William Ifor Jones (January 23, 1900 – November 11, 1988) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

conductor and organist. Born into a large

coal-mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

family and raised in

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after T ...

, Jones studied at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

as a scholarship student in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

from 1920 to 1925. He studied the organ with Sir

Stanley Marchant Sir Stanley Marchant CVO (15 May 1883 – 28 February 1949) was an English church musician, teacher and composer. After more than 30 years as a church and cathedral organist he was appointed principal of the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), and ...

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 Gra ...

; orchestral conducting with Ernest Read and with

Sir Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the The Proms, Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introd ...

, (he became Wood's assistant at the Queen's Hall Orchestra); and harmony with Benjamin Dale. He was for a time organist at the Welsh Baptist Church in Castle Street, London, worked at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

, as a vocal coach at Covent Garden, assisted with the British National Opera Company in the role of prompter, and was the Assistant Choir Master at St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

Biography

Jones emigrated to the United States in early 1930. He conducted the New Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia, and The Tudor Singers in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He taught at the

Peabody Conservatory of Music The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

in Baltimore, Maryland, and at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

- Douglas College in New Brunswick, New Jersey. While at Rutgers, he formed a glee club and also performed the complete organ works of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

. At the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music, New York City, he led conducting courses for choirmasters. He was involved with the Berkshire Music Festival at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the ...

, and taught many summer school workshops, clinics and seminars. He was at various times organist at the Presbyterian Church in Bound Brook, New Jersey, at the Broadway Tabernacle in New York City, and at the Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He also worked with the Handel Choir in Westfield, New Jersey, at the Bach Youth Chorale in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and led the Cantata Singers in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem

In 1939, he made his debut as the third conductor of

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem The Bach Choir of Bethlehem is the oldest Bach choir in the United States. Dating back to 1712, according to the choir's archives, it was formally founded in 1898 by Central Moravian Church organist John Frederick Wolle, and was established at ro ...

. On February 18, 1946, at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

, the choir performed Bach's

Mass in B minor The Mass in B minor (), BWV 232, is an extended setting of the Mass ordinary by Johann Sebastian Bach. The composition was completed in 1749, the year before the composer's death, and was to a large extent based on earlier work, such as a Sanctu ...

with Ifor Jones, conductor; Ruth Diehl, soprano; Lilian Knowles, contralto; Lucius Metz, tenor; Calvin Marsh, baritone; Edwin Steffe, bass; E. Power Biggs, organ
The Philadelphia Orchestra.
On April 13, 1947, an estimated 9,200 people attended a performance of The Mass in B Minor at th
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
in New York. Ifor Jones conducted The Choir and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. * 1948 - The Bach Choir records Cantata #78 for Victor Records. * 1956 - Mass in b minor - March 27, Carnegie Hall: The Bach Choir of Bethlehem with Ifor Jones, conductor;

Phyllis Curtin Phyllis Curtin (née Smith; December 3, 1921 – June 5, 2016) was an American soprano and academic teacher who had an active career in operas and concerts from the early 1950s through the 1980s. She is known for her creation of roles in ope ...

, soprano;

Eunice Alberts Eunice Alberts (1927–2012) was an American contralto who had an active career as a concert soloist and opera singer during the 1950s through the 1980s. Early life and education Born in Boston, Alberts attended the Girls' Latin School in ...

, contralto;

John McCollum John M. McCollum (February 21, 1922 – October 30, 2015) was an American tenor who had an active singing career in operas, concerts, and recitals during the 1950s through the 1970s. As an opera singer he performed with companies throughout Nor ...

, tenor;

Mack Harrell Mack Kendree Harrell, Jr. (October 8, 1909 — January 29, 1960) was an American operatic and concert baritone vocalist who was regarded as one of the greatest American-born lieder singers of his generation. Growing up Harrell was born in ...

, bass;

Vernon de Tar Vernon may refer to: Places Australia *Vernon County, New South Wales Canada *Vernon, British Columbia, a city *Vernon, Ontario France * Vernon, Ardèche *Vernon, Eure United States * Vernon, Alabama * Vernon, Arizona * Vernon, California * ...

, organ; The Philadelphia Orchestra. * 1957 - The 50th Bach Festival celebrated. Ifor Jones opens the Thursday evening rehearsal to the community. * 1959 - The Bach Festival Orchestra makes its first appearance, at the May Festival, replacing the Philadelphia Orchestra. * 1962 - The 55th Bach Festival is dedicated to

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...

, with a letter from Schweitzer printed in the program. In October 1965, the choir sings at the International Choral Festival, commemorating the 150th anniversary of th
Handel and Haydn Society
in Symphony Hall, Boston. * 1969 - Ifor Jones retires as conductor of the choir. His only known television appearance with the choir was on ''The Bell Telephone Hour'', conducting "Going to Bethlehem". Ifor Jones retired in 1969, and died at

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Publications

* Bach Cantatas (G. Schirmer, NY) * Bach 'Missa Brevis' in G (H.W. Gray, NY) * Brahms Part Songs, (C. Fischer, NY) * Original Pieces for Female and Men's Voices (Kalmus)

Honors

* Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London
Fellow
of the Royal Academy of Music, London ''First foreigner to be so honored by the RAM - 1948''.

Honorary Doctorates

* The American Conservatory of Music, Chicago, IL * Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, William Ifor People from Merthyr Tydfil Welsh conductors (music) British male conductors (music) Welsh classical organists British male organists Welsh emigrants to the United States 1900 births 1988 deaths Fellows of the Royal Academy of Music Peabody Institute faculty Rutgers University faculty 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century organists 20th-century British male musicians Male classical organists