Daniel Protheroe (5 November 1866 – 25 February 1934), was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

, born at

Cwmgiedd Cwmgiedd is a small village beside the River Giedd within the community of Ystradgynlais, Powys, Wales. It lies 22.5 km (15 miles) north-east of Swansea and 253 km (157 miles) west of London. '' The Silent Village'', a 1943 British pr ...

, Brecknockshire. After success at the

National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

at a young age, he immigrated to the US, where he was educated. He is best known for composing Calvinist Methodist hymns.

Biography

Protheroe was born to Daniel and Eleanor Protheroe, and was instructed in music from a young age. He entered the

in 1880 and 1881, before his voice broke, winning prizes in both festivals. At the age of 16 he conducted the Ystradgynlais Choir at the

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated where the River Towy is crossed by the A483 road, A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had ...

Eisteddfod, winning the choir prize. Aged 19, he immigrated to the US, settling in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

. There he took courses in music conducting, and was tutored by Parson Price,

Dudley Buck Dudley Buck (March 10, 1839October 6, 1909) was an American composer, organist, and writer on music. He published several books, most notably the ''Dictionary of Musical Terms'' and ''Influence of the Organ in History'', which was published in N ...

and Hugo Karn. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

degree from

Toronto College of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM; ), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher (musician), Edwar ...

, later becoming a

Doctor of Music The Doctor of Music degree (DMus, DM, MusD or occasionally MusDoc) is a doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions, musical performances, and/or scholarly publications on music. In some institutions, the award is a ...

. Protheroe remained in Scranton until 1892, and for eight years was the conductor of the Cymmrodorion Choral Society. He moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, conducting several choirs, before moving again, this time to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He continued conducting for various choirs, and taught at the Sherwood Music School. While in Chicago he mentored Rhys Morgan ("The Welsh Tenor" 1892–1961) and

Haldor Lillenas Haldor Lillenas (19 November 1885 – 18 August 1959) was "one of the most important twentieth-century gospel hymn writers and publishers" and is regarded as "the most influential Wesleyan / Holiness songwriter and publisher in the 20th century ...

(1885–1959). Protheroe would take frequent trips to Wales, and adjudicated at several National Eisteddfodau. He wrote several works, including ''Arwain Corau'' (1914) and ''Nodau Damweiniol a D'rawyd'' (1924), and in 1918 he edited the hymnal ''Cân a Mawl'' for the Calvanistic Methodists of North America.Davies (2008), pg 715. He composed many or arranged

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

al works, especially for the male voice, including 'Price', '

Bryn Calfaria Bryn Calfaria ("Calvary Hill") is a Welsh hymn tune written in 8,7,8,7,4,4,4,7,7 meter. The melody by William Owen is used as a setting for several hymns, most notably the English hymn "Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendour" by George Hugh Bo ...

', 'Cwmgiedd' and 'Nidaros'. He also composed two

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s and a

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...

. He died in Chicago on 25 February 1934, and in 1954 a memorial plaque was unveiled at his birthplace in Ystradgynlais.

Bibliography

* *

Notes

External links

National Library of Wales
Profile of Daniel Protheroe * {{DEFAULTSORT:Protheroe, Daniel 1866 births 1934 deaths People from Brecon Welsh composers Welsh male composers Welsh conductors (music) British male conductors (music) American male composers American composers American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) Welsh emigrants to the United States People from Ystradgynlais