Tali Esen Morgan (28 October 1858 – June 1941), born Taliesen Morgan, was a Welsh-born American conductor, composer, and publisher. He was the musical director at Ocean Grove, a large Methodist summer resort on the New Jersey shore, for almost twenty years.

Early life

Taliesen Morgan was born at

Llangynwyd Llangynwyd is a village (and electoral ward) 2 miles to the south of Maesteg, in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It was part of the medieval commote (Welsh: ''cwmwd'') of Tir Iarll. History and amenities The village is the site of Llangy ...

, Glamorganshire, one of ten children of Thomas Llyfnwy Morgan and Gwenllian Beven Morgan. He attended schools in

Maesteg Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation of Mae ...

, and held an apprenticeship with a printer."Kays Richard Morgan"
in ''History of Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1664-1920'' (Lewis Historical Publishing 1922): 213-214. He settled with his family in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1876, for three years. Although he was very young, he published a Welsh-interest newspaper, ''The Cambro-American'', while there."Tali Esen Morgan" i
''Scannell's New Jersey First Citizens''
(J. J. Scannell 1919): 369.

Career

In 1897, Morgan directed choirs for a summer concert at Ocean Grove. The following year, he became the resort's musical director. Conductor

Walter Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Ge ...

encouraged him to use "Tali Esen" rather than the original version of his first name. As musical director, he worked with visiting artists such as

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

John Phillips Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...

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, and Louise Homer. He was responsible for a thousand-voice children's chorus, and a 63-piece orchestra.Morris S. Daniels
''Story of Ocean Grove, 1869-1919''
(Methodist Book Company 1919): 236. He oversaw the purchase and installation of the Robert Hope-Jones organ in the Great Auditorium in 1908. He composed the "Storm Fantasia" for the Hope-Jones organ, and that piece played regularly in the Great Auditorium for many years; it was a staple offering of other theatre organ recitals too. Morgan continued as musical director at Ocean Grove until 1915. Morgan was also music director at Second Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. He conducted the New York Festival Chorus, and was president of the International Correspondence School of Music. After Ocean Grove, Morgan co-directed the Asbury Park Summer School in 1917. In 1919 he conducted a large girls' chorus at the

Baptist Temple Baptist Temple is a historic Baptist church at 360 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn, New York. It was built in 1893–1894 in the Romanesque Revival style and rebuilt after a fire in 1917–1918. It has a brownstone base and superstructure faced ...

in Brooklyn. Morgan composed or arranged many works for choral performance. He published a Methodist hymnal based on the songs sung at Ocean Grove.

Personal life

Tali Esen Morgan married Mary Jane Jones in 1881. They had six children. One son, Paul Morgan, died in 1929, at age 33. Another son, Kays Richard Morgan, became a lawyer in New Jersey. Tali Esen Morgan was widowed in 1938. He died in summer 1941, age 82, after a heart attack at his daughter Edith's house in New York."Tali Esen Morgan"
''Wilkes-Barre Times Leader'' (2 July 1941): 29. via Newspapers.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Tali Esen 1858 births 1941 deaths Welsh Methodist hymnwriters Welsh choral conductors Choral composers British publishers (people)