Ernest Williams (conductor)
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Ernest S. Williams (27 September 1881 – 8 February 1947) was a prominent American band conductor, cornet soloist, composer, and music educator.


Education

Ernest S. Williams' first teacher was his father. He then moved to Boston where studied cornet with Henry C. Brown and Gustav Strube. In 1910, Williams moved to New York where he studied with
Herbert L. Clarke Herbert Lincoln Clarke (September 12, 1867 – January 30, 1945) was an American cornetist, feature soloist, bandmaster, and composer. He is considered the most prominent cornetist of his time. Clarke's legacy includes composing a portion of t ...
.


Performance career

A native of Wayne County, Indiana, Ernest Williams' musical career began in 1898 as a volunteer in the 158th Regiment of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry when he served as cornet soloist during the
Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
. His talents as a performer were highly regarded and, after successfully substituting as bandmaster in his regiment, Williams was chosen to lead the 161st Indiana Regiment, beginning his rise through the ranks of the Army bands. Between 1907 and 1912, Williams conducted the Cadet Band (the representative band of the city of Boston) as well as his own band at Lakeside Park, Colorado. In the ten years following this period, Williams traveled the world as a
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 ...
soloist, performing with such well-known bandleaders as
Nahan Franko Nahan Franko (July 23, 1861 - June 7, 1930) was an American violinist, conductor and concert promoter. His brother was violinist and conductor Sam Franko. Biography Franko was born in New Orleans on July 23, 1861. He studied the violin in Eu ...
,
Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...
,
Patrick Conway Patrick Conway (July 4, 1865 – June 10, 1929) was a prominent American bandleader during the golden era of professional bands. He often was referred to as Pat Conway or Patsy Conway. Early life Conway was born in Troy, New York, but moved to H ...
,
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...
and
Edwin Franko Goldman Edwin Franko Goldman (January 1, 1878 – February 21, 1956) was an American composer and conductor. One of the most significant American band composers of the early 20th century, Goldman composed over 150 works, but is best known for his March ...
. Williams was Goldman's first cornet soloist, beginning with the New York Military Band in 1917 and later the
Goldman Band The Goldman Band was an American concert band founded in 1918 by Edwin Franko Goldman from his previous New York Military Band. Both bands were based in New York City. It was Goldman's contention that the New York symphony and orchestra musici ...
from 1918-1922. He joined the
Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...
in 1917, performing as solo trumpeter under
Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...
,
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, Georges Enesco,
Vincent d'Indy Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the Pa ...
and
Ossip Gabrilowitsch Ossip Salomonovich Gabrilowitsch (Осип Сoломонович Габрилович, ''Osip Solomonovich Gabrilovich''; he used the German transliteration ''Gabrilowitsch'' in the West) (14 September 1936) was a Russian-American pianist, condu ...
.


Ernest Williams School of Music

In 1922, Williams’ interest in music education led him to form the Ernest Williams School of Music in Brooklyn, New York. The premise of the institution was to offer students comprehensive training in the field of music on a variety of instruments, provide experience with the theoretical and practical aspects of music, and work in ensemble settings that emphasized equally band and orchestra repertoire. In 1930, the school extended its activities, adding an eight-week summer session, held annually in the Catskill Mountains in Saugerties, New York. The school gained a reputation for producing skilled musicians who became successful professional musicians. A number of noteworthy composers lectured, taught, conducted, and/or had their works premiered at the Ernest Williams School, including
Percy Grainger Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and ...
, Erik W. G. Leidzén,
Ferde Grofé Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé (March 27, 1892 April 3, 1972), known as Ferde Grofé () was an American composer, arranger, pianist, and instrumentalist. He is best known for his 1931 five-movement symphonic poem, ''Grand Canyon Suite'', and for ...
,
Henry Cowell Henry Dixon Cowell (; March 11, 1897 – December 10, 1965) was an American composer, writer, pianist, publisher, teacher Marchioni, Tonimarie (2012)"Henry Cowell: A Life Stranger Than Fiction" ''The Juilliard Journal''. Retrieved 19 June 2022.C ...
, and
Morton Gould Morton Gould (December 10, 1913February 21, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist. Biography Morton Gould was born in Richmond Hill, New York, United States. He was of Austrian-Jewish heritage. He was recognized ear ...
. From 1929 to 1931, Williams divided his time between the Brooklyn school and as the new Dean of the Ithaca Conservatory Conway Band School, being the chosen successor of
Patrick Conway Patrick Conway (July 4, 1865 – June 10, 1929) was a prominent American bandleader during the golden era of professional bands. He often was referred to as Pat Conway or Patsy Conway. Early life Conway was born in Troy, New York, but moved to H ...
. While fulfilling administrative duties at his respective institutions, Williams continued to conduct and also composed. He earned high praise for his conducting prowess with the Kismet Temple Band in Brooklyn and also, beginning in 1935, as the conductor of the
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
Symphonic Band. As a composer, Williams became the first American to write a full symphony for band when he penned the ''Symphony in C Minor'' in 1937. Recent investigations have revealed that Erik Leidzén possibly ghost-wrote many of Ernest S. Williams' pieces from scratch, even the Symphony in C Minor. Also of note are his opera, ''Rip Van Winkle'', and tone poem, ''America'' (for chorus and band or orchestra), which stand alongside numerous marches, concerti and solos.


Honors

In 1931, Ernest S. Williams was elected to 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 ...
and, in 1983, he was posthumously installed in the National Band Association Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors.; Internet; accessed 23 July 2012.


References


External links


Ernest S. Williams Collection
- Special Collections in Performing Arts at the University of Maryland
Ernest S. Williams Discography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ernest S. American male conductors (music) 1881 births 1947 deaths 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra
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 ...
People from Wayne County, Indiana Classical musicians from Indiana