Samuel Simons Sanford (15 March 18496 January 1910) was an American pianist and educator.

Early life

He was born in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequo ...

Education

He studied piano in New York with

William Mason William, Willie, or Willy Mason may refer to: Arts and entertainment *William Mason (poet) (1724–1797), English poet, editor and gardener *William Mason (architect) (1810–1897), New Zealand architect *William Mason (composer) (1829–1908), Ame ...

(son of Lowell Mason and student of

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

and Ignaz Moscheles). He went to Paris and studied with Alfred Jaëll,

Louis Plaidy Louis Plaidy (28 November 1810 – 3 March 1874) was a celebrated German piano pedagogue and compiler of books of technical music studies. Life Born in Hubertusburg, Saxony, Plaidy initially focused on the violin, and toured as a concert violin ...

(teacher of Hans von Bülow and many others), Théodore Ritter (another student of Liszt), and Édouard Batiste. In 1869, he became acquainted with Anton Rubinstein, and later studied with him.

Career

He travelled with Rubinstein during his first American tour in 1872–73. Ignacy Jan Paderewski changed his execution of octave playing after hearing Sanford play, and once described Sanford as the most musically gifted person he ever knew. Sanford brought Sir

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

's music to American attention through the brothers Walter and

Frank Damrosch Frank Heino Damrosch (June 22, 1859 – October 22, 1937) was a German-born American music conductor and educator. In 1905, Damrosch founded the New York Institute of Musical Art, a predecessor of the Juilliard School. Life and career Damrosch w ...

and Theodore Thomas. He was instrumental in having Elgar awarded an honorary doctorate in music from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

in 1905; at the conferral ceremony on 28 June, Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 was played, instituting the tradition of playing noble processional music at graduation ceremonies. Later that year, Elgar returned the compliment by dedicating his '' Introduction and Allegro'' to Sanford. Sanford joined the Yale Music Faculty as Professor of Applied Music in 1894, along with

Horatio Parker Horatio William Parker (September 15, 1863 – December 18, 1919) was an American composer, organist and teacher. He was a central figure in musical life in New Haven, Connecticut in the late 19th century, and is best remembered as the undergr ...

as Professor of Theory. During the sixteen years he worked at Yale, he refused to be paid any salary as he was independently wealthy. He died at home on 6 January 1910 after a long illness.

Sanford Medal

In 1972 Yale University instituted the Samuel Simons Sanford Medal (usually referred to as the Sanford Medal), to honour celebrated concert artists and distinguished members of the music profession. Recipients have included: * 1972: Eugene Ormandy * 1975: Doriot Anthony Dwyer * 1983: Louis Krasner * 1983: Maureen Forrester * 1991: Richard F. French * 1997:

Dorothy DeLay Dorothy DeLay (March 31, 1917 – March 24, 2002) was an American violin instructor, primarily at the Juilliard School, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Cincinnati. Life Dorothy DeLay was born on March 31, 1917, in Medicine L ...

* 1999: Keith Wilson * 2000: H.M. King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; ( Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Grea ...

of Thailand * 2002: Lili Chookasian * 2003: Andrew Litton * 2005:

Robert Blocker Robert Blocker, DMA (born September 4, 1946) is an American classical pianist, music educator, and university administrator, who has served as Dean of the Yale School of Music since July 1995. He is a Steinway artist. Career highlights Ed ...

* 2005: Richard Stoltzman * 2010:

Vivian Perlis Vivian Perlis (April 26, 1928 – July 4, 2019) was an American musicologist and the founder and former director of Yale University's Oral History of American Music. Personal life Vivian Perlis was born in Brooklyn, New York. After growing ...

* 2012: Joseph W. Polisi * 2013: Willie Ruff * 2013: Peter Gelb * 2015:

Klaus Heymann Klaus Heymann (born 22 October 1936) is a German entrepreneur and the founder and head of the Naxos record label. Biography and career Heymann was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and studied Romance languages and English at the Universities of F ...

* 2015: Yo-Yo Ma * Emanuel Ax,

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mo ...

, Alfred Brendel, Aaron Copland,

Richard Goode Richard Goode (born June 1, 1943) is an American classical pianist who is especially known for his interpretations of Mozart and Beethoven. Early life Goode was born in the East Bronx, New York. He studied piano with Elvira Szigeti, Claude Fra ...

, Marilyn Horne,

Sherrill Milnes Sherrill Milnes (born January 10, 1935) is an American dramatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera. His voice is a high dramatic baritone, combining good legato with an in ...

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well ...

, Robert Shaw, Sir

Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt and London, and as a long-servin ...

, Isaac Stern,

Randall Thompson Randall Thompson (April 21, 1899 – July 9, 1984) was an American composer, particularly noted for his choral works. Career Randall attended The Lawrenceville School, where his father was an English teacher. He then attended Harvard University, ...

, and Virgil Thomson.

Notes

Sources

World-Renowned Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman was Presented Prestigious Sanford Medal by Yale School of Music on Thursday, September 1, 2005
1849 births 1910 deaths Musicians from Bridgeport, Connecticut American classical pianists Male classical pianists American male pianists American music educators Edward Elgar Yale University faculty 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century American pianists 19th-century American male musicians {{US-pianist-stub