William Appling
{{Short description|American conductor}}
{{Infobox person
| name = William Appling
| image = Appling B&W Headshot.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = William Appling in 1996
| birth_date = {{birth date|1932|11|03}}
| birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio, United States
| death_date = {{death date and age|2008|08|29|1932|11|03}}
| death_place = The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
| occupation = Musician, conductor, pianist, educator, arranger
| years_active = 1950-2008
| website = {{URL|www.williamappling.org|WilliamAppling.org}}
}}
William Thomas Appling (November 3, 1932 - August 29, 2008) was a renowned American conductor, pianist, educator and arranger.{{cite news | last =Baranack | first =Alana | title =William Appling, famed choral director, former Western Reserve Academy music director| newspaper =The Plain Dealer | location = Cleveland, Ohio| pages = | language = | publisher = | date =September 5, 2008 | url =https://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/2008/09/william_appling_famed_choral_d.html| access-date = September 3, 2021}} As a conductor he led the William Appling Singers & Orchestra for almost twenty-five years{{cite web|url= https://www.williamappling.org |title=William Appling Singers & Orchestra |publisher=williamappling.org |access-date=2021-10-03}} and conducted other choirs and musical organizations, premiering new works by many American composers. As a pianist he played under the batons of conductors including Robert Shaw, Louis Lane, and Darius Milhaud, and he was the first African American to record the complete piano music of Scott Joplin. As an educator he taught at American schools and universities including Vassar College, Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Music and Western Reserve Academy.(20 July 1983). 'William Appling is soul of music for former pupils', by Maria Riccardi, Page 60. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). He made a number of recordings as both conductor and pianist, and his choral arrangements have been performed and recorded by such prominent ensembles as Chanticleer, Cantus and Dale Warland Singers.
Biography
= Early life =
Appling was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, the youngest in a family of four boys and three girls. Neither his father, Bradford Appling, nor his mother, Gertrude Wynn Appling, were musicians, though they encouraged him to pursue his talent. He attended Cleveland's John Adams High School and his formal education was completed upon graduating with both a BA and MA from Case Western Reserve University. His preparation included piano study with Elizabeth Lambright, Frances Bolton Kortheuer, Egbert Fischer, and Leonard Shure,{{cite news|title= William Appling |newspaper= The Plain Dealer| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = 5 September 2008 |url=https://obits.cleveland.com/us/obituaries/cleveland/name/william-appling-obituary?pid=117059795 |access-date=September 7, 2021}} and organ study with Edwin Arthur Kraft.{{cite news|title= Musicians Award Scholarship, Oct. 6 |newspaper= Call & Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = October 4, 1947 | page=11| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-oct-04-1947-2668816/}}
Career and influence
= As conductor =
File:William Appling Conducting - 1967 (edited).jpg
During his years in the Cleveland area, Appling was Director of the Choral Club of Glenville High School from 1955 to 1965.{{cite news|title= Masons Present Glenville Choir |newspaper= The Call & Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = 22 April 1961 | page=8| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-apr-22-1961-2678932/}}{{cite news|title= Glenville High Chorus in Lane CME Concert |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = May 18, 1957 | page=18| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-18-1957-2657332/}}{{cite news|title= To Feature Glenville Choir |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = April 29, 1961 | page=29| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-apr-29-1961-2657450/}} Under his leadership the choir became well known throughout Ohio and beyond, accepting invitations to sing at the Hollywood Bowl, the 1964 New York World's Fair and at educators' meetings in Ohio and Indianapolis. In 1965, the Cleveland Board of Education presented the Choral Club in a sold-out concert at Severance Hall.(21 February 1964). 'Precisioned and Unique,' by Cheryl Mines, Page 27. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio).(20 February 1965). 'Glenville Concert Is Sell-Out'. Page 9. The Plain Dealer, (Cleveland, Ohio).
Appling also served as the Choral Director of the Case Men's Glee Club from 1964 to 1979,(29 November 1964). 'Appling Gets Post at Case'. Page 32-E. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio).{{cite news|title= Men's Glee Club Gives Spring Concert at Case Here |newspaper= Willoughby News Herald| location = Willoughby, Ohio| date = 15 May 1965 | page=40| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-15-1965-2678941/}}{{cite news|title= Case Western Glee Club to Sing Here |newspaper= Winchester Evening Star| location = Winchester, Virginia| date = 10 April 1975 | page=28| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-apr-10-1975-2678998/}}{{cite news|title= Case Men's Glee Club |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 10 March 1972 | page=B1| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84847651/members-of-wra-glee-club-to-join-case-me/}} West Shore Chorale from 1970 to 1981,{{cite news|title= West Shore Chorale In Concert|newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = March 22, 1975 | page=4| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-mar-22-1975-2652040/}}{{cite news|title= West Shore Chorale at Chautauqua |newspaper= Dunkirk Evening Observer| location = Dunkirk, New york| date = 24 June 1976 | page=9| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-jun-24-1976-2679005/}} the University Circle Singers at the Cleveland Institute of Music,(4 December 1966). 'William Appling Conducts the University Circle Singers'. Page 22-E. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). and was a guest conductor and prepared choruses for the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra from 1966 to 1968.{{cite news|title= Philharmonic Chorus, William Appling, conducting |newspaper= Call and Post| location= Cleveland, Ohio| date = 21 May 1966 | page=6| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-21-1966-2678954/}}{{cite journal |title=Bulletin Board |journal=Music Educators Journal |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=19–20, 23–25, 27 |date=Nov 1967 |doi=10.2307/3391182 |jstor= 3391182|s2cid=221042623 }} He also served as guest director of choral conferences throughout Ohio and the United States.{{cite news| title= Bellevue To Host Music Festival |newspaper= The News Messenger | location = Fremont, Ohio| date = 16 February 1972 |page=11| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83948781/william-appling-ohio-music-education-a/|access-date=2021-08-30}}{{cite journal|title=Avon Lake, Ohio Holds Annual Larger Choral Works Conference |journal=The Choral Journal |author=Ernest L. Hisey |date=March–April 1969 |volume=9 |issue=5 |jstor=23543088 |page=19}}{{cite news| title= Coshocton, NCT Choral Group Will Attend Clinic, Workshops |newspaper= Coshocton Tribune | location = Coshocton, Ohio | date = 13 November 1970 |page=6 | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83987107/william-appling-will-be-guest-clinician/ |access-date=2021-08-30}}{{cite news|title= Senior High Choral Concert Friday |newspaper= The Lima News| location = Lima, Ohio| date = 28 January 1973 | page=5 | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83953790/william-appling-guest-conductor/ |access-date=2021-09-18 }}{{cite news|title= County Song Festival Scheduled Saturday |newspaper= Zanesville Times Recorder | location = Zanesville, Ohio| date = 2 May 1966 | page=22 | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83954934/william-appling-directs-all-county/ | access-date=2021-09-18 }}{{cite news| title= Guest Conductor to Lead Choir at Malabar |newspaper= Mansfield News Journal | location = Mansfield, Ohio | date = 22 February 1970 |page=22 | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83986656/guest-conductor-to-lead-choir-at-malabar/ |access-date=2021-08-30}}
In 1965, Appling received the first Kulas Foundation Fellowship Award for Choral Conducting with the Cleveland Orchestra, in which capacity he served as assistant to Robert Shaw, then conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus.(21 November 1965). 'Appling Is Kulas Fellow for Chorus' p. 48. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio).{{cite news|title= Kulas Fellow in Choral Conducting |author= Oscar Smith |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 16 November 1965 | page=86 | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84471125/william-appling-receives-first-kulas/ |access-date=2021-09-18 }}
In 1979, Appling founded the William Appling Singers & Orchestra (WASO), a professional ensemble performing primarily choral works of all periods and styles. The group's premiere performance was at the Cleveland Institute of Music on March 9, 1980, presenting an all-Mozart program.(2 March 1980). Listing for William Appling Singers and Orchestra concert. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). WASO premiered the works of many contemporary American composers, including those by Richard Hundley,(3 June 1983). 'Richard Hundley, non-conformist' by Robert Finn, Page 153. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). Donald Erb,(4 April 1968). 'Donald Erb Music Program Impressive,' by Robert Finn, Page 24. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). and Richard Edward Wilson.(25 July 1980). 'Composer Wilson Has a Splendid Evening' by Robert Finn, Page 72. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio) In Ohio, WASO appeared in concert at Severance Hall,(29 December 1980). 'Appling Singers score on 'Messiah' ' by Robert Finn, Page 63. