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

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

composer and

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

, 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 pro ...

, 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. Competitors ...

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 in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the ...

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

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

. There he took courses in music conducting, and was tutored by Parson Price, Dudley Buck and Hugo Karn. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of presc ...

degree from Toronto College of Music, later becoming a

Doctor of Music The Doctor of Music degree (D.Mus., D.M., Mus.D. or occasionally Mus.Doc.) is a higher doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions and/or scholarly publications on music. Like other higher doctorates, it is granted ...

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

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. 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 (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 ...

al works, especially for the male voice, including 'Price', ' Bryn Calfaria', 'Cwmgiedd' and 'Nidaros'. He also composed two

string quartet The term string quartet can refer 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 violinist ...

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 ''T ...

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

Bibliography

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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