Willson Osborne (1906–1979) was an American

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 ...

. After completing the undergraduate program in composition and music theory at the University of Michigan (studying with Ross Lee Finney), Osborne was a student of Paul Hindemith at Yale University. Osborne was, like his mentor, a neoclassical composer. He taught music theory and composition at Philadelphia's New School of Music (now part of the Boyer College of Music at Temple University). Osborne's work remains little-known except for his '' Rhapsody'', which is the most frequently-performed work in the literature for unaccompanied

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

, and in an adapted version is also popular as a recital piece for the

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

. The ''Rhapsody'', originally written in 1952 as "Study for Bassoon", came into the public notice after being recorded by noted

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

bassoonist Sol Schoenbach and broadcast on WNYC during a special contemporary American music feature. Despite the success of this piece, little has been written about Osborne or his work. In addition to the ''Rhapsody'', Osborne wrote several solo piano pieces (including a set entitled ''Six Pieces for the Young Pianist''), chamber pieces for brass ensembles, and works for

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

mixed choir, and also arranged and harmonized several other works. His last published original composition was a 1965 piano solo, "The Quiet Sons"; though he continued to write, the later works remain unpublished.

References and further reading

*Ewell, Terry
Willson Osborne's Rhapsody for Bassoon
''The Double Reed'', vol. 13, no. 2, fall 1990 (see also corrections in ''The Double Reed'', vol. 13 no. 3, winter 1990). *Schoenbach, Sol

''Journal of the International Double Reed Society'', number 11, 1983. *Gbur, Bruce. (March 22, 2000
David Debolt: Bassoon Music of 20th-Century America
recording review. ''American Music''. *Hanna, Steven R. Analysis and Performance of Music for Unaccompanied Bassoon by … Willson Osborne …, DMA Dissertation, UMI, 1993.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Willson 1906 births 1979 deaths 20th-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Neoclassical composers University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Pupils of Paul Hindemith Pupils of Ross Lee Finney 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians