Loretta Cessor Manggrum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Loretta Cessor Manggrum
L.C. Manggrum |
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| Born |
Loretta Catherine Cessor
July 28, 1896 |
| Died | May 11, 1992 (aged 95) |
| Occupation | composer, educator |
| Spouse(s) | William Langston Manggrum |
Loretta Cessor Manggrum (born July 28, 1896 – died May 11, 1992) was an American pianist, music teacher, and composer of church music. She was also known as L.C. Manggrum in some of her published works. Loretta was especially famous for her cantatas and other pieces for choirs.
She made history as the first African American person to earn a degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She received her master's degree in Music there in 1953. Some of her important papers, including her original music and letters, are kept in the Library of Congress and at the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University.
Contents
Early Life and Music
Loretta Cessor was born in Gallipolis, Ohio. Her parents were John Cessor and Lillian Jane Fitch. Loretta's family had a mixed background, including African and Irish roots. Her great-great-grandmother had been enslaved.
Loretta's mother was a teacher and a musician. She played both the guitar and piano. Loretta quickly became very good at playing the piano herself. As a child, she often played the piano at church. By the time she was 15, she was already earning money to help her family. She played in orchestras in Huntington, West Virginia, sometimes making $35 a week playing at parties and bars.
Loretta became engaged to William Langston Manggrum when she was 16. However, they waited to get married because Loretta's mother became sick. Loretta even left high school to take care of her mother.
In 1918, Loretta and William got married in Cabell County, West Virginia. They first moved to Milwaukee and then to Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, William studied to become a pharmacist. Loretta continued to support her growing family, which now included several young children, by teaching piano lessons.
In 1926, the Manggrum family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Loretta earned money by playing piano at a movie theater. She would play music to go along with the silent films. Sometimes she used written music, and other times she made up her own music on the spot. By the mid-1930s, the family opened their own drugstore, and everyone in the family helped out.
Continuing Her Education
By the late 1940s, Loretta's children were older, and the family drugstore was doing well. This gave Loretta a chance to focus on her own education. In 1945, at the age of 49, she finally finished her high school diploma. She graduated from Hughes High School in Cincinnati.
Loretta felt a strong desire to keep learning. She spent her summers attending different music programs. She studied at places like Fisk University, Capital University, and the Chicago Conservatory.
When Loretta applied for a summer program at Ohio State University, the dean of the music school, Eugene John Weigel, encouraged her to enroll for a full degree instead. Loretta earned her bachelor's degree in music from Ohio State in 1951.
After that, Loretta became the first African American student to enroll at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She was also the first to earn a degree from there. She graduated in 1953, at 57 years old, with a master's degree in music. Loretta later shared that she applied to the Conservatory as a challenge, because they had previously not accepted her daughter.
Later Career and Music
During her life, Loretta Manggrum published many musical works. Seven of her cantatas are now kept in the Library of Congress. Her choral pieces, like the anthem “A Great, Great King,” show how she used a musical style called fugue. Her compositions were often described as "simple" but very clever.
Her 90-minute cantata called Watch was first performed in 1958. It has been performed all over the country. Loretta once called Watch "the culmination of all my life's work in music." This meant it was the most important musical achievement of her life.
Besides composing, Loretta also taught music for ten years in Cincinnati Public Schools. She was also a choir director and organist at several churches in Cincinnati. These included Union Baptist Church, Brown Chapel AME, and Gaines United Methodist Church.
When she was 80 years old, Loretta Manggrum returned to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She wanted to finish working on a cantata she had started. She also considered working towards a PhD degree.
Loretta Manggrum passed away in May 1992. She is buried next to her husband in the Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia.
Recognition and Legacy
In 1978, The Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper honored Loretta Manggrum. They named her one of their Women of the Year.
In the 1980s, she was asked to donate her musical works to the Library of Congress. The Loretta Manggrum Collection there shows the amazing career of this African American woman. She managed to balance her family, education, and music career. This was at a time when it was very hard for African American women to achieve the kind of success and recognition that Loretta earned.
One year later, in 1986, the University of Cincinnati gave Loretta Manggrum an honorary doctorate of music. This special degree recognized her important contributions to music and to the city of Cincinnati.
In 2010, Eric Oliver started the Loretta C. Manggrum Chorale in Cincinnati. He did this to honor Loretta, who was his mentor. The chorale helps make sure that the music of Loretta Manggrum and other African American composers continues to be performed and enjoyed.
