William Churchill Hammond

William Churchill Hammond (November 25, 1860 – April 15, 1949)[1] was an American organist, choirmaster, and music educator. He is noted for being one of the founding members of the American Guild of Organists, and for a lengthy tenure on the faculty of Mount Holyoke College.[2]

This article is about the American organist. For other people named other people named William Hammond, see William Hammond (disambiguation).
William Churchill Hammond
Hammond in academic regalia, c. 1916
BornNovember 25, 1860
Rockville, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedApril 15, 1949(1949-04-15) (aged 88)
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Occupation(s)Organist, choirmaster, educator
Years active1876–1949
SpouseFanny Bliss Reed (m. 1898)
Signature

Hammond was born in Rockville, Connecticut. In 1885, at the age of 25 he became organist and music director of Holyoke's Second Congregational Church,[lower-alpha 1] a post that he served for nearly 60 years. He married Fannie Reed, daughter of Second Congregational's pastor.[3] Among his pupils was John Shea, who would later write Notre Dame's Victory March, first playing it for his former teacher on the congregational church's organ in 1908.[4][5]

He first joined the faculty of Smith College. In 1899 he joined faculty of Mount Holyoke College (as one of the first two male faculty) and remained there for over 40 years. In 1924 he received a Doctor of Music degree from Holyoke, in 1935 he established a music major, and in 1936 he resigned the position of chair of the music department.[3][6][7]

Throughout his career Hammond himself would give more than 1,200 local recitals as well as organize and tour Mount Holyoke's Carol Choir to venues across the country, including the White House.[8][9]

Hammond was also a collector of folklore songs, arranging and publishing Christmas carols through the New Haven Carol Society for more than 35 years, as well as most notably being the first musician to formally put the American folk-tune White's Air into print.[6]

In December 1942, Holyoke's daily newspaper Transcript-Telegram awarded Hammond with its third William G. Dwight Distinguished Service to Holyoke award.[3]

Notes
  1. Presently known as the United Congregational Church of Holyoke.

References
  1. "William Churchill Hammond". 2015: The Pioneer Valley, Western Massachusetts; The Organ Historical Society's 60th Annual Convention (PDF). Richmond, Va.: The Organ Historical Society. 2015. p. V-88. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2021.
  2. Owen, Barbara (February 1996). "American Guild of Organists Centennial: The Founders of the AGO- Who Were They?" (PDF). The American Organist. American Guild of Organists. p. 93. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2021.
  3. "Holyoke, Mass., Honor to William C. Hammond" (PDF). The Diapason. 34 (3): 6. February 1, 1943.
  4. "People of Western New England – William C. Hammond". Western New England. Vol. III, no. 4. Springfield, Mass.: Springfield Board of Trade. April 1913. p. 156.
  5. Wallace, Francis (1949). The Notre Dame Story. New York: Rinehart & Company, Inc. pp. 209–210.
    • "He Had Something". The Catholic Digest. Vol. 7. College of St. Thomas. 1942. They[, the Congregational church's deacons,] were not a little shocked to see a man wearing a Roman collar energetically thumping away on the keys of their organ. One deacon had a remark to make when the recital was finished. 'Brother,' he said, 'you've got something there'"
    • "Notre Dame Victory March". Game Day. University of Notre Dame. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019.
  6. Jacobi, Bonnie Schaffhauser (October 2015). "'In Burst of Fresh Song': William Churchill Hammond and His Christmas Caroling Choir at Mount Holyoke College". Journal of Historical Research in Music Education. Sage Publications, Inc. XXXVII (1): 24–50. doi:10.1177/1536600615608460. S2CID 146882086.
  7. "Faculty and staff biographical files". Five College Consortium. Retrieved 2021-01-29. The first male teachers, Asa Kinney (botany) and William Churchill Hammond (music), were hired in 1899.
  8. Clark, Rusty (2006). Stories Carved in Stone: Holyoke, Massachusetts. West Springfield, Mass.: Dog Pond Press. p. 163. ISBN 9780975536261.
  9. "William C. Hammond, Sixty Years at Post; Still Active in Holyoke" (PDF). The Diapason. Vol. XXXVI, no. 4. March 1, 1945. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2021.

Further reading

Media related to William Churchill Hammond at Wikimedia Commons

  • Hammond papers, Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections
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