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio) Blossom Music Center,{{cite news|title= Musical Forums Held at Blossom |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 9 July 1982 | page=19 | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84549465/musical-forums-held-at-blossom/| access-date=2021-09-18}} the Cleveland Museum of Natural History,{{cite news|title= WASO at Cleveland Museum of Natural History |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = Feb 18, 1983 | page=80| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-feb-18-1983-2657741/}} the Cleveland Museum of Art,{{cite news|title= WASO at Cleveland Museum of Art |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 26 November 1981 | page=94 | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84548358/william-appling-singers-and-orchestra-h/ | access-date=2021-09-18}} and numerous church concerts. The group was noted for its performances of J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor(11 May 1982). 'Appling Group Makes Bach Mass Pleasurable' by Robert Finn, Page 22. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). and during the holiday seasons their presentation of Handel's Messiah became a welcome tradition in the Cleveland area.{{cite news|title= William Appling Directs Messiah at Severance Hall |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal| location= Akron, Ohio | date = 4 January 1981 | page=2| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83949813/ |access-date=2021-09-19}}(29 December 1980). 'Appling Singers score on 'Messiah' ' by Robert Finn, Page 63. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). Appling and WASO also collaborated on projects with the prominent musician, sociologist and musicologist Zelma Watson George in community outreach programs such as A Joyful Noise, which was presented at Cleveland's legendary Karamu House and Mount Zion Congregational Church.(8 April 1983). "Appling Singers Plan Program, 'A Joyful Noise'" p 26. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio).{{cite news|title= WASO at Karamu House with Zelma George |newspaper= Elyria Chronicle Telegram |location = Elyria, Ohio |date = 21 January 1983 | page=67| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-jan-21-1983-2679028/}}
Appling was music director and conductor of the premiere of Leslie Adams's opera, Blake, in a 70-minute concert version at the Cleveland Play House in June, 1985.{{cite journal |title=Commentary |journal=The Black Perspective in Music |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=127–130 |date=Spring 1985 |jstor=1214801}}(1 January 1983). "Slave Rebellion Before Civil War Stirs Work on Opera," by Robert Finn p. 7-B. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio).{{cite news|title= 'Blake' Preview a Zesty Appetizer |author= Donald Rosenberg |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal| location = Akron, Ohio| date = 21 June 1985 | page=29| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84780390/blake-preview-a-zesty-appetizer/}}
On February 22, 1990, Appling was guest artist for A Night to Remember, sponsored by the University of Akron in conjunction with the university's Black Cultural Center to recognize the contributions of Blacks to the arts. The program included excerpts from Porgy and Bess and a tribute to the late choreographer Alvin Ailey.{{cite news| title= AU Program to Hail Contributions of Black Artists in U.S. Culture |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal| location = Akron, Ohio| date = 22 February 1990 |page=35| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84721334/william-appling-guest-artist-for/ |access-date=2021-09-19}}
After moving to New York in 1990 to become Director of Choral Activities at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, Appling re-established WASO on the east coast where the ensemble performed throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. From 1991 to 1995, Appling and WASO were associated with the Bard Music Festival, founded by Leon Botstein. In 1991, he prepared the chorus for the Festival's performance of Felix Mendelssohn's choral symphony Lobgesang.{{cite news|title= Review/Music; Celebrating Mendelssohn in Large and Small Ways |newspaper= The New York Times |location = New York, NY| author= Edward Rothstein |date= 27 August 1991 |page=C-12| url= https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/27/arts/review-music-celebrating-mendelssohn-in-large-and-small-ways.html}} The Bard Festival focused on composer Richard Strauss in 1992,{{cite news|title= The Work And Life Of Strauss |newspaper= The New York Times |location = New York, NY| date= 14 August 1992| author=Allan Kozinn |page=C-16| url= https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/14/arts/critic-s-choice-the-work-and-life-of-strauss.html}} and about the festival critic Edward Said wrote in The Nation magazine, "For me, there was one particularly jolting work that stood out over all the others. Performed with rapt concentration by the William Appling Singers under Appling, a remarkable choral conductor, it was heard for the first time in the United States: Strauss's Deutsche Motette, Op. 62, composed in 1913, revised in 1943."{{cite news|title= Music |magazine= The Nation |location = New York, NY| date= 23 January 1993| author=Edward Said |page=103}} In 1993, he prepared the chorus in performances that were part of the Antonín Dvořák festival in New York City.{{cite news|title= Review/Music; Exploring the Effects Of Dvorak's Sojourn In the New World |newspaper= The New York Times |location = New York, NY| author= Edward Rothstein |date= 9 November 1993 |page=C-17| url= https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/09/arts/review-music-exploring-the-effects-of-dvorak-s-sojourn-in-the-new-world.html}} 1994's Bard Festival was devoted to Robert Schumann,{{cite news|title= 'Robert Schumann and His World' is focus of Bard Music Festival |newspaper= The Daily Item |location = Port Chester, NY | author= Francis Brancaleone |date= 7 August 1994 |page=68| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83950924/ | access-date=2021-09-18}}{{cite news |last1=Oestreich |first1=James R. |title=Review/Music; Schumann, Peaks and Valleys |work=The New York Times |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1994/08/24/047392.html }}{{cite news |last1=Holland |first1=Bernard |title=Review/Music; Listening to Schumann's Mental Changes |work=The New York Times |date=8 November 1994 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/08/arts/music-review-listening-to-schumann-s-mental-changes.html }} and in 1995, Appling and WASO were part of the Bard Music Festival's Rediscoveries - Béla Bartók and His World.{{cite web|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83952773/william-appling-singers-perform-at-bard/ |title=Bard Music Festival's Focus on Bela Bartok Proves Very Rewarding |author=Francis Brancaleone |publisher=The Daily Times, Mamaroneck NY |date=27 August 1995 |page=28 |access-date=2021-08-21}}
On October 7, 1996, WASO was the only professional musical organization in the United States to present a concert celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Billings, America's first great native-born composer at Christ & Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in New York City.{{cite web|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UOECAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22william+billings%22+1996+%22william+appling%22&pg=PA93 |title= New York Magazine - In Concert - William Appling Singers & Orchestra |date= 7 October 1996 |access-date=2021-08-21}}{{cite journal |title=News |journal=The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=219–220 |date=May 1999 |doi=10.1177/153660069902000307 |jstor=40215003|s2cid=219975017 }}
= As pianist =
William Appling enjoyed an active career as a concert pianist, giving many recitals in the Cleveland area during the 1950s and '60s.{{cite news|title= William Appling Plans Concert |newspaper= Cleveland Call & Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = 9 March 1957 | page=15| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-mar-09-1957-2677723/}}{{cite news|title= Youthful Artists Sparkle at Ionians Annual Spring Musicale |newspaper= Cleveland Call & Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = 10 June 1950 | page=18| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-jun-10-1950-2677696/}}{{cite news |title=Appling-Mack Duo Scores in St. John A.M.E. Recital |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-oct-04-1952-2688922/ |date=4 October 1952 |page=10 |newspaper=Call and Post |location= Cleveland, Ohio |access-date=2021-09-01}}{{cite news|title= Guest Artists Add Glamour |newspaper= Cleveland Call & Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = 5 October 1974 | page=25| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-oct-05-1974-2678984/}} On April 1, 1962, with Robert Shaw conducting the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall, Appling was piano soloist in George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.{{cite news|title= Pianist William Appling in Cleveland Orchestra Debut |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = May 6, 1961 | page=5| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-06-1961-2657705/}}{{cite news|title= Appling to Appear with Cleveland Orchestra |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = March 24, 1962 | page=13| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-mar-24-1962-2657589/}} On August 11, 1962, he performed Rhapsody in Blue in a Pops Concert in Public Auditorium with Louis Lane conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.{{cite news|title= William Appling Makes Pops Debut |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = August 4, 1962 | page=15| url=https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-aug-04-1962-2657787/}}{{cite news|title= Pops Concert Stars - Appling Plays Gershwin |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = August 18, 1962 | page=15| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-aug-18-1962-2657774/}} Appling also appeared as part of the Brooklyn Museum Concerts Program series in January, 1963,{{cite journal |title=Museum Programs |journal=The Brooklyn Museum Annual |volume=4 |date=1962–1963 |pages=129–130 |jstor=26457513}} and in solo recital at The Town Hall, New York City, in April, 1964.{{cite news | last =R.P. | first = | title =William Appling Piano Recital | newspaper =New York Times | location = | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = April 27, 1964| url =https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1964/04/27/118657763.html | access-date =September 3, 2021 }} He also played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 under the baton of Hyman Schandler and the Cleveland Women's Orchestra in 1965.(8 May 1967). 'Soloists Brighten Women's Concert' by Ethel Boros, p. 24. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio).
