John H. Davison (31 May 1930 – 5 March 1999) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

composer and pianist.

Life and career

Born in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, he grew up in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

and in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and studied music at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

's lower school,

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...

, then received his master's degree from

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 ...

, where he focused on

Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century '' ars nova'', the Tr ...

, particularly the works of

Orlando Gibbons Orlando Gibbons ( bapt. 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625) was an English composer and keyboard player who was one of the last masters of the English Virginalist School and English Madrigal School. The best known member of a musical famil ...

. He earned his doctorate in creative composition from 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 ...

. His teachers included

Alfred Swan Alfred Julius Swan ( 1890 – 2 October 1970) was a Russian composer and musicologist active in the early to mid-twentieth century. He specialized in Russian liturgical music. His writings include ''Russian Music'' and an English translation of ...

Randall Thompson Randall Thompson (April 21, 1899 – July 9, 1984) was an American composer, particularly noted for his choral works. Career Randall attended The Lawrenceville School, where his father was an English teacher. He then attended Harvard University, ...

Walter Piston Walter Hamor Piston, Jr. (January 20, 1894 – November 12, 1976), was an American composer of classical music, music theorist, and professor of music at Harvard University. Life Piston was born in Rockland, Maine at 15 Ocean Street to Walter Ha ...

Bernard Rogers Bernard Rogers (4 February 1893 – 24 May 1968) was an American composer. His best known work is ''The Passion'', an oratorio written in 1942. Life and career Rogers was born in New York City. He studied with Arthur Farwell, Ernest Bloc ...

Howard Hanson Howard Harold Hanson (October 28, 1896 – February 26, 1981)''The New York Times'' – Obituaries. Harold C. Schonberg. February 28, 1981 p. 1011/ref> was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American class ...

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American-Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) and ...

, and Robert Palmer. During 1964-1965, Davison was placed in the Kansas City (Missouri) Schools as part of the Music Educators National Conference's Contemporary Music Project, where he composed numerous works for band, chorus, and orchestra. He was a friend of

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

and maintained a correspondence with him. He was also a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

. Davison's music is generally tonal, strongly melodic, and influenced by such diverse musics as Western classical and Romantic music (particularly the music of

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

, Renaissance and Baroque music,

Irish music Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st century, despite globalis ...

, English country dancing,

Anglican church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

music, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. His music is published by Southern Music Publishing Co., Shawnee Press, and TAP Music Publishing, and his music has been recorded by the

CRI CRI or CRi may refer to: Organizations * Canadian Rivers Institute, for river sciences, University of New Brunswick * Cancer Research Institute, New York, US * Centro de Relaciones Internacionales (International Relations Center), Universidad N ...

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

, Coronet, Encore, and Albany labels. He coauthored, with

John Ashmead John Ashmead (1917–1992) was an American novelist, Naval Intelligence officer, and professor of English. His writings include ''The Mountain and the Feather'' about his experiences in the Pacific in World War II as a United States naval intellige ...

, a book about the songs of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

. Davison taught at

from 1959 until his death. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Davison.

Works

*1957 - Sonata for Trombone and Piano *1963 - Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings *1967 - Canzona and Chorale, 4 flutes *1967 - Suite, 8 brass instruments (2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, and tuba) *1967 - Symphony no. 2 for Band *1968 - Suite, flute, violin, and piano *1968-69 - Sextet, English horn, violin, viola, violoncello, bass viola da gamba, and piano *1971 - Prelude and Rhapsody for Euphonium *1977 - Concertino for oboe and chamber orchestra *1980 - Sonata, euphonium (or trombone), tuba, and piano, Opus 73 *1980 - Symphony no. 5 *1983 - Arthur's Return, bagpipes and string orchestra *1985 - Sinfonia, cimbalon and chamber orchestra *1986 - Quintet, for trombone and string quartet *1986 - Suite for Six Trombones *1991 - Canzona & Reel/Jig, 4 flutes *1993 - Over the Mountain, Op. 115, orchestra *1994 - Cello Concerto, Op. 120 *1996 - Sonata for Horn and Piano

Discography

*1996 - ''Music of John Davison''. Albany Records.

References

External links

John Davison page
from Haverford College site 1930 births 1999 deaths American classical pianists American male classical pianists American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century classical composers Haverford College faculty Harvard University alumni American conscientious objectors Haverford College alumni Eastman School of Music alumni Musicians from New York City Pupils of Walter Piston Pupils of Bernard Rogers Pupils of Randall Thompson Pupils of Howard Hanson 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Albany Records artists {{US-composer-20thC-stub