Philip Manuel (1893–October 6, 1959) was an American pianist, organist, harpsichordist and music educator. With pianist, organist and harpsichordist

Gavin Williamson Sir Gavin Alexander Williamson (born 25 June 1976) is a British politician who most recently served as Minister of State without Portfolio from 25 October to 8 November 2022. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Staffordshire s ...

, he formed a duo in 1922, known as Manuel and Williamson, that helped promote the use of

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

s as concert instruments. In the spring of 1935, the duo were the first professionals to play Bach's Concerto for Four Harpsichords in the United States on this instrument.

Life and career

Philip Manuel was of Portuguese and British descent. He began the study of music at a military school with piano teachers who traveled from town to town. He attended

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-st ...

in Iowa, where he studied in both the academic and music departments. Following his graduation, he traveled to Vienna to study organ, piano and singing, and then to London. After a time teaching at the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

, he moved to Chicago. He served overseas during the War. His was slim, quiet, and scholarly. He wore

pince-nez Pince-nez ( or , plural form same as singular; ) is a style of glasses, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. The name comes from French ''pincer'', "to pinch ...

instead of spectacles, and tended to stick out his tongue during crucial moments of a musical programme. Manuel's first professional association was as a tenor singer to pianist

(1897–1989). In 1916 at the University of Chicago, the two men discovered a common interest in harpsichord as a concert instrument. In the 1920s, there were fewer than 50 harpsichords in the United States, most located in museums. Manuel and Williamson went to Paris, where they studied for many years with

Wanda Landowska Wanda Aleksandra Landowska (5 July 1879 – 16 August 1959) was a Polish harpsichordist and pianist whose performances, teaching, writings and especially her many recordings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in t ...

and contracted with

Pleyel et Cie Pleyel et Cie. ("Pleyel and Company") was a French piano manufacturing firm founded by the composer Ignace Pleyel in 1807. In 1815, Pleyel's son Camille joined him as a business partner. The firm provided pianos to Frédéric Chopin, who consi ...

to produce two instruments for their use. With these instruments, they initiated concert tours of the United States, and also worked as teachers of harpsichord, piano and voice. The two frequently played with the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

, and were broadcast on the

National Broadcasting Company The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

radio network. Manuel died in Chicago at age 66. Notable students include

Lili Chookasian Lili Chookasian (August 1, 1921April 9, 2012) was an American contralto of Armenian ethnicity, who appeared with many of the world's major symphony orchestras and opera houses. She began her career in the 1940s as a concert singer but did not d ...

Discography

*''Bach: Concerto in C Major for 3 Harpsichords and Strings / Rameau: Les cyclopes'' - Manuel and Williamson Harpsichord Ensemble, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1948) *''Bach Concerto in C Major for 2 Harpsichords and Strings/ Couperin: Musette de Taverny'' - Manuel and Williamson, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1948)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Philip 1893 births 1959 deaths American harpsichordists American music educators 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American pianists American male pianists 20th-century American male musicians