Louis W. Ballard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis W. Ballard
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| Born |
Honganozhe
July 8, 1931 Devil's Promenade, Oklahoma, US
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| Died | February 9, 2007 (aged 75) |
| Nationality | Quapaw Nation, American |
| Education | University of Oklahoma, University of Tulsa |
| Known for | Musical composition, writing, painting |
Louis W. Ballard (July 8, 1931 – February 9, 2007) was a famous Native American composer, teacher, writer, artist, and journalist. He is often called the "father of Native American composition" because of his important work.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Louis Wayne Ballard was born on July 8, 1931, in Devil's Promenade, near Miami, Oklahoma. His father, Charles G. Ballard, was Cherokee, and his mother, Leona Quapaw, was Quapaw. He was connected to important leaders from both the Quapaw and Cherokee tribes. His Quapaw name, Honganozhe, means "One Who Stands With Eagles."
Boarding School Experiences
When Louis was six, he started at the Seneca Indian Training School. This was a boarding school in Wyandotte, Oklahoma. These schools were set up to change Native American children. The goal was to make them forget their own cultures and traditions. For example, a government official once said that Native American children should "hear little or nothing of the 'wrongs of the Indians'." They wanted children to feel pride in American history, not their own.
Louis Ballard felt these schools tried to change how Native American children thought. Even though the school tried to stop him, Louis kept speaking his native language and doing tribal dances. He was often punished for this. His mother had similar experiences at a boarding school. She was sometimes beaten or put in solitary confinement for speaking Quapaw. These harsh rules caused a big loss of language and culture for many Native Americans.
Growing Up and Finding Music
After boarding school, Louis's parents separated. He and his brother, Charles, lived with their mother and stepfather for part of the year. The rest of the time, they lived with their grandmother. Louis sometimes felt confused about his identity. At school, other students would tease him. But when he was with his grandmother, he felt more comfortable. He went to Baptist Mission School and took part in powwows and other tribal festivals.
Louis started playing piano at the Baptist Mission Church. Some say his mother taught him, while others say his grandmother paid a tutor. His grandmother had money from zinc and lead on her land. This allowed her to buy a piano and pay for lessons. By the time he finished high school in 1949, Louis was very successful. He was captain of both the football and baseball teams. He was also the top student in his class. He even performed a piano recital at the University of Oklahoma. Louis learned Western music, but he also loved his Quapaw music and dance traditions. He often participated in powwows as a child and young adult. He later became a member of the War Dance Society of the Quapaw tribe.
College and Early Career
Louis continued studying music in college. He started at the University of Oklahoma in 1949. Then he moved to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in 1951. In 1954, he earned two bachelor's degrees from the University of Tulsa: one in music theory and one in music education. There, he studied piano and composition.
Louis married Delores Lookout in 1954. They had three children: Louis Anthony, Anne Marie, and Charles Christopher. During college, Louis wanted to mix his Quapaw music with Western music. He was inspired by Bela Bartok, who used Hungarian folk music in his compositions. Louis tried arranging a Ponca Indian melody in the styles of Chopin and Rachmaninoff. But he wasn't happy with it. He wanted his music to be unique and truly show American Indian traditions. He once said that Dvorak predicted America would have national music based on Indian and Black slave songs. Louis felt he was following this idea by expressing his people's struggles and hopes through music. To support himself, he sang with the Tulsa University Radio Choir.
After college, Louis taught music at different schools in Oklahoma. He also directed music at several churches. Later, he taught private piano lessons. In 1960, he returned to the University of Tulsa for his master's degree in composition. He graduated in 1962, becoming the first American Indian to earn a graduate degree in music composition.
Composer and Educator
After earning his master's degree, Louis Ballard often went to the Aspen Music Festival. He studied composition with famous musicians like Darius Milhaud and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. From 1957 to 1972, he was a faculty member at the festival. He taught percussion and performed in concerts.
In 1963, Louis met Ruth Doré at the Aspen Music Festival. She was also a concert pianist. Their marriages to other people were ending. By 1965, Louis divorced Delores and married Ruth. Ruth came from a wealthy family. Her support allowed Louis to focus on composing music full-time. From 1962 to 1968, Louis also worked as the music director for the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Impact and Recognition
Louis Ballard was well-liked in the American Indian community. People loved how his music showed American Indian culture. He was also respected by non-Native musicians in Santa Fe. Michael Udow, a principal percussionist for the Santa Fe Opera, said that Ballard earned great respect from other musicians and the local community.
From 1968 to 1979, Louis was the National Curriculum Specialist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He worked with over 350 schools across the country. This allowed him to learn about many different tribal cultures and music. In 1973, he wrote and published "American Indian Music for the Classroom." This was a curriculum with recordings for teachers. It helped them include American Indian music in their lessons. This was a very important contribution to music education.
Notable Musical Works
Louis Ballard wrote many musical pieces for different instruments and groups. Many of his works were performed in major venues and won awards.
- "Scenes from Indian Life" was an orchestral work. It premiered in New York in 1964. Later, it was performed by the San Jose Symphony in 1994.
- In 1969, his work Ritmo Indio won the first Marion Nevins McDowell Award for American Chamber Music. It was performed at Carnegie Hall in 1992.
- Louis also wrote two ballets. The Four Moons celebrated Oklahoma's 60th year of statehood in 1967. It was performed by the Tulsa Ballet. His second ballet, Desert Trilogy, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1971.
- In 1976, his choral cantata Portrait of Will Rogers was performed by the Kansas City Symphony.
One of his popular works is Incident at Wounded Knee. This piece was inspired by news reports about the 1973 conflict between the FBI and the American Indian Movement. It was performed at Carnegie Hall in 1999. While not a story-telling piece, it shows the customs and feelings of American Indian people.
Ballard's music was performed at famous places like the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. In 1999, he was the first American composer to have a full concert dedicated to his music in Germany. In 2004, Louis Ballard was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. This was the first time a classical composer was inducted alongside pop artists. His music was played on radio stations worldwide.
Louis Ballard received many awards and honors. He earned two honorary doctoral degrees. He won the National Indian Achievement Award four times. Other awards include the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Central Office of Education, a mention in the U.S. Congressional Record, a Lifetime Musical Achievement Award, and the Cherokee Medal of Honor. He also received grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. These grants helped him continue his important work.
Louis W. Ballard passed away on February 9, 2007, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 75 years old and had been battling cancer for five years. His body was cremated, and his ashes were placed on his mother's grave in Miami, Oklahoma.
Louis Ballard believed that people needed to truly understand and learn from Native American music and art. He said, "What is needed in America is an awakening... to embrace, understand, and learn from the Aboriginal American." His music has been celebrated with concerts at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Awards and Recognition
Louis Ballard received many honors throughout his life:
- In 1962, he was the first American Indian to get a graduate degree in music composition from the University of Tulsa.
- In 1969, his work Ritmo Indio won the Marion Nevins McDowell Award for American Chamber Music.
- His ballet, Desert Trilogy, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1971.
- In 1999, he was the first American composer to have a full concert of his music at Beethovenhalle in Bonn, Germany.
- He won the National Indian Achievement Award four times.
- He received the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Central Office of Education.
- He was recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record.
- He received the Cherokee Medal of Honor.
- He received a Lifetime Musical Achievement Award from the First Americans in the Arts in 1997.
- He was given honorary Doctor of Music degrees from the College of Santa Fe and William Jewell College.
- In 2004, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
- He received grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts.
Filmography
- 1971: Discovering American Indian Music. Directed by Bernard Wilets. Barr Films.
