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 A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

, and voice teacher of English birth. He produced a large amount of

vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with musical instruments, instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which ...

, including more than 150

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

s 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

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s 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 London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Anderson studied singing privately in his native city with

Mattia Battistini Mattia Battistini (27 February 1856 – 7 November 1928) was an Italian operatic baritone, referred to as the "King of Baritones" in multiple publications.Steane, J.B., 1998. Singers of the Century, vol. 2. Amadeus Press, Portland, pp.&nbs ...

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 ...

St Stephen Walbrook St Stephen Walbrook is a church in the City of London, part of the Church of England's Diocese of London. The present domed building was erected to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren following the destruction of its medieval predecessor in the ...

, and St. Paul's Church, Knightsbridge. In his early career he performed roles with the

Moody-Manners Opera Company Charles Manners (27 December 18573 May 1935) was a British bass singer and opera company manager. His earliest performances were with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, first as a chorus member and then as a principal, creating the role of Private ...

, 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 André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéra comique, opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage wo ...

'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 Lorne Matheson Betts (August 2, 1918 – August 5, 1985) was a Canadian composer, conductor, organist, and music critic. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, many of his original scores and wri ...

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, Ronald Dodds, James Duncan, Reginald Hugo, Wallace Lewis, Morley Meredith,

Maxine Miller Maxine Miller (born June 18, 1928) is a Canadian actress who appeared in the first three seasons of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. In the 1980s, she voiced True Heart Bear in '' The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'' (1986) and appeared ...

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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. He conducted the latter choir from 1936 to 1955; notably leading the ensemble in an annual series of national broadcasts for

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

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 Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

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)