Everett Titcomb

Howard Everett Titcomb (30 June 1884 - 31 December 1968) was an American organist, choir-director and composer.

Biography

Titcomb grew up in Salisbury Mills, Massachusetts as the son of butcher George Howard Titcomb (1844-1928) and Sarah Ella Prime (1850-1941).[1]

He served as the organist-choirmaster at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Boston from 1910 to 1959 and has been called a Boston church music institution [2]

Style and Works

Titcomb was a prolific composer for choir and organ.[3] His music has been characterized by John Ogasapian in the following manner:

"Titcomb's style is sectional, with abrupt changes and frequent cadences. Within sections, melodies are simply structured and harmonized. The result is naive and scarcely arresting; yet the music lies well for the voice and is extremely effective, even when done by a choir of limited capability."[4]

His popularity as a composer of choral anthems was noted by Fansler:

"The popularity of Titcomb's anthems resulted from their simple dignity. By means of full organ sonorities, Titcomb was able to please even the most sophisticated Episcopal congregation."[5]

References
  1. Armstrong, Susan Oulette (1987). "The Legacy of Everett Titcomb" (PDF). The Tracker. 31 (1): 23–29. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. Guerrieri, Matthew (27 February 2020). "Rediscovering a piece of Boston's choral and architectural history - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  3. Armstrong, Susan Oulette (April 1989). "The Choral and Organ Music of Everett Titcomb". The American Organist. 23 (4): 64–69.
  4. Ogasapian, John (2007). Church Music in America, 1620-2000. Mercer University Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-88146-026-1.
  5. Fansler, Terry Lee (1982). The Anthem in America: 1900-1950 (PDF) (PhD). North Texas State University. Retrieved 2020-09-26.


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