swan, Choral Director and Teacher'' (Chapel Hill, N C, 1987) is a collection of his speeches and writings from 1945 through 1986.
In 1987 the national conference of the
American Choral Directors Association
The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 c ...
was a dedicated symposium on Howard Swan and his work as a choral director and writer on music.
In 1995 he was the recipient of the Robert Shaw Choral Award.
He died in
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...
on September 18, 1995.
Early life and education
Born Howard Shelton Swan in Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Swan was the son of D. Shelton Swan and Ethel Katherine Miller Swan. His father was a math teacher who eventually became the principal of Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, California The family moved to Southern California before Howard began elementary school, and in 1913 the family established a residence in Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
. Howard attended Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.
Histo ...
(HHS) where he studied violin and sang in the choir.
After graduating from HHS, Swan entered Pomona College
Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became ...
in 1923 where he majored in history and minored in political science. At Pomona he sang in the university's choir and studied singing with Ralph Lyman. In his senior year he became the director of the college's glee club while the faculty member who usually directed the ensemble was on a year long sabbatical. After graduating from Pomona with a bachelor's degree in history, he entered Claremont Graduate University
The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Co ...
where he earned a Master of Science degree in Psychology and Education.
During both his undergraduate and graduate studies, Swan supported himself financially through his work as a tenor soloist in churches and synagogues. While in graduate school he studied singing with John Smallman, the founder and conductor of both the Los Angeles Bach Festival and the Los Angeles Oratorio Society. He began to sing professionally as a member of Smallman's vocal quartet on the radio, and as a tenor soloist in concerts at Los Angeles venues like the Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
and on the radio. During this time he studied the writings of vocal pedagogues William Vennard
William Vennard (January 31, 1909 Normal, Illinois – January 10, 1971, Los Angeles, California) was a famous American vocal pedagogist who devoted his life to researching the human voice and its use in singing. He was one of the driving fo ...
and Douglas Stanley; both of whom greatly influenced his own vocal technique and philosophy towards singing instruction later in his career. In summers of 1933 and 1934 he studied choral conducting with the Catholic priest Father William J. Finn, founder of the Paulist Choristers and a nationally recognized choir conductor of the early 20th century, at Loyola College.
At the age of 27, Swan contracted a virus which paralyzed one of his vocal folds which ended his singing career. Four years later, in the summer of 1937, he studied choral conducting with John Finley Williamson
John Finley Williamson (June 23, 1887 in Canton, Ohio – May 28, 1964 in Toledo, Ohio) was the founder of Westminster Choir and co-founder of Westminster Choir College. He is considered to be one of the most influential choral conductors of the t ...
, the founder of Westminster Choir College
Westminster Choir College (WCC) is a historic conservatory of music currently operating on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Rider's Westminster College of the Arts, the college under which the historic institution has b ...
, at his masterclasses in San Francisco. Williamson took an interest in Swan due to the unique vocal issues he was having, and he began to work with Swan to regain his singing voice and improve his speaking voice. The two men developed a close friendship, and Williamson became Swan's mentor with Swan observing hundreds of voice lessons given by Williamson over many years. In 1969, Swan regained the use of his once paralyzed vocal fold after receiving teflon injections which greatly improved the richness and quality of his voice.
Choral conducting
Swan's career as a choral conductor began at Eagle Rock High School
Eagle Rock High School (ERHS) is a public school located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of northeast Los Angeles, California.
History
The school opened its doors on September 12, 1927.
It was in the Los Angeles City High School District until ...
in Los Angeles, where he was hired as a social studies teacher in 1929. He became director of the school's boys glee club and established the first mixed SATB chorus at the school. Two years after establishing the former group, he founded the first high school choral festival in Southern California. One of his students in these choirs at Eagle Rock was Robert Shaw, who grew up to become a world renowned conductor in his own right. From 1933-1940 Swan served as the choir director of Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles.
Swan's association with Occidental College
Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...
began in 1933, when he was invited to have his choir from Highland Park perform at the college's commencement ceremony after the college's own choir was unable to perform due to a medical emergency suffered by their musical director. Many of the college's faculty members sang in this chorus, and the good will established from this event led to Swan being hired as a non-faculty member in 1934 to direct the Men's and Women's Glee Clubs at the college. In 1935 he joined the music faculty at Occidental as a full time professor; at which point he left his post as a teacher at Eagle Rock High School. He remained a professor at the college until his retirement in 1971 where his work included directing multiple choirs at the college, teaching courses on choral conducting, choral literature, and church music, and teaching voice. One of his voice students at Occidental was Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nominated bass Thomas Paul who would later have a distinguished career in operas and concerts in addition to working as a voice teacher on the faculty at the Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman.
It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...
.
After retiring from Occidental in 1971, Swan worked as the coordinator of graduate music studies at California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
from 1971-1977, and after that as a lecturer in choral music and conducting at the University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
. The book ''Conscience of a Profession: Howard Swan, Choral Director and Teacher'' (Chapel Hill, N C, 1987) is a collection of his speeches and writings from 1945 through 1986. In 1987 the national conference of the American Choral Directors Association
The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 c ...
was a dedicated symposium on Howard Swan and his work as a choral director and writer on music. In 1995 he was the recipient of the Robert Shaw Choral Award.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swan, Howard
1906 births
1995 deaths
American choral conductors
American male conductors (music)
Claremont Graduate University alumni
Pomona College alumni