Leonard De Paur
Encyclopedia
Leonard Etienne De Paur (November 18, 1914 – November 7, 1998) was an African American
composer
, choral director, and arts administrator.
to Hettie Carson de Paur and Ernst Leonard. His musical studies began at the Manual Training Institute
in Bordentown, New Jersey
. He attended with Frederick Work, brother of John Wesley Work II and uncle of John Wesley Work III
. De Paur began to compose and arrange while he was a member of the Hall Johnson
Choir. He sang in the baritone section and served as assistant conductor alongside Jester Hairston
. In 1936, De Paur became the musical director of the Negro Unit of the Federal Theater Project in New York City
. During this time he was also enrolled at Columbia University
and later went on to study at the Institute of Musical Arts, now the Juilliard School
.
De Paur enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces
in 1942 and became the music director of the play Winged Victory
. During a stint in the infantry, he was assigned to an all male-chorus.
The De Paur Infantry Chorus was made up of 35 men from the 372nd Glee Club
. Their performances consisted of art song
repertory, Caribbean
folk music
, spirituals, work songs and military songs. In 1946, the De Paur Infantry Chorus was signed to Columbia Artists Management
and Columbia Records
. The chorus now consisted of men from the 372nd Glee Club, other branches of Armed services
, and civilian
s. For ten years the De Paur Infantry Chorus was the top performing group at Columbia. In 1957, De Paur discontinued the chorus and produced the De Paur Opera Gala, which featured Virgil Thomson
's Four Saints in Three Acts
, George Gershwin
's Porgy and Bess
and Oscar Hammerstein
's Carmen Jones
.
In the early 1960s, the De Paur Chorus was formed to tour 18 African nations under the United States Information Agency
. Shortly after the chorus disbanded in 1968, De Paur became the associate director of the Lincoln Center International Choral Festival. A few years later he was named the director of community relations. He created the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival and the Community Holiday Concert Series. He retired from the Lincoln Center in 1988.
During his career De Paur received honorary Doctor of Music degree from Lewis and Clark College. He was the recipient of the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit and an honorary member of the Morehouse College Glee Club
.
De Paur died in Manhattan
on November 7, 1998.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
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...
, choral director, and arts administrator.
Biography
Leonard De Paur was born in Summit, New JerseySummit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
to Hettie Carson de Paur and Ernst Leonard. His musical studies began at the Manual Training Institute
Bordentown School
The Bordentown School , was a residential high school for African-American students, located in Bordentown in Burlington County, New Jersey...
in Bordentown, New Jersey
Bordentown, New Jersey
Bordentown City is in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 3,924. Bordentown is located at the confluence of the Delaware River, Blacks Creek and Crosswicks Creek...
. He attended with Frederick Work, brother of John Wesley Work II and uncle of John Wesley Work III
John Wesley Work III
John Wesley Work III was a composer, educator, choral director, musicologist and scholar of African American folklore and music.-Biography:...
. De Paur began to compose and arrange while he was a member of the Hall Johnson
Hall Johnson
Hall Johnson was one of a number of American composers and arrangers—including Harry T. Burleigh, R. Nathaniel Dett, and Eva Jessye—who elevated the African-American spiritual to an art form, comparable in its musical sophistication to the compositions of European Classical...
Choir. He sang in the baritone section and served as assistant conductor alongside Jester Hairston
Jester Hairston
Jester Joseph Hairston was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. His notable compositions include "Amen," a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1963 hit for The Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".-Early life:Hairston...
. In 1936, De Paur became the musical director of the Negro Unit of the Federal Theater Project in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. During this time he was also enrolled at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and later went on to study at the Institute of Musical Arts, now the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
.
De Paur enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
in 1942 and became the music director of the play Winged Victory
Winged Victory (play)
Winged Victory is a play and, later, a film by Moss Hart, originally created and produced by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II as a morale booster and as a fundraiser for the Army Emergency Relief Fund. Upon recommendation of Lt. Col. Dudley S. Dean, who had been approached with the...
. During a stint in the infantry, he was assigned to an all male-chorus.
The De Paur Infantry Chorus was made up of 35 men from the 372nd Glee Club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
. Their performances consisted of art song
Art song
An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the genre of such songs....
repertory, Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, spirituals, work songs and military songs. In 1946, the De Paur Infantry Chorus was signed to Columbia Artists Management
Columbia Artists Management
Columbia Artists Management is an international leader in managing the careers and touring activities of the world's most prominent performing artists and institutions.Led by Chairman and CEO Ronald A...
and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The chorus now consisted of men from the 372nd Glee Club, other branches of Armed services
Armed Services
Armed Services is a collective term that refers to the major organisational entities of national armed forces, so named because they service a combat need in a specific combat environment. In most states Armed Services include the Army also known as Land Force or Ground Force, Navy also know a...
, and civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
s. For ten years the De Paur Infantry Chorus was the top performing group at Columbia. In 1957, De Paur discontinued the chorus and produced the De Paur Opera Gala, which featured Virgil Thomson
Virgil Thomson
Virgil Thomson was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music...
's Four Saints in Three Acts
Four Saints in Three Acts
Four Saints in Three Acts is an opera by American composer Virgil Thomson with a libretto by Gertrude Stein. Written in 1927-8, it contains about 20 saints, and is in at least four acts...
, George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
and Oscar Hammerstein
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
's Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones is a 1943 Broadway musical starring Muriel Smith in the title role, later made into a 1954 musical film; the play also ran for a season in 1991 at London's Old Vic and most recently in London's Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre in 2007. It is an updating of the Georges Bizet...
.
In the early 1960s, the De Paur Chorus was formed to tour 18 African nations under the United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
. Shortly after the chorus disbanded in 1968, De Paur became the associate director of the Lincoln Center International Choral Festival. A few years later he was named the director of community relations. He created the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival and the Community Holiday Concert Series. He retired from the Lincoln Center in 1988.
During his career De Paur received honorary Doctor of Music degree from Lewis and Clark College. He was the recipient of the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit and an honorary member of the Morehouse College Glee Club
Morehouse College Glee Club
The Morehouse College Glee Club, founded in 1911, is the official choral group at Morehouse College. The Glee Club has a long tradition of significant public appearances, having performed at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral, President Jimmy Carter's inauguration, Super Bowl XXVIII, and the 1996...
.
De Paur died in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
on November 7, 1998.