McDonald, Harl
McDonald, Harl
McDonald, Harl , American pianist, music administrator, and composer; b. near Boulder, Colo., July 27, 1899; d. Princeton, N.J., March 30, 1955. He studied at the Univ. of Southern Calif. in Los Angeles (Mus.B., 1921), then continued his studies in Leipzig at the Cons. and the Univ. (diploma, 1922). He made tours of the U.S. as a pianist from 1923. He taught at the Philadelphia Musical Academy (1924–26) and the Univ. of Pa. (1926–46), where he later was a prof. and director of its music dept. He was also general manager of the Philadelphia Orch. (1939–55).
Works
orch (all 1st perf. in Philadelphia unless otherwise given): 4 syms.: No. 1, The Santa Fe Trail (1932; Nov. 16, 1934), No. 2, The Rhumba (1934; Oct. 4, 1935), No. 3, Lamentations of Fu Hsuan, for Soprano, Chorus, and Orch. (1935; Jan. 3, 1936), and No. 4, Festival of the Workers (1937; April 8, 1938); 3 Poems on Aramaic Themes (1935; Dec. 18, 1936); Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orch. (1936; April 2, 1937); San Juan Capristrano, 2 nocturnes (1938; Boston, Oct. 30, 1939); The Legend of the Arkansas Traveler (1939; Detroit, March 3, 1940); Chameleon Variations (1940); From Childhood for Harp and Orch. (1940; Jan. 17, 1941); Bataan (Washington, D.C., July 3, 1942); Saga of the Mississippi (1943; April, 9, 1948); My Country at War, symphonic suite (1943); Violin Concerto (1943; March 16, 1945); Song of the Nations for Soprano and Orch. (1945); Overture for Children (1950). chambers: 2 piano trios (1931, 1932); Fantasy for String Quartet (1932); String Quartet on Negro Themes (1933); numerous piano pieces. vocal:The Breadth and Extent of Man’s Empire for Chorus (1938); Songs of Conquest for Chorus (1938); Lament for the Stolen for Women’s Voices and Orch. (1939); Dirge for 2 Veterans for Women’s Voices and Orch. (1940); Wind in the Palm Trees for Women’s Voices and Strings (1940); God Give us Men for Voices and Orch. (1950); numerous other vocal pieces.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire