William Howard Schuman (August 4, 1910February 15, 1992) was an American composer and

arts administrator The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both h ...

Life

Schuman was born into a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City, son of Samuel and Rachel Schuman. He was named after the 27th U.S. president,

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, though his family preferred to call him Bill. Schuman played the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

and

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as a child, but his overwhelming passion was baseball. He attended Temple Shaaray Tefila as a child. While still in high school, he formed a dance band, "Billy Schuman and his Alamo Society Orchestra", that played local weddings and bar mitzvahs in which Schuman played string bass. In 1928 he entered

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

's School of Commerce to pursue a business degree, at the same time working for an advertising agency. He also wrote popular songs with E. B. Marks Jr, a friend he had met long before at summer camp. Around that time, Schuman met lyricist

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

and wrote some forty songs with him. Loesser's first published song, "In Love with a Memory of You", credits the music to William H. Schuman. On April 13, 1930, Schuman attended a

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 ...

concert of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

, conducted by

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

. According to the Philharmonic's archives, the program included works by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Smetana. Of this experience, Schuman later said, "I was astounded at seeing the sea of stringed instruments, and everybody bowing together. The visual thing alone was astonishing. But the sound! I was overwhelmed. I had never heard anything like it. The very next day, I decided to become a composer." Schuman dropped out of school and quit his part-time job to study music at the

Malkin Conservatory Malkin as a surname may refer to: * Arthur Malkin (1803–1888), English writer, alpinist and cricketer * Barry Malkin (1938–2019), American film editor * Benjamin Heath Malkin (1769–1842), antiquary and author * Chris Malkin (born 1967), Engl ...

with Max Persin and Charles Haubiel. From 1933 to 1938, he studied privately with Roy Harris. In 1935, he received a B.S. degree in music education from Teachers College at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Harris brought Schuman to the attention of the conductor

Serge Koussevitzky Sergei Alexandrovich KoussevitzkyKoussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his signature. (SeThe Koussevi ...

, who championed many of his works and conducted Schuman's Symphony No. 2 in 1939. Possibly Schuman's best known symphony, the ''Symphony for Strings'', was commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation, dedicated to the memory of Natalie Koussevitzky, and was first performed under Koussevitzky on November 12, 1943. Schuman won the inaugural Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1943 for his '' Cantata No. 2. A Free Song'', adapted from poems by

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...

. From 1935 to 1945, he taught composition at

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sarah Lawrence scholarship, particularly ...

. In 1945, he became president of the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

, founding the Juilliard String Quartet while there. He left in 1961 to succeed

John D. Rockefeller III John Davison Rockefeller III (March 21, 1906 – July 10, 1978) was an American philanthropist. Rockefeller was the eldest son and second child of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller as well as a grandson of Standard Oil co-found ...

as president of

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

, a position he held until 1969. In 1971, Schuman was awarded The Edward MacDowell Medal by

The MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

for outstanding contributions to American culture. He won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1985 citing "more than half a century of contribution to American music as composer and educational leader" and he received the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons ...

in 1987. He died at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City at age 81, following hip surgery. Schuman was survived by his wife Frances (they married in 1936); two children, Anthony William and Andrea Frances; and one grandchild.

Music

Schuman left a substantial body of work. His "eight

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning co ...

, numbered Three through Ten", as he himself put it (the first two were withdrawn), continue to grow in stature. His

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typ ...

for violin (1947, rev. 1959) has been hailed as among his "most powerful works ... it could almost be considered a symphony for violin and orchestra." Other works include the '' New England Triptych'' (1956, based on melodies by William Billings), the ''American Festival Overture'' (1939), the ballets ''Undertow'' (1945) and ''Judith'' (1949) (the latter written for

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She ...

), the ''Mail Order Madrigals'' (1972) to texts from the 1897 Sears Roebuck catalog, and two

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...

, ''The Mighty Casey'' (1953, based on

Ernest Thayer Ernest Lawrence Thayer (; August 14, 1863 – August 21, 1940) was an American writer and poet who wrote the poem "Casey" (or " Casey at the Bat"), which is "the single most famous baseball poem ever written" according to the Baseball Almanac, an ...

's "

Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', a ...

"), which reflected his lifelong love of baseball, and ''A Question of Taste'' (1989, after a short story by

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...

). He also

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed ...

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

piece '' Variations on "America"'' for

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

in 1963, in which version it is better known. Another popular work by William Schuman is his ''George Washington Bridge'' (1950), for concert band.

