American Composer Anniversaries

Web Poll: Favorite American Composers

These are the results of an Internet survey taken in 1999.

The voting was quite close.  Composers tied with the same number of votes are arranged in alphabetical order.  

As chosen by web voters,  here are the...       

Top 10 Favorite American Composers of the Past

• Aaron Copland (1900-1990)       

          [Two way tie (arranged alphabetically)]   

•  George Gershwin (1898-1937)
•  Charles Ives (1874-1954)

           [Three way tie (arranged alphabetically]

•  Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
•  George W. Chadwick (1854-1931)
•  Charles T. Griffes (1884-1920)

           [Four way tie (arranged albetically]

• Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
• Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
• Roy Harris (1898-1979)
• Randall Thompson (1899-1984)

There were 25 other American composers who were chosen by web voters.

Here are their names:

• William Billings
• John Alden Carpenter
• John Cage
• Frederick Converse
• Henry Cowell
• Paul Creston
• Richard Donovan
• Henry F. Gilbert
• Louis Moreau Gottschalk
• Henry Hadley
• Howard Hanson
• Bernard Herrmann
• Edward B. Hill
• Norman dello Joio
• Edward MacDowell
• Daniel Gregory Mason
• Peter Menin
• Conlon Nancarrow
• Harry Partch
• Walter Piston
• Carl Ruggles
• William Schuman
• Ruth Crawford Seeger
• Roger Sessions
• John Philip Sousa.

Some of the above composers may be unknown to you.

For example, do you know when William Billings lived?

He was born in Boston in 1746 and died there in 1800 -- 200th anniversary commemorated in the year 2000.

Billings is generally considered to be America's first important composer.  Yet he composed only choral music and is known today primarily for his defiant Revolutionary War patriotic song, "Chester" (1770/ 1778).  

He was also a teacher and taught singing schools, including one in Stoughton, Massachusetts in 1774.  

Five of his singing pupils formed  a singing society founded in 1786, which is now the oldest one in America - The Old Stoughton Musical Society.

Twentieth-century composers have based some of their works on the music of Billings.  

One of the best known such works is New England Triptych  by William Schuman (1910-1992).  This orchestral work is based on three tunes by William Billings:  "Be Glad Then America" (actual title: "An Anthem for Fast Day"); "When Jesus Wept"; and "Chester."

To see a photo of  No. 1 Favorite American Composer, Aaron Copland, meeting Sister Mildred Barker, go to:

American Music Preservation

To read a list of American film composers, go to :

Top 10 Film Scores of the Century

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