Charles Faulkner Bryan
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Charles Faulkner Bryan (July 26, 1911 – July 7, 1955) was an American composer, musician, music educator and collector of
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
.


Life and career

Bryan was born in
McMinnville, Tennessee McMinnville is the largest city in and the county seat of Warren County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 13,605 at the 2010 census. It was named for Governor Joseph McMinn. Geography McMinnville is located at (35.686708, -85.779309) ...
in 1911. He was attracted to music from a young age and became particularly interested in the music of the Appalachian region. In addition to being a pioneer in the study of folk music, Bryan is considered by many to be one of Tennessee's greatest composers and musicians. Bryan also taught at Tennessee Polytechnic Institute in
Cookeville, Tennessee Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's micropolitan areas, or smaller ...
, where he was head of the Department of Music from 1936 to 1939. During the Great Depression, he worked as a director of music and library projects of the federal
Works Projects Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
in their southeastern region. He engaged in folklore studies to record and preserve music and other folklore of the Appalachian region. In the post-World War II years, Bryan served on the faculty of George Peabody College (1947–1952) in Nashville, and served as president of the Tennessee Folklore Society. He taught at the Indian Spring School for Boys near
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
for a brief period after it opened in 1952. He died on July 7, 1955, in
Pinson, Alabama Pinson is a city in Jefferson County near Birmingham, Alabama, United States, northwest of Center Point. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,163. History Pinson was incorporated in March 2004. Geography This city is located at (33 ...
.


Legacy

According to his biographer, Carolyn Livingston, Bryan was "a pioneer in the study of American folk music" who created in his students "a sense of value for the folk ballads and hymns of Appalachia". He composed the music of '' Singin' Billy: A Folk Opera'' (1952), possibly his best known work, with Donald Davidson writing the libretto or text. "Singin' Billy" was the nickname of shape note composer and publisher William Walker. With George Pullen Jackson, he wrote the text ''American Folk Music for High School and other Choral Groups''. Bryan's namesake son served as president and CEO of the
Virginia Historical Society The Virginia Museum of History and Culture founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history. It is a private, n ...
until retiring in November 2008. In 1977, an historical marker honoring Bryan was erected in front of the
Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...
courthouse in McMinnville. It reads, "A native of Warren County, Bryan was a pioneer in the study of American folk music. Through his talented efforts this distinctively American form of musical expression gained worldwide fame and appreciation. He worked closely with the people of the Southern mountains and coves in the study of this music, but his work earned a permanent place of honor and distinction in the highest ranks of academic and scholarly achievement. Presented in his memory by a grateful community."
Tennessee Technological University Tennessee Technological University, commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech, is a public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of Dixie ...
's Bryan Fine Arts Building (BFA) is home to the College of Fine Arts as well as the Wattenbarger Auditorium. Constructed in 1981, this building is named for Bryan. The Bryan Symphony Orchestra, composed of Tech Faculty, talented students, and area professionals is named in his honor and performs at the Bryan Fine Arts Center. In 2011, the School of Music at TTU hosted his biographer and members of Bryan's family in a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the composer's birth. TTU awarded a research grant to Director of Orchestras, Professor Dan Allcott, to create a Bryan archive at the university's library. Allcott also created a modern performing edition of Bryan's "Bell Witch Cantata" which had been premiered by Robert Shaw at Carnegie Hall in 1947. The Cantata had its first 21st century performances shortly afterward.


References

*''Charles F. Bryan: His Life and Music'', by Carolyn Livingston. University of Tennessee Press.


External links


Warren County historical markers
- picture of Bryan historical marker on this page {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Charles F. 1911 births 1955 deaths American folklorists People from McMinnville, Tennessee American male composers Pupils of Paul Hindemith 20th-century American composers 20th-century American musicologists 20th-century American male musicians