Horatio Parker

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Biography

Born: September 15, 1863; Auburndale, MA   Died: December 18, 1919; Cedarhurst, NY  
Horatio Parker was among the first important American composers. While Ives would eventually eclipse him, Parker was much more prominent during his career. He also became widely known for his church music. In his works, he was a conservative, writing in a European Romantic style that in later years turned even more traditional and non-progressive.

Parker developed health problems during his youth that resulted in bouts of serious illness Read more throughout his life. He began music studies with his mother on both piano and organ and at age 15, was already composing music. His first effort was the Kate Greenaway Songs (50) which, while immature in their writing, divulged his considerable potential. He went on to study composition in Boston with George Chadwick and concurrently served as church organist at a nearby Dedham church from 1880 to 1882. He also took instruction in music theory during this time from Stephen Emery and on piano from John Orth. In 1882, Parker enrolled at the Munich Academy of Music where he studied composition for three years with, among others, Joseph Rheinberger. He also composed his first large works during this period, including his Symphony in C. After his return to the United States, Parker served as a church musician from 1885 to 1893 at a succession of three major churches in New York City and taught at several, mostly religious, schools. The end of this period saw the appearance of what many consider Parker's masterpiece, the oratorio Hora novissima, whose numerous performances would elevate the composer to national renown by the century's close. In 1893, the year of the work's premiere, Parker accepted a post at Trinity Church in Boston as organist and choirmaster. The following year, he was appointed professor of music at Yale University, and in 1895, he organized the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, conducting many of the ensemble's concerts until 1918. In the latter 1890s, Parker composed a string of choral works on religious subjects -- such as The Legend of St. Christopher (1897) -- none of which, however, rose to the level of popularity or quality of Hora novissima. Among Parker's students at Yale was Charles Ives, who respected his teacher as a musician, but considered him hopelessly backward in his musical views. Still, Parker was highly regarded and eventually appointed dean of the music school (1904), elevating the institution to national prominence for its composition studies. He wrote little music for church services after 1904 and composed relatively few songs thereafter as well. But he continued to produce larger choral works, like the 1908 cantata King Gorm the Grim. Parker turned to opera for the first time in his career with Mona in 1910, which earned him $10,000 as the first-prize winner in a competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The work was premiered in 1912 at the Met and its success inspired the composer to write another opera, Fairyland (1914), which also garnered Parker a monetary prize awarded by the National Federation of Music Clubs. Despite initial successes, however, none of his operas or other stage works ever gained a foothold in the repertory. Parker's lifelong precarious health worsened as the war years drew on and by 1918, he was seriously ill. He developed pneumonia on a vacation to the West Indies and died a short time later. Read less

Featured Horatio Parker CDs & DVDs:

Three American Piano Trios - Heilman, Parker, Adler
Three American Piano Trios - Heilman, Parker, Adler
Release Date: 03/02/1995   Label: Albany Records  
Catalog: 107   Number of Discs: 1
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American Reverie - Piano Music Of Horatio Parker / Kairoff
American Reverie - Piano Music Of Horatio Parker / Kairoff
Release Date: 03/23/1999   Label: Albany Records  
Catalog: 315   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 1-25 of 32 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Wie Einst In Schoner'n Tagen / Cathy Berberian
    Wie Einst In Schoner'n Tagen / Cathy Berberian
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 123152 Release Date: 04/02/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  David Popper,  Philipp Eulenberg,  Carl Loewe,  Anton Rubinstein  ... 
    Performer:  Wolfgang Boettcher,  Bruno Canino,  Cathy Berberian,  Karlheinz Zöller
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  • 2.
    Horatio Parker: Organ Works / Rudolf Innig, Kuhn Organ, Osnabruck Cathedral
    Horatio Parker: Organ Works / Rudolf Innig, Kuhn Organ, Osnabruck Cathedral
    Label: Md&g (Dabringhaus & Grimm)   Catalog: 3171741 Release Date: 05/22/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Horatio Parker
    Performer:  Rudolf Innig
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  • 3.
    Emilio De Gogorza, Baritone - Selected Recordings
    Emilio De Gogorza, Baritone - Selected Recordings
    Label: Marston   Catalog: 52068 Release Date: 10/15/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Gioachino Rossini,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Vincenzo Bellini,  Giuseppe Verdi  ... 
    Performer:  Emilio de Gogorza,  Emma Eames,  Marcella Sembrich,  Louise Homer  ... 
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  • 4.
    Widor, Jongen, Parker: Works For Organ & Orchestra / Hauk
    Widor, Jongen, Parker: Works For Organ & Orchestra / Hauk
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 7182 Release Date: 08/22/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Charles-Marie Widor,  Joseph Jongen,  Horatio Parker
    Performer:  Franz Hauk
    Conductor:  Alfredo Ibarra
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  • 5.
    Prayers & Alleluias / Kenneth Dake
    Prayers & Alleluias / Kenneth Dake
    Label: Sono Luminus   Catalog: 92123 Release Date: 11/16/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  McNeil Robinson,  Louie White,  Joseph Jongen  ... 
    Performer:  Kenneth Dake
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  • 6.
    Historic Organs Of Seattle: A Young Yet Vibrant History
    Historic Organs Of Seattle: A Young Yet Vibrant History
    Label: Raven Recordings   Catalog: 8 Release Date: 03/09/2010   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  Craig Phillips,  Anonymous,  Georg Böhm,  Felix Mendelssohn  ... 
    Performer:  Craig Phillips,  Sharon Porter Shull,  Derek Nickels,  Christopher Marks  ... 
    Conductor:  Tom Foster
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  • 7.
    Historic Organs Of Indiana
    Historic Organs Of Indiana
    Label: Organ Historical   Catalog: 7 Release Date: 12/08/2009   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  William Mathias,  Robert Hebble,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Unspecified  ... 
    Performer:  Martin Ellis,  Edie Johnson,  Karl Moyer,  Marko Petricic  ... 
    Conductor:  Jack L. Fox
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  • 8.
    Thomson: Feast Of Love; Harris, Griffes, Etc / Mann, Mason, Odense So
    Thomson: Feast Of Love; Harris, Griffes, Etc / Mann, Mason, Odense So
    Label: Bridge   Catalog: 9254 Release Date: 04/08/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Roy Harris,  Charles Tomlinson Griffes,  John Alden Carpenter,  Horatio Parker  ... 
    Performer:  Patrick Mason
    Conductor:  Paul Mann
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Odense Symphony Orchestra
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  • 9.
    Light's Glittering Morn - A Musical Celebration
    Light's Glittering Morn - A Musical Celebration
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 54134 Release Date: 09/24/2007   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Anthony Piccolo,  Charles Villiers Stanford,  Herbert Howells,  Gerald Finzi  ... 
    Performer:  David Summers,  Milton Stevens,  Steven Hendrickson,  Robert Lehman  ... 
    Conductor:  Douglas Major,  John Fenstermaker
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Grace Cathedral Choir San Francisco,  Washington National Cathedral Choir
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  • 10.
    Mosaics In Sound - Cook, Parker, Sowerby, Etc / Laubach
    Mosaics In Sound - Cook, Parker, Sowerby, Etc / Laubach
    Label: Pro Organo   Catalog: 7210 Release Date: 09/18/2007   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Derek Bourgeois,  Herbert Howells,  Olivier Messiaen,  Joseph Bonnet  ... 
    Performer:  Mark Laubach
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  • 11.
    Organ Ovations And Improvisations / Tom Trenney
    Organ Ovations And Improvisations / Tom Trenney
    Label: Raven Recordings   Catalog: 870 Release Date: 07/17/2007   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Tom Trenney,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Traditional,  Horatio Parker  ... 
    Performer:  Tom Trenney
    CD: $18.99
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  • 12.
    A Centennial Celebration At Sacred Heart Church, Westbury
    A Centennial Celebration At Sacred Heart Church, Westbury
    Label: Afka   Catalog: 520 Release Date: 10/24/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Charles-Marie Widor,  Horatio Parker,  Dudley Buck,  Joseph Rheinberger
