William Henry Hewlett (16 January 1873 – 13 June 1940) was a Canadian

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, conductor,

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 ...

, and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

of English birth.

Early life and education

Born in

Batheaston Batheaston is a village and civil parish east of the English city of Bath, on the north bank of the River Avon. The parish had a population of 2,735 in 2011. The northern area of the parish, on the road to St Catherine, is an area known as N ...

, Hewlett was a treble in the choir at

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, it was reorganised in the 10th ...

as a boy. In 1884, at the age of 11, he emigrated to Canada where his family ultimately settled in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario. As a teenager he studied at the

Toronto Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

(TCM) where he graduated with the gold medal for organ performance in 1893. Among his teachers were Francesco D'Auria (orchestration), Arthur Elwell Fisher (music theory), Albert Ham (music theory), and A. S. Vogt (piano and organ). He later went to Europe to pursue advanced studies with pianist

Ernst Jedliczka Ernst Jedliczka (24 May 1855 – 3 August 1904) was a Russian-German pianist, piano pedagogue, and music critic. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition'' stated that Jedliczka "did much to spread Russian music in Germany, placing Russian c ...

and composer

Hans Pfitzner Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera ''Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the s ...

in Berlin, and in London with pianist Vladimir Cernikoff.

Career

While a student at the TCM, Hewlett held the post of organist-choirmaster at Carlton St Methodist Church from 1890 to 1895. In 1894 he co-founded the

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is a Canadian large vocal ensemble based in Toronto, Ontario. It was co-founded in 1894 by Augustus S. Vogt and W. H. Hewlett to celebrate the opening of the Massey Hall. The ensemble was originally an extension of ...

, serving as the ensemble's served first

accompanist Accompaniment is the part (music), musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmony (music), harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in ...

from 1895 to 1897. In 1895 he moved to

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

to assume the position of organist-choirmaster at Dundas Centre Methodist Church. From 1896 to 1902 he was the conductor of the London Vocal Society. Around this time he also served as accompanist for singers

Ernestine Schumann-Heink Ernestine Schumann-Heink (15 June 186117 November 1936) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American operatic dramatic contralto of German Bohemian descent. She was noted for the flexibility and wide range of her voice. Early life She was born Ernest ...

and

Dame Clara Butt Dame Clara Ellen Butt, (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English contralto and one of the most popular singers from the 1890s through to the 1920s. She had an exceptionally fine contralto voice and an agile singing technique, and imp ...

in their Canadian recital tours. In 1902, Hewlett relocated to Hamilton to assume the position of music director at Centenary Methodist Church where he remained until 1938. In 1907 he, along with

J. E. P. Aldous John Edmund Paul Aldous (8 December 1853 – 23 January 1934) was a Canadian organist, conductor, composer, and music educator of English birth. His compositional output includes many short pieces for piano, organ, choir, and voice. He also co ...

and

Bruce Carey Bruce Anderson Carey (16 November 1876 – 8 May 1960) was a Canadian choir conductor, baritone, and music educator. He began his career in Hamilton, Ontario, where he notably founded the Bach-Elgar Choir in 1905. After directing that ensemble ...

, became co-director of the

Royal Hamilton College of Music The Royal Hamilton College of Music was a Canadian music conservatory in Hamilton, Ontario that was actively providing higher education in music during the late 19th century and 20th century. The college was founded as the Hamilton Conservatory of M ...

. He became sole director in 1918, a position he held until 1939. From 1922 to 1935 he served as the conductor of the

Bach-Elgar Choir The Bach-Elgar Choir is a community chorus of long standing in Hamilton, Ontario, currently directed by Alexander Cann. The Choir is composed of accomplished amateur singers from Hamilton and the neighbouring cities of Burlington, Oakville, Mis ...

, often leading the ensemble in performances with the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...

. In 1927 he conducted a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

with a 1000-voice choir. In 1928 to 1929 he was president of the

Royal Canadian College of Organists The Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO), founded in 1909, is a national association of organists and church musicians in Canada, with 28 centres from Victoria, British Columbia to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The National Office is ...

. He was also active as an adjudicator and examiner throughout Canada during his career. He died in Bronte, Ontario in 1940.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewlett, W.H. 1873 births 1940 deaths Canadian conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Canadian composers Canadian male composers Canadian organists Male organists Canadian music educators The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni Royal Hamilton College of Music faculty Musicians from Somerset English emigrants to Canada Musicians from London, Ontario Musicians from Toronto