Norman Orville Scribner (February 25, 1936 – March 22, 2015) was an American

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 ...

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 ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

.Aryeh Oron
Norman Scribner (Conductor, Organ)
Bach Cantatas Website, September 2001 (visited Aug. 20, 2010), citing, ''inter alia'', Baker's Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Classical Musicians (1997) He was most widely known as the founder of The Choral Arts Society of Washington, and as its artistic director for over 45 years.

Biography

Scribner was born on February 25, 1936, in Washington, D.C., the son of a

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

clergyman appointed the year before he was born. While in high school, he would "rac to the church at 4 a.m. each morning to practice scales," but following his father's death, "financial necessity compelled him to focus on more lucrative forms of music making: church jobs."Pamela Sommers, ''Choral Arts, Still in Perfect Harmony at 25'', Washington Post, June 2, 1990, p. C03 He attended the

Peabody Conservatory of Music The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a private music and dance conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliated with Johns Hopkins in 1977. History Philanthropist and m ...

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, graduating with honors in 1961. He studied organ with

Paul Callaway Paul Smith Callaway, (August 16, 1909 – March 21, 1995) was a prominent American organist and choral conductor, particularly well known for his thirty-eight years at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., between 1939–1977 ...

and music theory with

Walter Spencer Huffman Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

. While still a student at Peabody, he formed the Baltimore Choral Society and " perfection-oriented was he that he held sectionals for a junior choir and rigorous auditions" for the group. In 1960, after "a stint in the Army," he accepted a position as musical staff assistant for the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...

, choirmaster of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, and chapel organist for the St. Albans School for Boys. (He served at St. Alban's Church until his retirement in 2007.) In 1960 he also joined the faculty at American University, serving there until 1963. He later joined the faculty at George Washington University from 1963 to 1969, and served on the faculty of the College of Church Musicians of Washington National Cathedral.Choral Arts Society
Norman Scribner, ''Artistic Director & Founder''
, visited Aug. 20, 2010

Rise to prominence

Scribner first received significant public attention while serving as assistant organist at the Washington National Cathedral. A review of an organ recital in June 1963 observed that " the last few years a young musician in town has found the right climate to establish himself as one of those to whom musical leadership and responsibility will be given in years to come." That year, Scribner was appointed as staff keyboard artist for the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

, a post he would hold until 1967. He conducted and took control of the Symphony's annual production of

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

's ''Messiah'' in 1963 after conductor

Howard Mitchell Howard Mitchell (11 March 1911 – 22 June 1988) was an American cellist and conductor who was born in Lyons, Nebraska and died in Ormond Beach, Florida. He was principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra from 1949 to 1969. A ...

"was impressed by his ability and intensity."Meryle Secrest, ''A Fresh Approach'', The Washington Post, Nov. 29, 1964, p. G1. A 1964 profile in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' described him as a "28-year old who looks, despite the glasses which occasionally slip down from his nose and give him the air of a beleaguered English professor, like a football player." It noted that for Scribner, doing music was "the complete life performing as pianist, organist, harpsichordist; directing as choir master at St. Alban's; teaching at George Washington University; conducting." By 1970, Scribner was viewed as "the backbone of choral music in Washington." As a choral director, he received praise for his "exhaustive musical knowledge, his geniality and infectious fervor, and above all, his obsession with excellence." Moreover, local pianists spoke "of his ability at the keyboard in awe," with "his organ playing almost legendary." With funding from several grants received in 1970, the Choral Arts Society was able to retain Scribner on an annual salary for the first time, allowing him to "devote his full time to the post." In 1971, Scribner assembled a professional choir (the "Norman Scribner Choir") for the premiere of

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

's ''MASS'', commissioned for the opening of the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 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, ...

. He served for a season as chorus master of the

Washington Opera Washington National Opera (WNO) is an American opera company in Washington, D.C. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performance ...

, and was a member of the Choral Panel of the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

from 1974 to 1976. In an unusual event on August 25, 1972, Scribner was directing a Kennedy Center performance of

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

's '' Introduction and Allegro'' (for flute, harp, clarinet, and string quartet) when one of the harp's pedals broke. After asking the audience "with a fairly straight face ... 'Is there anyone in the house who repairs harps?'", he altered the program order in the hope of finding "another harp downstairs or if this harp has been fixed." However, a harpist from one of the military service bands was in attendance, returned home and retrieved his instrument while a

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

symphony was performed, and the concert was saved. On September 12, 1974, he accompanied the violinist Eugene Fodor at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

for a recital at a state dinner given by President Ford for Israeli Prime Minister

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; , ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the prime minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977, and from 1992 until Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, his ass ...

The Choral Arts Society of Washington

Scribner founded The Choral Arts Society of Washington in 1965 and served as its artistic director for 47 years. Since its founding, the Choral Arts Society has grown to become a prominent cultural institution in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and is one of approximately 32 major choral organizations in the United States with annual budgets exceeding $1 million. As artistic director, Scribner directed the chorus in its regular concerts at the

and other locations in the Washington area. He also regularly prepared the chorus for guest appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra and other national and international orchestras. He led the chorus on seven international tours (as of 2010), visiting

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, and

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. The Choral Arts Society also produced or performed on at least sixteen commercially released recordings during his tenure. Scribner retired as artistic director of the Choral Arts Society on August 31, 2012, and was succeeded by Scott Tucker. Scribner died March 22, 2015, at the age of 79.

Compositions

*''The Nativity'' (1975) – premiered Dec. 20, 1975 by the Choral Arts Society of Baltimore under Theodore Morrison. *''Love Divine'' (1984) – commissioned by the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

and premiered at its 1984 General Conference in Baltimore. *''Song for St. Cecilia'' (1988) – commissioned by the British Institute and performed in concert at the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

in 1988

Awards

Scribner received a co-nomination for a Grammy Award in 1973 (with

), and the Choral Arts Society received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

under his preparation in 1996. He was named a ''Washingtonian of the Year'' by the ''Washingtonian'' magazine in 1984. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the largest and second-oldest such accredited se ...

in 2002, and the Peabody Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006. In 1998, Scribner received the District of Columbia Mayor's Arts Award for excellence in an artistic discipline.Choral Arts Society of Washington
Norman Scribner, ''Artistic Director & Founder''
, visited Aug. 20, 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scribner, Norman American male conductors (music) American classical organists Musicians from Washington, D.C. American choral conductors American male classical composers 20th-century American classical composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American composers Peabody Institute alumni George Washington University faculty American University faculty 1936 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male classical organists