Alice Parker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Parker
|
|
|---|---|
Alice Parker by Eduardo Montes-Bradley
|
|
| Born |
Alice Parker
December 16, 1925 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
|
| Died | December 24, 2023 (aged 98) |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1947–2020 |
| Spouse(s) |
Thomas Pyle
(m. 1954; died 1976) |
Alice Parker (born December 16, 1925 – died December 24, 2023) was an amazing American musician. She was a composer, meaning she wrote her own music. She was also an arranger, which means she took existing songs and changed them to fit different groups of singers or instruments.
Alice Parker was also a conductor, leading musical groups, and a teacher. She wrote many original pieces, including operas and hymns. She was especially famous for her arrangements of folk songs and hymns. These included spirituals, mountain hymns, and folk songs from America and other countries.
Contents
Early Life and Learning Music
Alice Parker was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents were Mary Stuart and Gordon Parker. She loved music from a young age.
She studied music theory at the New England Conservatory. She also learned about composing and conducting at Smith College and the Juilliard School. At Juilliard, she started working with a famous conductor named Robert Shaw.
Their work together created many popular arrangements of American folk songs, hymns, and spirituals. These songs are still sung by choirs all over the world today.
Becoming a Music Star
Alice Parker graduated from Smith College in 1947. She studied both organ and composition. After that, she went to Juilliard to learn more about leading choirs.
She became a teacher and began working with Robert Shaw. They arranged music for the Robert Shaw Chorale, a famous singing group that started in 1948. Alice Parker was the main arranger for the Robert Shaw Chorale for 20 years!
In 1947, Alice was even featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine. The Robert Shaw Chorale stopped performing in 1965.
In 1954, Alice married Thomas Pyle, who was also a member of the Robert Shaw Chorale. They had five children together. Sadly, Thomas passed away in 1976.
Alice then moved to western Massachusetts. In 1985, she started her own music group called Melodious Accord. The Musicians of Melodious Accord is a professional choir that has released many albums. She also created a program to teach young musicians from around the world.
Alice Parker wrote over 500 pieces of music during her life. This included operas, song cycles (groups of songs), and many choral works.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Alice Parker received many honors for her amazing work in music. She was on the board of Chorus America, a group for choirs. She was even their first Director Laureate, a special title.
Some of her awards include:
- Distinguished Composer of the Year in 2000 from the American Guild of Organists.
- The 2014 Brock Commission from the American Choral Directors Association.
- The Harvard Glee Club Foundation Medal in 2015.
- Six honorary doctorates, which are special degrees given by universities.
- The Smith College Medal.
She also received grants from groups like ASCAP and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2015, to celebrate her 90th birthday, choirs all over the world sang her music and shared videos online. This project was called "Alice Is 90."
Alice Parker on Film
In 2020, a documentary film was made about Alice Parker called Alice: At Home With Alice Parker. It was directed by Eduardo Montes-Bradley. The movie explores her life and her music.
It was filmed at her home in Hawley and in New York City. The film especially looks at her early years and her collaborations with famous writers. These writers included Martin Luther King Jr., Archibald MacLeish, Eudora Welty, and Emily Dickinson.
The film first showed in America on October 8, 2020. It was chosen for the 2020 Virginia Film Festival and won an award at the Mystic Film Festival in 2021.
Her Final Years
Alice Parker passed away on December 24, 2023. She was 98 years old.
Music and Recordings
Alice Parker created a huge amount of music. She made many arrangements and recordings, especially with Robert Shaw. Here are some examples of her work:
- Arrangements with Robert Shaw (1951–1962):
* A Treasury of Easter Songs (1951) * Christmas Hymns and Carols Vol. II (1952) * My True Love Sings (1956) * Stephen Foster Song Book (1959) * Sea Shanties (1961) * Hymns and Carols (1965) – a collection of sacred songs.
- Later Arrangements for Robert Shaw Chorale:
* Sing to the Lord (1965) * Irish Folk Songs (1967)
- Her Own Compositions and Other Works:
* The Martyrs' Mirror (1971) – an opera. * Songs For Eve (1975) – music based on a poem by Archibald MacLeish. * The Family Reunion (1976) – a short opera. * Singers Glen (1978) – another opera. * Listen, Lord (1982) – a cantata (a piece for singers and instruments). * The Ponder Heart (1982) – an opera based on a story by Eudora Welty. * Sacred Symphonies (1985–1988) – recorded with her group, The Musicians of Melodious Accord. * The Shaw-Parker Book of Christmas Carols (1991) – a book of carols with Robert Shaw. * Take Me to the Water (1994) – new arrangements of spirituals. * Sweet Manna (1999) * My Love and I (2003) – love songs arranged for a men's chorus. * O Sing the Glories (2005) – anthems she composed and arranged. * Anatomy of Melody: Exploring the Single Line of Song (2007) – a book about music. * Hand-Me-Down Songs (2007) – folk songs for children. * The Melodious Accord Hymnal (2010) – a collection of hymns. * The Answering Voice: The Beginning of Counterpoint (2014) – another book. * Heavenly Hurt: Songs of Love and Loss (2017) – songs based on poems by Emily Dickinson. * The Melodic Voice: Conversations with Alice Parker (2019) – a book of interviews.
See also
In Spanish: Alice Parker para niños
