Eusebia Hunkins

Eusebia Simpson Hunkins (June 20, 1902 – September 9, 1980) is an American composer and expert on Appalachian music. She is known for her operas and compositions, especially the Smoky Mountain Opera, which include folk stories and music from the Appalachian region of the United States. She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1981.

Biography

Hunkins was born in Troy, Ohio.[1] She began learning piano and music theory in Dayton, Ohio, and later received a fellowship to the Juilliard School.[1] She eventually worked as a representative of the Juilliard Foundation at Cornell College and later studied composition at the Aspen Music Festival and in Salzburg.[1] She met her husband, Maurel Hunkins through their work at the Chautauqua Symphony, where she was as a piano soloist.[1] They were married in 1931 and for several years, she worked in New York City where she wrote music, taught and conducted choruses.[1]

Hunkins was an authority on Appalachian music.[2] She began her research into the music of the Appalachians in 1946, shortly after she moved to Athens, Ohio.[3] Her husband became the dean of men at Ohio University (OU) that year.[4]

The Smoky Mountain Opera was performed in 1952 at OU.[5] The Smoky Mountain Opera includes folk music and traditional songs from the Appalachian Mountain region.[6] The opera was performed by college and high school students around the country.[7] The Journal of American Folklore called the opera, "simple, unpretentious 'informal folk opera.'"[8] The opera follows a trend of American composers using traditional folk music and stories.[8] The Smoky Mountain Opera has been performed more than 4,000 times.[3]

Wondrous Love is a Christmas drama which includes traditional carols sung in the Appalachian region.[9] The world premiere of her opera, Young Lincoln, took place on television in August 1959.[10]

Hunkins also composed children's operas,[11] compositions for various instruments, liturgical dramas and ballets.[1] She was active in the National Federation of Music Clubs.[12]

Hunkins was inducted in the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame posthumously in 1981.[3]

References
  1. Royster, Jacqueline Jones (2003). Profiles of Ohio Women, 1803–2003. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press. p. 147. ISBN 9780821415085.
  2. McVicker, Mary F. (2016). Women Opera Composers: Biographies from the 1500s to the 21st Century. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 121. ISBN 9780786495139.
  3. "Eusebia Hunkins". Ohio Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  4. "Hunkins' Salute: 'Hello There'". Ohio Today Online. Spring 2002. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  5. "Bloomingburg Youth in Ohio". Washington C.H. Record-Herald. 18 February 1952. Retrieved 5 July 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Opera Opens Folk Festival at College". Wilmington News-Journal. 6 March 1954. Retrieved 5 July 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Casting for HS Operetta is Completed". Alamogordo Daily News. 6 March 1955. Retrieved 5 July 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Haywood, Charles (1957). "Review of Smoky Mountain. American Folk Opera". The Journal of American Folklore. 70 (275): 85–86. doi:10.2307/536513. JSTOR 536513.
  9. Gerbrandt, Carl (2006). Sacred Music Drama: The Producer's Guide (2nd ed.). Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. pp. 178–179. ISBN 9781425968472.
  10. "Opera Premiere". Traverse City Record-Eagle. 7 August 1959. Retrieved 5 July 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Griffel, Margaret Rose (2013). Operas in English: A Dictionary (Revised ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 9780810883253.
  12. "'Appalachian Mass' Scheduled Sunday". The Logan Daily News. 19 January 1977. Retrieved 6 July 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
Archives at
LocationMusic Division, Library of Congress
SourceEusebia Hunkins collection, 1935-1980
How to use archival material
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