Television appearance

William Schuman appeared as the opening guest on the CBS game show, ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'' on September 30, 1962 (episode No. 632). Because of his recognizability, panel members

Dorothy Kilgallen Dorothy Mae Kilgallen (July 3, 1913 – November 8, 1965) was an American columnist, journalist, and television game show panelist. After spending two semesters at the College of New Rochelle, she started her career shortly before her 18th birth ...

, Martin Gabel,

Arlene Francis Arlene Francis (born Arline Francis Kazanjian; October 20, 1907 – May 31, 2001) was an American actress, radio and television talk show host, and game show panelist. She is known for her long-running role as a panelist on the television game s ...

and Bennett Cerf were blindfolded. Schuman's title card identified him as "Composer and President of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York City)". Schuman displayed his wit in response to panel questions. After the panel exhausted a few categories, Kilgallen asked, "How about music?" Schuman replied, "How about it, what's the question?" When asked if he was

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

, Schuman replied, "I'm his friend." When asked if he was Rudolf Bing, Schuman repeated, "I'm his friend", prompting Francis to wonder who was not his friend. When asked if he had ever sung for the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

, Schuman said, "Often desired to, never invited." Cerf identified him after host John Charles Daly had flipped over all the cards. Daly announced that Schuman's Eighth Symphony would be performed at Philharmonic Hall (now David Geffen Hall) the following Thursday, which date, October 4, 1962, marked the première of the work. It was recorded for

Columbia Masterworks Records Columbia Masterworks was a record label started in 1924 by Columbia Records. In 1980, it was separated from the Columbia label and renamed CBS Masterworks. In 1990, it was revived as Sony Classical after its sale to the Sony Corporation. History ...

five days later by its performers, the

conducted by Bernstein.

List of works

Opera

*''The Mighty Casey'' (1953, based on

's "

") *''A Question of Taste'' (1989, after a short story by

)

Ballet

*''Undertow'' (1945, written for

Antony Tudor Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded the London Ballet, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-195 ...

) *''Night Journey'' (1947, written for

) *'' Judith'' (1949, written for Martha Graham) *''Voyage for a Theatre'' (1953, written for Martha Graham; withdrawn) *''The Witch of Endor'' (1965, written for Martha Graham; withdrawn)

Orchestral

*Symphonies **Symphony No. 1 (1935; withdrawn) **Symphony No. 2 (1937; withdrawn) ** Symphony No. 3 (1941) ** Symphony No. 4 (1941) **Symphony for Strings (Symphony no. 5) (1943) ** Symphony No. 6 (1948) **Symphony No. 7 (1960) **Symphony No. 8 (1962) **Symphony No. 9 ''Le fosse Ardeatine'' (1968) iz._ iz._Ardeatine_massacre">Ardeatine_massacre.html"_;"title="iz._Ardeatine_massacre">iz._Ardeatine_massacre**Symphony_No._10_(Schuman).html" ;"title="Ardeatine_massacre.html" ;"title="Ardeatine_massacre.html" ;"title="iz. Ardeatine massacre">iz. Ardeatine massacre">Ardeatine_massacre.html" ;"title="iz. Ardeatine massacre">iz. Ardeatine massacre**Symphony No. 10 (Schuman)">Symphony No. 10 ''American Muse'' (1976) *''Potpourri'' (1932; withdrawn) *''Prelude and Fugue'' (1935; withdrawn) *''American Festival Overture'' (1939) *''Prayer in Time of War'', originally titled ''Prayer 1943'' (1943) *''Circus Overture'' (1944) *''Credendum'' (1955, commissioned by UNESCO) *'' New England Triptych'' (1956, based on melodies by William Billings) *''The Orchestra Song'' (1963) *''In Praise of Shahn'' (1969) *''Amaryllis, Variants for Strings on an Old English Round'' (1976) *''American Hymn'' (1980) *''Showcase: A Short Display for Orchestra'' (1986) *''Let's Hear It For Lenny!'' (1988, written for the 70th Birthday of

)

Concertante

*Piano Concerto (1938; published but withdrawn) *Piano Concerto (1942; third movement contains material from 1938 concerto) *Violin Concerto (1947; 1st rev., 1954; 2nd rev. 1957–8) *''A Song of Orpheus'', for cello and orchestra (1962) *''To Thee Old Cause'', for oboe and orchestra (1968) *''Concerto on Old English Rounds'', for viola, female chorus and orchestra (1973) *''Three Colloquies'', for horn and orchestra (1979)

