Williametta Spencer facts for kids

Williametta Spencer (born August 15, 1927) is a talented American composer, musicologist, and teacher. She plays the harpsichord, organ, and piano. She is most famous for her award-winning music for choirs, especially a piece called At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners.

About Williametta Spencer

Williametta Spencer was born in Marion, Illinois, on August 15, 1927. Her family later moved to Paducah, Kentucky. Her father was a music minister in different Baptist churches when she was growing up.

Spencer studied music at several colleges. She earned her first degree from Whittier College. Then, she received two more advanced degrees, including a Ph.D., from the University of Southern California. In 1953, she won a special scholarship called a Fulbright scholarship. This allowed her to study music in Paris, France. She learned from many great teachers during her studies.

Spencer has received many awards for her amazing music. She won the Southern California Vocal Association National Composition Award for her choral piece At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners. Whittier College also honored her with Alumni Achievement Awards in 1995 and 2008. She also received the Amy Beach Award for one of her orchestral pieces. A group called I Cantori asked her to write a choral work, And the White Rose is a Dove, which they performed for the first time. She is also a member of important music groups like Mu Phi Epsilon and the International Alliance for Women in Music.

Spencer’s music has been published by several companies. This means her works can be bought and performed by musicians all over the world.

Williametta Spencer's Music

Williametta Spencer has written many different kinds of music. Here are some examples of her compositions:

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments, usually one player per part.

• Adagio and Rondo (for oboe and piano)
• Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano
• Sonata for Trombone and Piano
• String Quartet (for four string instruments)
• Suite (for flute and piano)
• Trio for Brass Instruments (for three brass instruments)

Orchestra Music

Orchestra music is written for a large group of musicians playing many different instruments together.

• Overture (a piece often played at the beginning of a larger work)
• Passacaglia and Double Fugue (for string orchestra)

Organ Music

This music is written specifically for the organ, a large musical instrument often found in churches.

• Improvisation and Meditation on “Gott sei gelobet”

Vocal Music

Vocal music is written for singers, often for a choir.

• And the White Rose is a Dove (for choir)
• As I Rode Out This Enders NIght (for a choir singing without instruments, called a cappella)
• As I Sat Under a Sycamore Tree (for a cappella choir)
• At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners (for choir; words by John Donne)
• Bright Cap and Streamers (for choir)
• Cantate Domino
• Four Madrigals (words by James Joyce)
• “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun” (words by Walt Whitman)
• Make We Joy: A Cantata for Christmastide in a Medieval Atmosphere
• Missa Brevis
• Nova, Nova, Ave Fit Ex Eva (for a cappella choir)
• Three Songs (words by William Shakespeare; for flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, and voice)
• Two Christmas Madrigals (for a cappella choir)
• Winter Has Lasted Too Long (for voice, clarinet, and piano)