Seth Daniels Bingham (April 16, 1882 – June 21, 1972) was an American organist and prolific composer.

Biography

Bingham was born in

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District. History The initial patent for the land that w ...

, the youngest of four siblings in a farming family that soon relocated to

Naugatuck, Connecticut Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, which ...

. After extensive childhood activities in church music, he studied organ and composition with

Harry Benjamin Jepson Harry Benjamin Jepson (August 16, 1870 – August 23, 1952) was an American organist and composer and (starting in 1906) the first University Organist of Yale University.Horatio Parker Horatio William Parker (September 15, 1863 – December 18, 1919) was an American composer, organist and teacher. He was a central figure in musical life in New Haven, Connecticut in the late 19th century, and is best remembered as the undergradu ...

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, gaining a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1904. Taking time also to study in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

with

Alexandre Guilmant Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (; 12 March 1837 – 29 March 1911) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Cantor ...

Vincent d'Indy Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the Par ...

and

Charles-Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the mid-Romantic era, most notable for his ten organ symphonies. His Toccata from the fifth organ symphony has become one of the ...

, Bingham earned his

B.Mus. Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or music school, conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consi ...

from Yale in 1908, and subsequently taught theory, composition and organ at Yale from 1908 to 1919. Beginning in 1913, he was organist and choirmaster at

Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church is a member church of the Presbyterian Church (USA), located at 73rd Street and Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side of New York City. In 1927 George Arthur Buttrick succeeded Henry Sloane Coffin as minister. ...

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 ...

, a position he held until his 1951 retirement. He was an associate professor at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

from 1922 to 1954, received an honorary doctorate from

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

in 1952, and lectured at the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary from 1953 to 1965. His students included Jeanne Walsh Singer. He married Blanche Guy in Switzerland in 1907, had two children and three grandchildren, and died in New York City at age 90.

Compositions

Bingham's compositions include orchestral, choral, and chamber music, but most of his compositions are for organ solo. His best-known works are: *Roulade, from "Six Pieces for Organ", Op. 9, No. 3 (1923), dedicated to

David McKinley Williams David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

*Suite for Organ "Baroques", Op. 41 (1944), dedicated to

E. Power Biggs Edward George Power Biggs (March 29, 1906 – March 10, 1977) was a British-born American concert organist and recording artist. Biography Biggs was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England; a year later, the family moved to the Isle of Wi ...

**1. Overture **2. Rondo Ostinato **3. Sarabande **4. Rhythmic Trumpet **5. Voluntary

References

External links

Seth Bingham archives
Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bingham, Seth Daniels 1882 births 1972 deaths American male organists American male composers American composers Composers for pipe organ Musicians from New Jersey Yale School of Music alumni Yale University faculty Columbia University faculty People from Bloomfield, New Jersey Pupils of Alexandre Guilmant Pupils of Horatio Parker Pupils of Charles-Marie Widor 20th-century organists 20th-century American male musicians American organists