Vocal/Choral

*''God's World'' (1932) *''Canons'' (1933) *''Prelude for Voices'' (1939, to texts by Thomas Wolfe) *''This Is Our Time'' (Secular Cantata no.1) (1939, to texts by Genevieve Taggard) *''Holiday Song'' (1942, to a text by Genevieve Taggard) *''A Free Song'' (Secular Cantata no.2) (1942, to texts by

) *''Te Deum'' (1943) *''Orpheus with His Lute'' (1944, to a text by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

) *''Five Rounds on Famous Words'' (1956/69) *''Carols of Death'' (1958, to texts by

) *''Mail Order Madrigals'' (1972, to texts from the 1897 Sears Roebuck catalog) *''The Young Dead Soldiers'' (1975, to a text by Archibald MacLeish) *''Casey at the Bat'' (cantata; rev. of the opera ''The Mighty Casey'') *''Time to the Old'' (1980, to texts by Archibald MacLeish) *''Perceptions'' (1982, to texts by

) *''Esses'' (1982) *''On Freedom's Ground'' (1985, to texts by Richard Wilbur)

Chamber/Instrumental

* String Quartet No. 1 (1935; withdrawn) * String Quartet No. 2 (1937) * String Quartet No. 3 (1939) * ''Canon and Fugue'' for violin, cello and piano (1934; withdrawn) * ''Pastorale 1'' for alto and clarinet (1934; withdrawn) * ''Pastorale 2'' for flute, oboe and clarinet (1934; withdrawn) * ''Choreographic Poem'' for 7 instruments (1934; withdrawn) * Quartettino for Four Bassoons (1939) * ''Three Score Set'' for piano (1943) * String Quartet No. 4 (1950) * ''Voyage'': a cycle of 5 pieces for piano (1953) * ''Three Piano Moods'' (1958) * ''Amaryllis: Variations for string trio'' (1964) * ''In Sweet Music'', Serenade on a setting of Shakespeare for flute, viola, voice and harp (1978) * ''XXV Opera Snatches'' for trumpet (1978) * ''American Hymn'', for brass quintet (1980) * ''Dances'', for wind quintet and percussion (1985) * ''Awake, Thou Wintry Earth'' for clarinet and violin (1987) * ''Fanfare "Cooperstown"'' for two trumpets and two trombones (1987) * String Quartet No. 5 (1987) * ''Chester: Variations for piano'' (1988)

Band

* ''Newsreel, in Five Shots'' (1941) * ''George Washington Bridge'' (1950) * ''Chester Overture'' (1956) extended version of the original orchestral movement from '' New England Triptych'' * ''When Jesus Wept'' (1958) from '' New England Triptych'' * ''Philharmonic Fanfare'' (1965; withdrawn) * ''Dedication Fanfare'' (1968) * ''Anniversary Fanfare'' (1969), commissioned for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Centennial to accompany the exhibition "19th Century America" Finding aid for the George Trescher records related to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Centennial, 1949, 1960-1971 (bulk 1967-1970)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

. Retrieved 6 August 2014. * ''Be Glad Then, America'' (1975) from '' New England Triptych''

Arrangements

*''Circus Overture'', for band, arr. Don Owen (originally for orchestra—1944) *''Variations on "America"'', for orchestra (1963, arranged from Ives's organ piece with the same name)

Film Scores

*''Steel Town'' (1944), film by the

Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and othe ...

*''The Earth Is Born'' (1957), film for Transfilm, Inc., and Time-Life Pictures

References

External links

*
The William Schuman Music TrustWilliam Schuman's page at Theodore Presser CompanyWilliam Schuman page at G. Schirmer/Associated Music PublishersWilliam Schuman papers
in th
Music Division
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The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

NewMusicBox: A reprint of Chapter Four, "I Wanted to Run Before I Could Creep," from the book, ''American Muse: The Life and Times of William Schuman'' by Joseph W. Polisi
* (''American Muse: The Life and Times of William Schuman'' features many photos and excerpts from William Schuman's scores)
Website for Steve Swayne's book ''Orpheus in Manhattan: William Schuman and the Shaping of America's Musical Life''
April 2, 1986 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schuman, William 1910 births 1992 deaths 20th-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Jewish American classical composers Jewish classical composers American opera composers Male opera composers Ballet composers Pulitzer Prize for Music winners Pulitzer Prize winners United States National Medal of Arts recipients Juilliard School faculty Kennedy Center honorees Sarah Lawrence College faculty New York University Stern School of Business alumni 20th-century American composers Presidents of the Juilliard School Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American academics