Hugh Archibald Clarke
Encyclopedia
Hugh Archibald Clarke is a Canadian composer
, organist
, and teacher
. He was born in Toronto, Canada on August 15, 1839, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on December 16, 1927, at the age of 88 .
of Oxford University, is where his musical exploration stemmed from. At the age of twelve, Clarke began to play the organ at his church. After he and his wife, Jane Searle, moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he volunteered as the organist at the Second Presbyterian Church for 22 years.
and remained an instructor there for 50 years. Eventually, he was named head of the School of Fine Arts
in 1920. He also formed and led the university's Abt Male Chorus.
Clarke became known as one of the earliest specialists in music theory in North America
, the other being John Knowles Paine
who taught at Harvard University
. He has had many years of instructing experience, along with many notable pupils. Some of his known students include William Wallace Gilchrist, Otto Albrecht and Clarke's own daughter, Helen Clarke.
. Other well known pieces were the music for the play Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides
, the cantata The Music of the Spheres, and the oratorio Jerusalem.
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...
, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. He was born in Toronto, Canada on August 15, 1839, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
on December 16, 1927, at the age of 88 .
Early Life
Clarke was exposed to music at a very young age. His father, James Paton Clarke, who was a Mus. Doc.Doctor of Music
The Doctor of Music degree , like other doctorates, is an academic degree of the highest level. The D.Mus. is intended for musicians and composers who wish to combine the highest attainments in their area of specialization with doctoral-level academic study in music...
of Oxford University, is where his musical exploration stemmed from. At the age of twelve, Clarke began to play the organ at his church. After he and his wife, Jane Searle, moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he volunteered as the organist at the Second Presbyterian Church for 22 years.
The Educator
In Pennsylvania, he established himself as an organist and teacher. In 1875, Clarke was appointed professor of music at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and remained an instructor there for 50 years. Eventually, he was named head of the School of Fine Arts
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1920. He also formed and led the university's Abt Male Chorus.
Clarke became known as one of the earliest specialists in music theory in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the other being John Knowles Paine
John Knowles Paine
John Knowles Paine , was the first American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music.-Life:He studied organ, orchestration, and composition in Germany and toured in Europe for three years...
who taught at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He has had many years of instructing experience, along with many notable pupils. Some of his known students include William Wallace Gilchrist, Otto Albrecht and Clarke's own daughter, Helen Clarke.
Works
Clarke has accomplished much in his lifetime including several books and musical pieces that are acknowledged worldwide. His most notable work that earned him an honorary doctorate is his composition to the Archanians (1886) by AristophanesAristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
. Other well known pieces were the music for the play Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
, the cantata The Music of the Spheres, and the oratorio Jerusalem.
Books
- Pronouncing Dictionary of Musical Terms
- A System of Harmony: Founded on Key Relationship, by Means of Which a Thorough Knowledge of the Rules That Govern the Combinations and Successions of Sounds May Be Easily Acquired with or without a Teacher
- Counterpoint Strict and Free; Double Counterpoint, Imitation, Fugue and Canon
- Harmony on the Inductive Method
- Melodies of Mood and Tense
- Harold
- The Scratch Club
- Highways and Byways of Music
- Music and the Comrade Arts