Williametta Spencer (born August 15, 1927) is an American composer, musicologist, and teacher who plays harpsichord, organ, and piano. She is best known for her award-winning choral work ''At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners''.

Life and career

Spencer was born in

Marion, Illinois The city of Marion is the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population in Marion, IL was 16,855 according to the 2020 census. It is part of a dispersed urban area that developed out of early 20th-century coal fields ...

, to Viva Jewell and Samuel Joseph Spencer. The family moved to Paducah, Kentucky, where her father was a minister of music at several different Baptist churches during her childhood. Spencer earned a B.A. at

Whittier College Whittier College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic-serving institution, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of spring 2024, had 815 ...

and a M.Mus. and Ph.D. at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. Her dissertation was entitled ''The Influence and Stylistic Heritage of André Caple''t. In 1953, she received a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

scholarship to study in Paris. Her teachers included

Pauline Alderman Edith Pauline Alderman (January 16, 1893 – October 11, 1983) was an American musicologist and composer. She was the founder and the first Chairwoman of the Department of Music History and Literature (musicology) at the University of Southern Ca ...

Tony Aubin Tony Louis Alexandre Aubin (; 8 December 1907 – 21 September 1981) was a French composer. Life and Career Aubin was born in Paris on 8 December 1907. From 1925 to 1930, he studied at the Paris Conservatory under Samuel Rousseau (music theory ...

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot ( , ; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his po ...

Ingolf Dahl Ingolf Dahl (June 9, 1912 – August 6, 1970) was a German-born American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator. Biography Dahl was born Walter Ingolf Marcus in Hamburg, Germany, to a German Jewish father, attorney Paul Marcus, and his Swedi ...

, Ernst Kanitz, and Halsey Stevens. Spencer has won several awards, including the Southern California Vocal Association National Composition Award for ''At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners''; Alumni Achievement Awards from Whittier College in 1995 and 2008; and the Amy Beach Award for her orchestral overture. I Cantori commissioned and premiered her choral work, ''And the White Rose is a Dove''. She is a member of

Mu Phi Epsilon Mu Phi Epsilon () is a co-ed international professional music fraternity. It was established as a music sorority in 1903 at the Metropolitan College of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. has over 75,000 members in 227 collegiate chapters and 113 alumni ...

and the

International Alliance for Women in Music The International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) is an international membership organization of women and men dedicated to fostering and encouraging the activities of women in music, particularly in the areas of musical activity, such as compos ...

. Spencer’s works have been published by Associated Music Publishers Inc., Mark Foster Music Co., Orpheus Publications,

Shawnee Press Shawnee Press, Inc., was an independent print and recorded music publisher and for a time, the largest educational music publisher in the world. The Company published several music types including choral, vocal, keyboard, handbell, instrumental, ...

, and Western International Music Co. Her publications include:

Article

*''The Relationship Between André Caplet and Claude Debussy'' (

The Musical Quarterly ''The Musical Quarterly'' is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928. Sonneck was succeeded by a number of editors, including C ...

, Volume LXVI, Issue 1, January 1980, Pages 112–131)

Chamber

*''Adagio and Rondo'' (oboe and piano) *''Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano'' *''Sonata for Trombone and Piano'' *''String Quartet'' *''Suite'' (flute and piano) *''Trio for Brass Instruments''

Orchestra

*Overture *Passacaglia and Double Fugue (string orchestra)

Organ

*''Improvisation and Meditation on “Gott sei gelobet”''

Vocal

*''And the White Rose is a Dove'' (choir) *''As I Rode Out This Enders NIght'' (a cappella choir) *''As I Sat Under a Sycamore Tree'' (a cappella choir) *''At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners'' (choir; text by

John Donne John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...

) *''Bright Cap and Streamers'' (choir) *Cantate Domino *''Four Madrigals'' (text by

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

) *“Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun” (text by

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

) *Make We Joy: A Cantata for Christmastide in a Medieval Atmosphere *Missa Brevis *''Nova, Nova, Ave Fit Ex Eva'' (a cappella choir) *''Three Songs'' (text by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

; flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, and voice) *''Two Christmas Madrigals'' (a cappella choir) *''Winter Has Lasted Too Long'' (voice, clarinet, and piano)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Williametta American women classical composers Living people 1927 births American string quartet composers University of Southern California alumni American women musicologists 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American musicologists 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century American musicologists People from Marion, Illinois Classical musicians from Illinois Musicians from Paducah, Kentucky Classical musicians from Kentucky 20th-century American classical composers 21st-century American classical composers