Parris, Herman
Parris, Herman
Parris, Herman, Russian-American physician and composer; b. Ekaterinoslav, Oct. 30, 1903; d. Philadelphia, Jan. 14, 1973. He was taken to America in his infancy. He studied at the Jefferson Medical Coll. in Philadelphia, obtaining his M.D. in 1926. Concurrently he studied music at the Univ. of Pa., and graduated in 1921. He was a diligent and competent composer; wrote 4 syms. (1946, 1947, 1949, 1952), 8 piano concertos (1946–53), 4 string quartets (1946, 1948, 1960, 1964), 22 piano sonatas (1946–65), 115 piano preludes (1946–65), Hebrew Rhapsody for Orch. (1949), Lament for Strings (in memory of O. Downes; 1956), and various pieces of chamber music. He gained a flickering moment of notoriety with his orch. piece entitled Hospital Suite, realistically portraying bloody events in the sickroom; it was brought to light in a collegiate spirit by the Doctors’ Orch. Society in N.Y. on May 13, 1948. Unfortunately, no further performances were given (all the patients in the suite died).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire