The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Parker, Horatio William

PARKER, Horatio William, American musician and composer: b. Auburndale, Mass., 15 Sept. 1863. His education was for the most part European, and in 1885 he graduated from the Munich Royal Conservatory. After that time he was professor of music in the Cathedral School of Saint Paul, Garden City, L. I., and organist of Holy Trinity Church, New York, until 1893, when he became organist of Trinity Church, Boston. Since 1894 he has been professor of the theory of music at Yale University. His compositions rank high in American music; they include the oratorio ‘Hora Novissima’ (1893), the first American music given at an English musical festival; ‘A Wanderer's Psalm’ (1900), also given at one of the English festivals; the oratorio of ‘Saint Christopher’ (1896); the cantatas ‘King Trojan’ (1885); ‘The Kobolds’; and ‘Harold Harfagar’ (1891); ‘The Dream King’ (1893); ‘A Star Song’ (1901); ‘The Leap of Roushan Bey’ (1914). With Brian Hooker as librettist, in 1911 he won the Metropolitan Opera House $10,000 prize with the opera ‘Mona,’ and in 1915 the Los Angeles $10,000 prize with the opera ‘Fairyland.’ In 1915 he wrote the oratorio ‘Morven and the Grail’ for the centenary celebration of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston. Among other compositions are symphonies, overtures, chamber music, pianoforte and organ numbers and numerous songs. In 1902 he received the degree of Mus. Doc. from Cambridge University.