Smither, Howard E(lbert)
Smither, Howard E(lbert)
Smither, Howard E(lbert), distinguished American musicologist; b. Pittsburg, Kans., Nov. 15, 1925. He studied at Hamline Univ. in St. Paul, Minn. (A.B., 1950), and at Cornell Univ. with Grout and Austin (M.A., 1952; Ph.D., 1960, with the diss. Theories of Rhythm in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, with a Contribution to the Theory of Rhythm for the Study of Twentieth Century Music); also attended classes of Rudolf von Ficker at the Univ. of Munich (1953–54). He taught at the Oberlin Cons. of Music (1955–60), the Univ. of Kans. (1960–63), and Tulane Univ. (1963–68); in 1968 he was appointed a prof. of music at the Univ. of N.C. at Chapel Hill; served as president of the American Musicological Soc. (1981–82). His major work is the valuable study A History of the Oratorio (3 vols., Chapel Hill, 1977–87); also contributed to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire