William Henry Anderson (21 April 1882 – 12 April 1955) was a

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

choir director A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

, tenor, and voice teacher of English birth. He produced a large amount of vocal music, including more than 150 songs and 40

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

s as well as a significant amount of

carols A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling). T ...

and other choral works. He also produced a large number of choral arrangements of Ukrainian, Czech, and Icelandic folksongs; mainly written for Winnipeg choir director Walter Bohonos and his choirs. He used the pseudonyms Hugh Garland and Michael Bilencko for some of his published ballads and folksong arrangements, however, most of his works were published under the name W.H. Anderson. Some of his more well known compositions include the anthem ''Come, I Pray Thee''; the songs ''Hospitality'' and ''To Immortality''; the trio for female voices ''Sea Blue Gardens''; and the Christmas pieces ''Ane Song for the Birth of Christ'', ''Lullaby of the Little Angels'' and ''The World's Desire''.

Life and career

Born in London, Anderson studied singing privately in his native city with

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and Manuel García and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He served as a lay tenor at several notable churches in London, including

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

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, and

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. In his early career he performed roles with the Moody-Manners Opera Company, sometimes using the name Wallace Anderson when performing. However, he mainly sang using his own name William. On 5 May 1903 he notably portrayed Monsieur Loustot in the London premiere of André Messager's '' Véronique'' with the composer conducting. Anderson's abandoned his singing career after suffering from chronic bouts with bronchitis. He was advised by his doctor to leave London for a drier climate, and accordingly left England for Canada in 1910 where he ultimately settled in Winnipeg. He became a celebrated singing teacher in that city; notably teaching such musicians as Herbert Belyea, Lorne Betts, Lloyd Blackman, Ronald Dodds, James Duncan,

Reginald Hugo Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language. Etymology and history The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...

, Wallace Lewis, Morley Meredith,

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, and Phyllis Worth. He was also a much admired choir director in Winnipeg, notably founding and directing both CNR Choral Society and

The Choristers The Choristers was a Canadian chamber choir based in Winnipeg that gave weekly nationally broadcast programs on CBC Radio from 1942 through 1969. According to '' The Canadian Encyclopedia'', the choir achieved "a national reputation for their fin ...

. He conducted the latter choir from 1936 to 1955; notably leading the ensemble in an annual series of national broadcasts for CBC Radio from 1942 to 1955. The group continued to perform for nearly 20 years after Anderson's death. He also held several church posts in Winnipeg, including serving as music director of St Andrew's River Heights United from 1934 to 1954. Anderson died in Winnipeg in 1955 at the age of 72. His son Jeffrey Anderson was a successful radio producer and music critic and his daughter Evelyne Anderson was a successful actress and soprano.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, William Henry 1882 births 1955 deaths Musicians from London English composers English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) English expatriates in Canada English operatic tenors Voice teachers Musicians from Winnipeg 20th-century British male singers 20th-century British conductors (music)