Howard Hanson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Howard Hanson
Howard Hanson, conducting
Born	(1896-10-28)October 28, 1896 Wahoo, Nebraska, US
Died	February 26, 1981(1981-02-26) (aged 84) Rochester, New York, US
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Occupation	Composer, conductor, educator, music theorist
Years active	1916–1981
Spouse(s)	Margaret Elizabeth Nelson
Awards	Pulitzer Prize George Foster Peabody Award

Howard Harold Hanson (born October 28, 1896 – died February 26, 1981) was an American composer and conductor. He was also a teacher and a music theorist. Hanson was a big supporter of American classical music. For 40 years, he led the Eastman School of Music. He made it a top music school. He also helped many American composers get their music performed. In 1944, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his Symphony No. 4. He also received many other awards, like the George Foster Peabody Award in 1946.

Early Life and Music Studies

Hanson's boyhood home in Wahoo, Nebraska is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Howard Hanson was born in Wahoo, Nebraska. His parents were immigrants from Sweden. He started learning music from his mother when he was young.

He later studied at Luther College in Wahoo. He got a diploma there in 1911. Then, he went to the Institute of Musical Art in New York City. This school later became the Juilliard School. He studied with composer Percy Goetschius in 1914.

After that, he attended Northwestern University. He studied composition there. Hanson also learned to play the piano, cello, and trombone. He earned his music degree in 1916. He then began his career as a teacher's assistant.

A Career in Music

In 1916, Hanson got his first full-time job. He taught music theory and composition. This was at the College of the Pacific in California. Just three years later, in 1919, he became the Dean of the Conservatory of Fine Arts there.

In 1920, Hanson wrote The California Forest Play. This was his first work to become famous across the country. He also wrote other pieces in California. These included Concerto da Camera and Scandinavian Suite. The Scandinavian Suite celebrated his Lutheran and Scandinavian background.

Winning the Prix de Rome

In 1921, Hanson won the first Prix de Rome in Music. This award is from the American Academy in Rome. He won it for The California Forest Play and his symphonic poem Before the Dawn. Because of this award, Hanson lived in Italy for three years.

While in Italy, he wrote several important works. These included Lux Aeterna and his Symphony No. 1, "Nordic". He conducted the first performance of his Symphony No. 1 in Rome in 1923. Hanson felt these three years were very important for him. He could focus only on composing and conducting. He learned a lot about orchestral music from composer Ottorino Respighi.

Leading the Eastman School of Music

Eastman School of Music – University of Rochester – general view

When he returned from Rome, Hanson's conducting career grew. In 1924, he conducted his Symphony No. 1 in Rochester, New York. This performance caught the attention of George Eastman. Eastman was the inventor of the Kodak camera. He was also a generous person who supported many causes.

In 1924, Eastman chose Hanson to be the director of the Eastman School of Music. This school is part of the University of Rochester. Hanson held this job for forty years. He made it one of the best music schools in America. He improved the courses and brought in great teachers. He also made the school's orchestras better.

Promoting American Music

Hanson worked hard to promote American music. In 1925, he started the American Composers Orchestral Concerts. In 1931, he began the annual Festivals of American Music. These week-long concerts were free to the public. They showed off works by famous American composers. They also premiered new pieces.

These festivals were very popular in Rochester until 1971. They were also broadcast on national radio. Many people said that more American music was played at these concerts than anywhere else.

Hanson also used radio to teach people about music. In 1938, he started "Milestones in the History of Music." This weekly radio series taught about Western music history. It was broadcast locally and nationally. For these efforts, he won a Peabody Award in 1946. He also hosted "Milestones in American Music" for the CBS radio network. This series featured music by 82 American composers.

In 1939, he founded the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra. This orchestra included top players from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. It also had teachers and students from the Eastman School. From 1939 to 1969, Hanson made over 100 recordings with this orchestra. He recorded his own music and works by other American composers. He helped premiere over 2000 works by more than 500 American composers.

Famous Compositions

Hanson's Symphony No. 2, the "Romantic" is his most famous work. It was first performed in 1930. A theme from this symphony is played at the end of all concerts at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. It's called the "Interlochen Theme." It's also famous for being used in the 1979 movie Alien.

His opera Merry Mount (1934) was very important. It was written by an American composer and writer. It told an American story. It premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. It received 50 curtain calls, which is still a record!

In 1954, Hanson wrote Chorale and Alleluia for wind band. A famous conductor, Frederick Fennell, called it "the most awaited piece of music" for wind bands. This piece is still used for high school band competitions in New York.

