HANSON, HOWARD

born Oct. 28, 1896, Wahoo, Neb., U.S. died Feb. 26, 1981, New York City composer, conductor, and teacher who was influential in promoting contemporary American music and was, in his own compositions, a principal representative of the Romantic tradition. After studying in New York, Hanson taught in San Jose, Calif., and spent three years in Italy (192124) as winner of the American Prix de Rome. On his return to the United States he became director of the newly organized Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., a post he held until his retirement in 1964. He established annual festivals of American music and conducted more than 1,000 new works by young composers, many of them his own pupils. In 1958 he organized the Eastman Philharmonia, a student orchestra with which he toured Europe, the U.S.S.R., and the Middle East in 196162. Hanson emphasized his Swedish ancestry in his First Symphony (1923; Nordic). The Second Symphony (1930; Romantic), his most successful symphony, proclaimed his faith in Romanticism. His Fourth Symphony (1943; Requiem), dedicated to the memory of his father, won a Pulitzer Prize. Among his other works are the Fifth Symphony (1955; Sinfonia Sacra); the Lux Aeterna for orchestra (1923); Songs from Drum Tap (1935; after Walt Whitman, for voices and orchestra); an opera, Merry Mount (1934), commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera; and chamber music. He also published a textbook for advanced students, Harmonic Materials of Modern Music (1960). Hanson's style belongs to the mid-20th century. His harmonies, although complex, are sonorous; his rhythms are strong and varied, and his orchestration is effective. Although he was influenced by Jean Sibelius and Modest Mussorgsky, his style is individual.