    Performer:  Susan Armstrong-Ouellette
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  • 13.
    Scherzo - Guilmant, Duruflé, Bossi, Et Al / Gillian Weir
    Scherzo - Guilmant, Duruflé, Bossi, Et Al / Gillian Weir
    Label: Koss   Catalog: 1013 Release Date: 10/24/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Louis J.A. Lefébure-Wely,  Marco Enrico Bossi,  Joseph Bonnet  ... 
    Performer:  Gillian Weir
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  • 14.
    A Glimpse Of Heaven / St. Martin's Chamber Choir
    A Glimpse Of Heaven / St. Martin's Chamber Choir
    Label: St. Martin's Chamber Choir   Catalog: 003 Release Date: 06/02/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Horatio Parker,  William Billings,  lionel pike,  Henry Purcell  ... 
    Conductor:  Timothy J. Krueger
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  St. Martin's Chamber Choir
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  • 15.
    American Tone Poems - Coerne, Parker, Etc / Kruger, Et Al
    American Tone Poems - Coerne, Parker, Etc / Kruger, Et Al
    Label: Bridge   Catalog: 9190 Release Date: 04/25/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Alden Carpenter,  Horatio Parker,  Edward Burlingame Hill,  Louis Coerne
    Conductor:  Karl Kruger
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philharmonia Orchestra,  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 16.
    A Cappella II / Hancock, St. Thomas Choir of Men & Boys
    A Cappella II / Hancock, St. Thomas Choir of Men & Boys
    Label: Koch International Classics   Catalog: 7490 Release Date: 10/07/2003   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Gray,,  Charles Villiers Stanford,  Charles Wood,  Traditional  ... 
    Performer:  Judith Hancock,  Gerre Hancock
    Conductor:  Gerre Hancock
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  St. Thomas Men and Boy's Choir
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  • 17.
    American Musical Heritage Recordings - Macdowell, Et Al
    American Musical Heritage Recordings - Macdowell, Et Al
    Label: Bridge   Catalog: 9124 Release Date: 07/29/2003   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Henry Hadley,  Arthur Farwell,  Victor Herbert,  Horatio Parker  ... 
    Conductor:  Karl Krueger
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 18.
    Opus 190 - Frederick Hohman Plays Vintage Repertoire...
    Opus 190 - Frederick Hohman Plays Vintage Repertoire...
    Label: Pro Organo   Catalog: 7042 Release Date: 04/24/2001   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Louis Vierne,  Harry Rowe Shelley,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Pietro Yon  ... 
    Performer:  Frederick Hohman
    On sale! $22.98
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  • 19.
    Great Cathedral Anthems Vol 11 / Choir Of St Thomas Church
    Great Cathedral Anthems Vol 11 / Choir Of St Thomas Church
    Label: Priory Records   Catalog: 629 Release Date: 10/24/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Amy Marcy Beach,  Richard Dirksen,  Harold Friedell,  Will C. Macfarlane  ... 
    Performer:  Judith Hancock
    Conductor:  Gerre Hancock
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  St. Thomas Men and Boy's Choir
    CD: $18.99
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  • 20.
    Widor, Jongen, Parker: Works For Organ And Orchestra / Hauk
    Widor, Jongen, Parker: Works For Organ And Orchestra / Hauk
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 7182 Release Date: 03/01/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Horatio Parker,  Joseph Jongen,  Charles-Marie Widor
    Performer:  Franz Hauk
    Conductor:  Alfredo Ibarra
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ingolstadt Philharmonic
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  • 21.
    American Reverie - Piano Music Of Horatio Parker / Kairoff
    American Reverie - Piano Music Of Horatio Parker / Kairoff
    Label: Albany Records   Catalog: 315 Release Date: 03/23/1999   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Horatio Parker
    Performer:  Peter Kairoff
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  • 22.
    Malcolm Frager Plays American Piano Music
    Malcolm Frager Plays American Piano Music
    Label: New World Records   Catalog: 80206 Release Date: 09/29/1998   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Edward MacDowell,  Horatio Parker,  Adolph Martin Foerster,  Henry F. Gilbert  ... 
    Performer:  Malcolm Frager
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  • 23.
    Sure On This Shining Night / Robert White, Samuel Sanders
    Sure On This Shining Night / Robert White, Samuel Sanders
    Label: Hyperion   Catalog: 66920 Release Date: 04/10/1997   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Amy Marcy Beach,  John Musto,  Horatio Parker,  Victor Herbert  ... 
    Performer:  Robert White,  Samuel Sanders
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  • 24.
    As The Dew From Heaven Distilling - Parker & Thayer / Moyer
    As The Dew From Heaven Distilling - Parker & Thayer / Moyer
    Label: Raven Recordings   Catalog: 290 Release Date: 07/09/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Joseph J. Daynes,  César Franck,  Charles Hubert Parry  ... 
    Performer:  Karl Moyer
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  • 25.
    Historic Organs Of Milwaukee
    Historic Organs Of Milwaukee
    Label: Raven Recordings   Catalog: 90 Release Date: 09/26/1995   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Traditional,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Benoit, Paul, Dom,  Richard Wagner  ... 
    Performer:  John Schwandt,  Stephen Cushman,  Michael B. Hoerig,  Thomas Murray  ... 
    CD: $28.99
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