Leo Sowerby

about

Leo Sowerby (May 1, 1895–July 7, 1968), American composer and church musician, was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1946, and was often called the “Dean of American church music” in the early to mid 20th century. Sowerby was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he began to compose at the age of ten. His violin concerto was premiered in 1913 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1921 he was awarded the Prix de Rome (from the American Academy in Rome), the first composer to receive this. In addition he received the 1946 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his cantata, the Canticle of the Sun, written in 1944. In 1927 he became organist-choirmaster at St James’s Episcopal Church, Chicago, which was consecrated as a cathedral while he was there (1955). It was during his time there that he did most of his work and gained his international reputation. In 1962, after his retirement from St James’s, he was called to Washington National Cathedral to become the founding director of the College of Church Musicians, a position he held until his death in 1968. He died in Port Clinton, Ohio, while at Camp Wa-Li-Ro, in Put-in-Bay, Ohio, the summer choir camp where he had taught for many years. His substantial output includes over 500 works in every genre but opera. Early in his career, he was widely known for his orchestral and chamber works, but his later works, done at St James's, Chicago, and Washington Cathedral, are primarily church music for choir and organ. As a teacher So

top songs

albums

Sowerby: Works for Organ and Orchestra

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David Higgs at Riverside

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The Throne of God

Sowerby: Tone Poems

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Leo Sowerby: American Master of Sacred Song

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Hymns Through the Centuries, Vol. 1

Sowerby, L.: Symphony for Organ in G Major / Requiescat in Pace / Fantasy for Flute Stops

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The Spirit of Christmas Present

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Music from America's First and Second Cities

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The Great Organ of Washington Cathedral & Symphony In G Major

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Leo Sowerby: The Paul Whiteman Commissions & Other Early Works

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Americans In Rome: Music By Fellows of the American Academy In Rome

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