Percy Goetschius (August 10, 1853 – October 29, 1943) was an American music theorist and teacher who won international fame in the teaching of

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

Career

Goetschius was born in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Ureli Corelli Hill, a conductor and violinist, who was a friend of the Goetschius family. Goetschius was the organist of the Second Presbyterian Church from 1868 to 1870 and of the First Presbyterian from 1870 to 1873, and pianist of Mr. Benson's Paterson Choral Society. He went to

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

(Germany), in 1873 to study theory in the Royal Conservatory with Immanuel Faisst, and soon advanced to become a professor. In 1885, King Karl Friedrich Alexander of Württemberg conferred upon him the title of royal professor. He composed much, and reviewed performances for the press.

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

conferred an Honorary Music Doctorate on Goetschius for the academic year 1892–1893. In 1892, he took a position in the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and four years later opened a studio in that city. In 1905, he went to the staff of the Institute of Musical Art (

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, 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 ...

) in New York City, headed by

Frank Damrosch Frank Heino Damrosch (June 22, 1859 – October 22, 1937) was a German-born American music conductor and educator. In 1905, Damrosch founded the New York Institute of Musical Art, a predecessor of the Juilliard School. Life and career Damrosch w ...

. Goetschius's notable pupils include

Henry Cowell Henry Dixon Cowell (; March 11, 1897 – December 10, 1965) was an American composer, writer, pianist, publisher and teacher. Marchioni, Tonimarie (2012)"Henry Cowell: A Life Stranger Than Fiction" ''The Juilliard Journal''. Retrieved 19 June 202 ...

Lillian Fuchs Lillian Fuchs (November 18, 1901 – October 5, 1995) was an American violist, teacher and composer. She is considered to be among the finest instrumentalists of her time. She came from a musical family, and her brothers, Joseph Fuchs, a viol ...

, Howard Hanson,

Swan Hennessy Edward Swan Hennessy (24 November 1866 – 26 October 1929) was an Irish-American composer and pianist who lived much of his life in Paris. In his pre-War piano music, he excelled as a miniaturist in descriptive, programmatic music. After joining ...

, Julia Klumpke, Wallingford Riegger, Bernard Rogers, Alice Marion Shaw, Carrie Burpee Shaw and

Arthur Shepherd Arthur Shepherd (February 19, 1880 – January 12, 1958) was an American composer and conductor in the 20th century. Life and career Shepherd was born in Paris, Idaho, into a Mormon family. His family loved to sing and his father, William N. ...

. In 1917, he was elected an honorary member of

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

fraternity, the national fraternity for men in music, by the fraternity's Alpha chapter at the

Selected music theory textbooks

Goetschius published several textbooks on theory, including: * ''The Material Used in Musical Composition'' (New York:

G. Schirmer G. Schirmer, Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. The oldest active music publisher in the United States, Schirmer publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-know ...

) :: 1st ed. (1882); :
2nd ed.alternate link
(1889) :
4th ed.
(1895) :
8th ed.
(1907); :
14th ed.1941 print
(1913, 1915, 1941); , * ''The Theory and Practice of Tone-Relations'' (Boston:

, 1892); :: 11th ed. New York:

(1913); :
15th ed.
(1917) :: 24th ed., New York:

(1931); * ''Models of the Principal Musical Forms'' (Boston:

, 1892); *
Lessons in Music Form
'' Boston:

Oliver Ditson Oliver Ditson (October 20, 1811 – December 21, 1888) was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century. Early life and career Oliver Ditson was born in Bos ...

(1904) * ''Exercises in Melody Writing'' (New York:

) :
1st ed.
(1900); :
2nd ed.
(1903) :: ?? ed. (1905); :
6th ed.
(1908) :: 7th ed. (1910) :: 11th ed. (1923) :: ?? ed. (1928); * ''The Larger Forms of Musical Composition'' (New York:

) :: 5th ed. (1915); :: 7th ed. (1915); * ''The Homophonic Forms of Musical Composition'' (New York:

) :
1st ed.
(1898) :: ? ed. (1901); :
3rd ed.
(1905) :: 3rd ed. (1908) :: 4th ed. (1907); :
7th ed.
(1913) :
8th ed.
(1915); :
9th ed.
(1918); :
10th ed.
(1921) :: 11th ed. (1923) * ''Music Theory for Piano Students'', co-authored with Clarence Grant Hamilton, John P. Marshall,

Will Earhart Will Earhart (April 1, 1871 - April 23, 1960) was a pioneering American music educator. Overview Born in Franklin, Ohio, Earhart studied violin, piano, counterpoint and harmony. He began teaching in Miamisburg, Ohio and later became music supervi ...

(Boston:

) :: (1924); :: ?? (1930) * ''Exercises in Elementary Counterpoint'' (

) :: 5th ed. (1910); * ''Counterpoint'' (New York:

, 1930) * ''The Structure of Music'' (Philadelphia: T. Presser, 1934) As of the mid-20th century, use of Goetschius' books, as texts, is rare; albeit, the books contain original theoretical ideas and pedagogical approaches that endure today.

Goetschius' theory of harmonic progression

Perhaps the most important theory put forth by Goetschius is that of natural harmonic progression, which first appeared in ''The Theory and Practice of Tone-Relations''. According to Goetschius' theory, the triad V in a key resolves to the tonic triad I because of the acoustically perfect interval of the fifth between the root of V and that of I: Goetschius believed that, since the upper tone of the fifth is a

harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', t ...

of the lower, a chord rooted on the upper tone demands to be "resolved" by progressing to the chord rooted on the lower tone. Moreover, this theory is extended to other chords in a key, so that the normal tendency of a chord (

triad Triad or triade may refer to: * a group of three Businesses and organisations * Triad (American fraternities), certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America * Triad (organized crime), a Chinese transnational orga ...

seventh chord A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root. When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a dominant seventh chord: a major triad together with a mi ...

) in a key is to progress to the chord rooted a fifth lower. The sole weakness of this theory is its failure to account for the importance of the

subdominant In music, the subdominant is the fourth tonal degree () of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance ''below'' the tonic as the dominant is ''above'' the tonicin other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdomina ...

triad IV, a chord frequently used in musical practice. Although Goetschius acknowledges the importance of the IV harmony elsewhere in his writings, it does not appear to have a place in his theory of harmonic progression.

Family

He was married twice, the second time to Maria C. C. Stephany on June 14, 1899. He had two children. Percy Goetschius died at his home in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...

on October 29, 1943.

References

General

*
Percy Goetschius, Theorist and Teacher
' (Ph.D. dissertation), by Mother Catherine Agnes Carroll,

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(1910–1996),

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 ...

(1961);

Note: Mother Carroll had been a long-standing music professor at

Manhattanville College Manhattanville College is a private university in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 at 412 Houston Street in lower Manhattan, it was initially known as Academy of the Sacred Heart, then after 1847 as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart ...

* ''A History of Harmonic Theory in the United States,'' by David M. Thompson (PhD) (born 1951),

Kent State University Press Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

(1980);

As of 2017, Thompson is Chair of the Music Department at Marian University,

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Fond du Lac Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all ...

, where he teaches music theory, history, music administration, and American music

Inline citations

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goetschius, Percy 1853 births 1943 deaths 19th-century American composers 19th-century American male musicians 19th-century classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical composers American classical composers American male classical composers American male writers American people of Swiss descent American textbook writers Classical musicians from New Jersey Juilliard School faculty Musicians from Paterson, New Jersey New England Conservatory faculty State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart alumni State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart faculty