Norma Ruth Wendelburg (March 26, 1918July 26, 2016) was an American composer, Fulbright scholar, pianist and teacher.

Life

Wendelburg was born in Stafford, Kansas, and won a scholarship to Bethany College (Kansas) where she received a B.M. degree. Wendelburg received a M.M. degree from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where she studied composition with

Ross Lee Finney Ross Lee Finney Junior (December 23, 1906–February 4, 1997) was an American composer who taught for many years at the University of Michigan. Life and career Born in Wells, Minnesota, Finney received his early training at Carleton College a ...

and

Homer Keller Homer T. Keller (b. Oxnard, California, February 17, 1915; d. Upland, California May 12, 1996) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. He graduated from Oxnard Union High School in Oxnard, California in 1933, after which he ...

, and piano with John Kollen. In 1948, she received a fellowship from the Wellesley Composers Conference and Chamber Music Center, where she studied with

Otto Luening Otto Clarence Luening (June 15, 1900 – September 2, 1996) was a German-American composer and conductor, and an early pioneer of tape music and electronic music. Luening was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to German parents, Eugene, a conducto ...

and

Ingolf Dahl Ingolf Dahl (June 9, 1912 – August 6, 1970) was a German-born American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator. Biography Dahl was born Walter Ingolf Marcus in Hamburg, Germany, to a German Jewish father, attorney Paul Marcus, and his Swed ...

. She attended the

Tanglewood Music Center The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglew ...

in 1953 on scholarship and studied with

Carlos Chavez Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

. As a

Fulbright scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

from 1953 to 1955, Wendelburg studied with

Cesar Bresgen Cesar Bresgen (16 October 1913 – 7 April 1988) was an Austrian composer. Biography He was born in Florence to Maria and August Bresgen, both artists. He spent his childhood in Zell am See, Munich, Prague, and Salzburg. From 1930 to 1936 ...

at the

Mozarteum Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Moz ...

in Salzburg, and with

Karl Schiske Karl Hubert Rudolf Schiske (12 February 1916 – 16 June 1969) was an Austrian composer and musical composition professor. Life Schiske was born in Győr in what is now western Hungary which was then still part of the Danube Monarchy in 1916. In ...

at the Academy of Music in Vienna. She received her Ph.D. from

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 ...

in 1969, where she held a research fellowship and studied with

Wayne Barlow Wayne Brewster Barlow (b. Elyria, Ohio, September 6, 1912; d. Rochester, NY, December 17, 1996) was an American composer of classical music. He was also a professor of music, organist, and choir director. Life and career Barlow received bachelo ...

and

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 ...

. Wendelburg belonged to the music fraternity

Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota () is a women's music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its m ...

and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

). She received fellowships from the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

and the

Huntington Hartford George Huntington Hartford II (April 18, 1911 – May 19, 2008) was an American businessman, philanthropist, stage and film producer, and art collector. He was also heir to the A&P supermarket fortune. After his father's death in 1922, Hartfor ...

Foundation. Over the years, Wendelburg taught at

Wayne State College Wayne State College is a public college in Wayne, Nebraska. It is part of the Nebraska State College System and enrolls 4,202 students. The college opened as a public normal school in 1910 after the state purchased the private Nebraska Normal Co ...

(Nebraska); her alma mater Bethany College; Hardin-Simmons University (Texas);

Southwest Texas State University Texas State University is a public university, public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin, Greater Austin metropolitan area ...

;

Dallas Baptist College Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a Christian liberal arts university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst. History Dallas Baptist Uni ...

; and Iowa State Teacher's College (today known as the University of North Iowa). While teaching at Iowa State Teacher's College, she was named one of America's outstanding young composers by a committee that included composers

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 ...

and

William Schuman William Howard Schuman (August 4, 1910February 15, 1992) was an American composer and arts administrator. Life Schuman was born into a Jewish family in Manhattan, New York City, son of Samuel and Rachel Schuman. He was named after the 27th U.S. ...

