Claude Thomas Smith (March 14, 1932 – December 13, 1987) was an American band conductor, composer, and music educator. His compositions include ''Flight'', adopted as the "Official March" of the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States, dedicated to history of aviation, human flight and space exploration. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, ...

of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

, and ''Eternal Father, Strong to Save'', commissioned in 1975, that premiered at a

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

celebration of the 50th anniversary of the

United States Navy Band The United States Navy Band, based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served as the official musical organization of the U.S. Navy since 1925. The U.S. Navy Band serves the ceremonial needs at the seat of U.S. government, pe ...

Biography

Smith was born in Monroe City, Missouri, on March 14, 1932. His grandmother, a piano teacher and organist, influenced his interest in music, and he took up the

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

in eighth grade. He learned to conduct in high school and with a local Boy Scout band. He switched to the

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

during his time under director K.K. Anderson at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri. He joined the 371st US Army Band in 1952 during the Korean War. After marrying Maureen Morrison in 1952, he finished his Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1958 at the University of Kansas. He began to compose during his time at KU. Smith died on December 13, 1987, after conducting a Christmas concert. His wife, Maureen, daughter, Pam Smith Kelly and son-in-law, Jim Kelly, founded Claude T. Smith Publications, Inc. in 1993.

Music educator

Smith worked as a music educator at public schools in Nebraska and Missouri. In 1976, he took a faculty position at Southwest Missouri State University; he conducted the University Symphony Orchestra at that institution. He left in 1978 to move to

Raytown, Missouri Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. The population was at 30,012 in 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The current mayor of Raytown ...

, where his main occupation was composition. He worked as an educational consultant for Wingert-Jones Publications, who published many of his compositions, and worked as a staff writer for Jenson Publications.

Composer

Claude T. Smith is remembered for his composition work. He completed over 110 compositions for band, 12 orchestral works, and 15 choral pieces. The following excerpt from the finding aid of his collection at the University of Maryland, College Park describes his style: Smith was a member of

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

and the

American Bandmasters Association The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music.Raoul F. Camus. "American Bandmasters Association." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/sub ...

. He was recognized through a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives in 1976, received the Hall of Fame Award from the Missouri Bandmasters Association in 1988, and was awarded the

Distinguished Service to Music Medal The Distinguished Service to Music Medal is an award presented by Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity in the United States. It is awarded to people who have contributed to the advancement of the wind band "as a cultural, musical a ...

from

Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (, colloquially referred to as KKPsi) is an honorary Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for school band, college and university band members in the United States. It was founded on November ...

in 1989. His composition ''Flight'' is the "official march" of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. Other works, including ''Eternal Father, Strong to Save''; ''Emperata Overture''; ''Variations on a Hymn by Louis Bourgeois''; ''Incidental Suite''; ''Ballad and Presto Dance: for Solo Tuba''; and ''Variations on a Revolutionary War Hymn'' are still widely performed.

Sources

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External links

Claude T. Smith Collection
- Special Collections in Performing Arts at the University of Maryland
Vimeo: Fantasia for Alto Saxophone and Band (Claude T. Smith)YouTube: Claude T. Smith Fantasia
*https://www.barnhouse.com/composer/claude-t-smith/ - Listing of works and biographical info. Contains links to music scores and recordings {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Claude T. 1932 births 1987 deaths People from Monroe City, Missouri People from Carroll County, Missouri People from Livingston County, Missouri People from Raytown, Missouri Central Methodist University alumni University of Kansas alumni American music educators 20th-century American male composers American male conductors (music) Distinguished Service to Music Medal recipients 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American composers 20th-century American educators Schoolteachers from Missouri