Later Career and Retirement

Hanson continued to find new ways to teach people about music. He worked with the Ford Foundation to make TV films about composing. He also helped choose musicians for the U.S. State Department's cultural exchange program. These musicians represented America around the world during the Cold War.

In the 1960s, he hosted concerts for school children in Los Angeles. In 1960, Hanson also wrote a book called Harmonic Materials of Modern Music. This book helped create new ideas in music theory.

After retiring from the Eastman School in 1964, Hanson became the first director of the Institute for American Music. He kept working to spread understanding of American music. Many people believe that almost every American composer since World War I owes something to Howard Hanson. He helped educate the public and future musicians about American music.

Hanson was a member of important music groups. He was President of the Music Teachers' National Association. He was also active in UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). UNESCO even asked him to compose music for their 1949 conference in Paris.

He was also a guest conductor for famous orchestras. These included the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He also founded the Eastman Philharmonia orchestra. This group of top students toured Europe and the Middle East in 1961–1962. They showed the world the growth of serious American music.

Marriage

Howard Hanson met Margaret Elizabeth Nelson at her parents' summer home. This was at Lake Chautauqua in New York. Hanson wrote a piece called Serenade for Flute, Harp, and Strings for her. This piece was his way of proposing marriage. He said he couldn't find the words to ask her. They got married on July 24, 1946, in the same house where they first met.

Legacy and Awards

• Hanson was a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity. He received the Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award in 1954.
• In 1938, he became a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy. This was after he wrote Hymn of the Pioneers.
• In 1944, Hanson won the Pulitzer Prize for his Symphony No. 4, called Requiem.
• He received the first Ditson Conductor's Award in 1945. This was for his dedication to American music.
• In 1946, he won the George Foster Peabody Award for his radio series on WHAM.
• Hanson was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1950.
• In 1953, he helped create the Edward B. Benjamin Prize. This award was for "calming and uplifting music" by Eastman students.
• In 1959, Hanson won the first Lancaster Symphony Orchestra Composer's Award.
• In 1960, Hanson published Harmonic Materials of Modern Music. This book helped create musical set theory.
• He was on the Board of Directors for the Music Educators National Conference.
• Hanson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1961.
• His Song of Democracy was performed at President Richard Nixon's inauguration in 1969. Hanson was proud that it was the first inaugural concert with only American music.
• In 1976, Eastman Kodak donated $100,000 to the Eastman School of Music. Hanson made sure this money went to the Institute of American Music.
• He received the Distinguished Nebraskans Award in 1976.

Popular Culture

Parts of Hanson's Second Symphony were used in the 1979 horror movie Alien. This happened without his permission. The music replaced parts of the original movie score. Hanson decided not to fight it in court. This music can still be heard in all versions of the movie.

Death

Howard Hanson passed away at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. He was 84 years old. His wife, Margaret Elizabeth Nelson, survived him.

Music Style

Hanson's music is often called Neo-Romantic. This means it continued the traditions of the Romantic era into the 20th century. His Symphony No. 2 is a great example of this style. Critics called him an "American Neoromantic composer" whose music was like that of Antonin Dvorák. His early symphonies were described as "splendidly effusive" and "rich in harmonic texture."

However, Hanson also experimented with modern music ideas. Many parts of his music used special scales. These scales sounded like Gregorian chants. He also used complex chords and repeating patterns. Some of his church and choir music used themes from Swedish Lutheran hymns. Some people compared his music to Jean Sibelius because of its "Nordic" feel.

One special thing about Hanson's music is its smooth, flowing melodies. They sound natural and very American. Composer David Owens said Hanson used beautiful sounds in his music. He blended traditional sounds with a deep understanding of orchestra. This made his compositions memorable and powerful.

Hanson himself said his music came from "the soil of the American midwest." He felt it was "music of the plains" and showed something of his home state, Nebraska.

Works

Howard Hanson composed many pieces, including:

Opera

Orchestral Music

Choral Music

Band Music

Concertos

Chamber Music

Keyboard Music

Music Theory Book

Recordings

Howard Hanson conducted many of his own works. He also recorded music by other American composers.

Recordings by Howard Hanson conducting his own compositions with the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra include:

Notable Students

Howard Hanson taught composition for 40 years at the Eastman School of Music. Many of his students became famous composers. Some even won the Pulitzer Prize for Music. These included Dominick Argento, John La Montaine, and Robert Ward. Other well-known students were Wayne Barlow, Ulysses Kay, and Gardner Read.

Images for kids

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  Howard Hanson, conducting

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  Hanson's boyhood home in Wahoo, Nebraska is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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  Eastman School of Music – University of Rochester – general view

See also

In Spanish: Howard Hanson para niños