Compositions

Chamber

* ''Affirmation'' (trombone and piano)'' * ''Concenter (clarinet and piano; 1971) * Andante and allegro (woodwind quartet; 1951) * Echo and Narcissus (flute) * Fantasy (trumpet and piano) * ''Festival Piece'' (brass and tympani; 1959) * ''Five Duos for Flute and Clarinet'' * Four Dances (three woodwinds; 1958) * ''Monologue'' (violin and piano) * Clarinet Sonata * Sonatina (oboe and piano; 1951) * String Quartet No. 1 (1952) * String Quartet No. 2 (1956) * Suite No. 1 (violin and piano; 1951) * Suite No. 2 (violin and piano; 1964) * ''To Nature'' (violin and piano suite; 1972) * ''Trio for Brass'' * ''Variants'' (percussion; 1972)

Orchestra

* Clarinet Concerto * Concert Piece (bassoon and string orchestra; 1952) * Concertino (oboe and string orchestra; 1956) * ''Galaxy'' (clarinet and orchestra)'' * ''Poem'' (flute and string orchestra; 1947)'' * Sinfonietta (1993) * Symphony No. 1 (1967) * Triptych (1961)

Organ

* Chorale Fantasy * ''Interlacings'' * Six Chorale Preludes * Toccata

Piano

* ''American Fantasy (1976)'' * ''Eight Sketches (1950)'' * Six Preludes (1954) * ''Sophisticated Daughter'' * Teaching Pieces * ''Transformations''

Vocal

* ''Alleluia'' (mixed chorus a capella; 1951) * ''Apostles' Creed'' (mixed chorus and optional organ; 1962) * ''Arise, O God, to Judge the Earth'' (

Psalm 82 Psalm 82 is the 82nd psalm in the biblical Book of Psalms, subtitled "A Psalm of Asaph". The New King James Version describes it as "a plea for justice"; Alexander Kirkpatrick sees it as "a vision of God as the Judge of judges".Kirkpatrick, A. F. ...

; (mixed chorus and optional organ; 1973) * ''Blessed'' (mixed chorus, flute, trumpet and organ; 1976) * ''Boating Song'' (words by

Li Po Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du Fu ...

; mixed chorus and piano; 1960) * ''Chinese Cycle'' from the ''Book of Songs'' (women's chorus and orchestra; 1962) * ''Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God'' (soloista, chorus, congregation and instruments; 1969) * ''Delight in the Lord'' (

Psalm 37 Psalm 37 is the 37th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity". The Book of Psalms is part of the Ketuvim, third ...

; mixed chorus and optional organ; 1973) * ''Doors of Heaven'' (words by

Robert Nathan Robert Gruntal Nathan (January 2, 1894 – May 25, 1985) was an American novelist and poet. Biography Nathan was born into a prominent New York Sephardic family. He was educated in the United States and Switzerland and attended Harvard Univ ...

; mixed chorus a capella; 1957) * ''Eve'' (words by

Ralph Hodgson Ralph Hodgson (9 September 1871 – 3 November 1962), Order of the Rising Sun (Japanese 旭日章), was an English poet, very popular in his lifetime on the strength of a small number of anthology pieces, such as ''The Bull''. He was one of th ...

; women's chorus and piano; 1956) * ''Great Stars of Our Time'' (voice and piano) * ''Help, O Lord, All Godly Men'' (

Psalm 12 Psalm 12 is the twelfth psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men." In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it ...

; mixed chorus and optional organ; 1973) * Hymn (words by

Stephen Crane Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism an ...

; women's chorus and piano; 1953) * ''If I Take the Wings of Morning'' (

Psalm 139 Psalm 139 is the 139th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me". In Latin, it is known as "Domine probasti me et cognovisti me". The psalm is a hymn psalm. Attribu ...

mixed chorus and flute; 1971) * ''It is Good'' (

Psalm 92 The Psalm 92, known as ''Mizmor Shir L'yom HaShabbat'', is ostensibly dedicated to the Shabbat day. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 91. Alth ...

; women's chorus and organ or piano; 1973) * ''(The) Lord Reigns Over Us'' (

Psalm 93 Psalm 93 is the 93rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty". The Latin wording is Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est.

; women's chorus and organ; 1973) * ''Lord, Your Blessing Please'' (

Psalm 67 Psalm 67 is the 67th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us". In Latin, it is known as "Deus misereatur". In the slightly different ...

; mixed chorus and organ; 1973) * ''My Lord, Chastise Me Not in Anger'' (

Psalm 6 Psalm 6 is the sixth psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure". In Latin, it is known as "Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me". Th ...

