Herve Dwight Wilkins (

Italy, New York Italy is a town located in Yates County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 1,141. The town takes its name from the country of Italy. The Town of Italy is in the southwestern part of the county and ...

, 1843 –

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

, 1913), was an American

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

and composer.

Education

He attended the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...

, where he was a member of

Psi Upsilon Psi Upsilon (), commonly known as Psi U, is a North American fraternity,''Psi Upsilon Tablet'' founded at Union College on November 24, 1833. The fraternity reports 50 chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America, some of which ...

fraternity and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

. He graduated in 1866 and became a church organist and music teacher. He received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree from the University in 1870. From 1870 to 1873 he studied piano, singing, organ, and composition in Berlin, Germany.

Musical career

As a child, Wilkins began singing in the church choir at the age of six. In 1865 he gave an organ

recital A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety ...

at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Rochester (later the Plymouth Spiritualist Church), and continued to give recitals for many years at Saint Peter's Church, First Presbyterian Church, and Brick Church. He also gave numerous piano recitals. In 1892 he estimated that he had given 140 organ and piano recitals. In 1880 he was a founder of the Mendelsohn Vocal Society in Rochester. He served as organist at several churches in the

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...

area. In 1896 he was a founder of the

American Guild of Organists The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is an international organization of academic, church, and concert organists in the US, headquartered in New York City with its administrative offices in the Interchurch Center. Founded as a professional educat ...

. He was a solo organist at the

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

in Philadelphia in 1876, the

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...

in Buffalo in 1900, and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis in 1904. He composed "several works for organ, twelve sacred quartetts icfor male voices, the

Theta Delta Chi Theta Delta Chi () is a social fraternity that was founded in 1847 at Union College, New York, United States. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are TDX, Thete, Theta Delt, and Thump ...

song book, and some detached songs." he is noted for setting to music, adapted from the tune of an old sea chanty ''The Pilot'', the poem "The Genesee" by Thomas Thackeray Swinburne which became the alma mater of the University of Rochester, and for "Auld Lang Syne Concert Paraphrase." He served as president of the New York State Music Teachers' Association, was a founder of the

, and was director of the Batavia Philharmonic Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Vocal Society.

Personal

Wilkins was born in

in 1843, the son of a clergyman. In 1870 he married Julia E. Smith (1838–1921), daughter of former Rochester mayor Elijah F. Smith. The couple had four children. Wilkins died in 1913.

References

External links

Auld Lang Syne Concert Paraphrase by Herve D. Wilkins - score and mp3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkins, Herve D. 1843 births 1913 deaths American organists American male organists 19th-century American musicians 20th-century American musicians American composers Musicians from Rochester, New York University of Rochester alumni Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester) American male composers 19th-century American male musicians 20th-century American male musicians Psi Upsilon