Arthur Shepherd (February 19, 1880 – January 12, 1958) was an American composer and conductor in the 20th century.
Arthur Shepherd | |
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Burr McIntosh Monthly, September, 1908 | |
Born | (1880-02-19)February 19, 1880 Paris, Idaho, USA |
Died | January 12, 1958(1958-01-12) (aged 77) Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
Occupation | Composer, Orchestra Conductor and Professor of Music |
Shepherd was born in Paris, Idaho, into a Mormon family. His family loved to sing and his father, William N. B. Shepherd, wrote the hymn “Give Us Room That We May Dwell.”[1] Shepherd performed with both the Paris Brass Band and the Bear Lake Stake Choir.[1]
Shepherd entered the New England Conservatory when he was only twelve years old. After graduating with honors and as president of his class,[1] Shepherd returned to his family who had moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and led a local orchestra for six years.[1] In 1901, he married Hattie Hooper Jennings.[1]
After some encouragement, he returned to the east and took a teaching position at the New England Conservatory where he studied under Charles F. Dennée, Percy Goetschius, Carl Faelten, and George W. Chadwick.[1] He briefly served as a bandmaster during World War I. His marriage fell apart after his return from Europe[1] and he moved with his children to Cleveland, Ohio. He took a job as the Assistant Director of the Cleveland Orchestra.
In 1922 he married Grazella Shepherd.[1]
In 1927 he returned to teaching at the Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He retired in 1950 and died in 1958, after a failed operation at a Cleveland hospital.[2] He composed over 100 works, including symphonies, string quartets and songs.[3]
Shepherd was a Latter-day Saint.[4] Although around the time of World War I, his divorce and remarriage, he distanced himself from the faith, he maintained a faith in God and his connections to the church and his people.[1] His work made reference to the geography and music of the Latter-day Saints.[1]
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His influences include Percy Goetschius and George W. Chadwick, Arthur Farwell, French Impressionists and Englishman, Vaughan Williams.
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