; mixed chorus and optional organ; 1973) * ''My Prayers, Like Incense Rising'' (

Psalm 141 Psalm 141 is the 141st psalm from the Book of Psalms. It is attributed to David, a plea to God not only for protection from the psalmist's enemies, but also from temptation to sin. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Sept ...

; mixed chorus and optional organ; 1973) * ''O God, We Wait Upon You Now'' (

Psalm 130 Psalm 130 is the 130th psalm of the Book of Psalms, one of the penitential psalms and one of 15 psalms that begin with the words "A song of ascents" (Shir Hama'alot). The first verse is a call to God in deep sorrow, from "out of the depths" or "o ...

; mixed chorus and optional organ; 1973) * ''O How I Love Thy Word'' (

Psalm 117 Psalm 117 is the 117th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people." In Latin, it is known as ''Laudate Dominum''. Consisting of only two verses, Psalm ...

; women's or mixed chorus and optional organ; 1973) * Setting of

Psalm 13 Psalm 13 is the 13th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version (KJV): "How long, O Lord". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the ...

(mixed chorus and optional organ; 1955) * Setting of

Psalm 83 Psalm 83 is the 83rd psalm of the Bible, biblical Book of Psalms. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 82. This psalm is the last of the Psalms o ...

(mixed chorus a capella; 1961) * ''Promised Gifts'' (

Psalm 85 Psalm 85 is the 85th psalm of the Book of Psalms, one of a series of psalms attributed to the sons of Korah. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm ...

; tenor, mixed chorus, congregation, trumpet and organ) * Setting of

Psalm 100 Psalm 100 is the 100th psalm in the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible. In English, it is translated as "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands" in the King James Version (KJV), and as "O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands" in the Book ...

(mixed chorus and woodwind quintet; 1971) * ''Praise the Lord'' (

Psalm 146 Psalm 146 is the 146th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul". In Latin, it is known as "Lauda anima mea Dominum". In the slightly different numbering sy ...

; mixed chorus and optional organ; 1973) * Setting of

Psalm 147 Psalm 147 is the 147th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version, "Praise ye the : for it is good to sing praises". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, a ...

(mixed chorus and organ or piano) * ''Praise the Lord of Creation'' (

Psalm 148 Psalm 148 is the 148th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the Lord from the heavens". In Latin, it is known as "Laudate Dominum de caelis". The psalm is one of the Laudate psalms. Old Testamen ...

; mixed chorus and organ; 1973) * ''

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

'' (by

Joseph Mohr Josephus Franciscus Mohr, sometimes spelled Josef (11 December 1792 – 4 December 1848) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and writer, who wrote the words to the Christmas carol "Silent Night." Early life and education Mohr was born in S ...

; arranged by Wendelburg for mixed chorus a capella; 1968) * ''Song of the White Clouds'' (soprano, two flutes, and piano; 1969) * ''Song on May Morning'' (words by

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

; women's chorus a capella; 1956) * ''Songs'' of

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

(voice and piano; 1953) * ''Stone Drums'' (1965) * ''Three Miniatures'' (words by

Rachel Field Rachel Lyman Field (September 19, 1894 – March 15, 1942) was an American novelist, poet, and children's fiction writer. She is best known for the Newbery Award–winning ''Hitty, Her First Hundred Years''. Field also won a National Book Award, ...

; women's chorus and piano; 1973) * Three Songs (words by Betty Bird; 1971) * Three Songs from

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...

* ''Velvet Shoes'' (words by

Elinor Wylie Elinor Morton Wylie (September 7, 1885 – December 16, 1928) was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. "She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensu ...

; women's chorus a capella; 1956) * ''We Three Kings of Orient Are'' (by

John Henry Hopkins Jr John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

.; arranged by Wendelburg for mixed chorus and flute; 1972)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendelburg, Norma American women classical composers American classical composers 1918 births 2016 deaths People from Stafford, Kansas Musicians from Kansas Bethany College (Kansas) alumni University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Mozarteum University Salzburg alumni University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni Wayne State College faculty Bethany College (Kansas) faculty Texas State University faculty University of Northern Iowa faculty American women academics Tanglewood Music Center alumni ASCAP composers and authors 21st-century American women