Claude Thomas Smith was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 band conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 and composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 as well as an educator. Notable among his over 100 band compositions, twelve orchestral works and fifteen choral are "Flight" and "Eternal Father Strong to Save." The National Air and Space Museum

National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...

 has taken the first of these as its official march. The second, titled for the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a hymn often associated with the Royal Navy or the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Accordingly, it is often known as the Royal Navy Hymn or the United States Navy Hymn , and sometimes by the last line of its first verse, "For Those in Peril on...

," was a commissioned 1975 piece that premiered at a Kennedy Center celebration of the 50th anniversary of the United States Navy Band

United States Navy Band

The United States Navy Band, based at the historic Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served the nation as the official musical organization of the United States Navy since 1925...

. Smith was born in Monroe City, Missouri

Monroe City, Missouri

Monroe City is a city in Marion, Monroe, and Ralls counties in the US state of Missouri. The population was 2,588 at the 2000 census.The Marion and Ralls County portions of Monroe City are part of the Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, and he died in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

. He was educated at Central Methodist University

Central Methodist University

Central Methodist University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is an accredited four year institution of higher education and offers masters, bachelors, and associates degrees...

 and University of Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

. His instructional methodologies were codified in band instruction books.

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