Appling also appeared at the Aspen Music Festival under Darius Milhaud and in duo recital with tenor Seth McCoy{{cite news|title= Seth McCoy Appears in Benefit Concert |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = May 24, 1975 | page=34| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-24-1975-2657347/}}{{cite news|title= Benefit Concert a Success |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = June 21, 1975 | page=22| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-jun-21-1975-2657360/}} and his then wife, soprano Anita Appling. Early in his career, in 1952, he appeared as accompanist with the legendary composer and musician W. C. Handy in a program sponsored by the National Association of Negro Musicians.{{cite news|title= W. C. Handy Program |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = Mar 8, 1952 | page=19| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-mar-08-1952-2656474/}}(2 March 1952). 'W. C. Handy Program' by Herbert Elwell Page 36-D. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio).
During the 2000s, while working on his Scott Joplin project, Appling performed several times at venues in New York City and Massachusetts.{{cite news|title= William Appling at the Thursday Morning Club |newspaper= Pittsfield Berkshire Eagle| location = Pittsfield, Mass.| date = 10 April 2008 | page=10| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-apr-10-2008-2679040/}} He performed a program of Scott Joplin on March 16, 2004, at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Manhattan when the church's soup kitchen served its 5 millionth meal.{{cite news|title= NY Daily News - Reaching out - 5M times |author=Soni Sangha |newspaper= New York Daily News| location = New York, NY| date = 17 March 2004 | page=85| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83989880/}}
= As arranger =
Appling arranged a number of Negro spirituals for chorus. Two of these arrangements are published by J.W. Pepper & Son: We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace, and Yonda' Come Day.{{cite web|url= https://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/search.jsp?keywords=william+appling |title=William Appling |publisher=J.W. Pepper & Son |date= |access-date=2021-08-20}} His arrangement of We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace has been widely performed and is included on recordings by such prominent ensembles as Chanticleer on its 1994 Teldec recording, Where the Sun Will Never Go Down,{{cite web |title=Chanticleer - Where the Sun Will Never Go Down |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/where-the-sun-will-never-go-down-mw0000145472?1626204079554 |website=All Music}} and by The Dale Warland Singers' Harvest Home from 2005 on the Gothic label.{{cite web |title=Dale Warland Singers - Harvest Home |url=https://www.discogs.com/Dale-Warland-Singers-Harvest-Home/release/16245500 |website=Discogs|date=2005 }} The arrangement also appears on WASO's own 2000 recording, Shall We Gather, on Albany Records.{{cite web |title=William Appling - Shall We Gather: American Hymns & Spirituals |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/shall-we-gather-american-hymns-spirituals-mw0000131150 |website=All Music}} A recording of We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace, with an arrangement by Appling and Joseph Jennings from a live concert featuring Chanticleer and Cantus, has been widely viewed.{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqp6hWcZl5Q |title=Cantus & Chanticleer - "We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace" (Oct. 3, 2016) |publisher=youtube.com |date= |access-date=2021-08-25}}
= As educator =
Appling served on the faculties of Case Western Reserve University from 1964 to 1979 and the Cleveland Institute of Music from 1961 to 1970.{{cite journal |title=Gottschalk: Nationalist Composer, Native Virtuoso |journal=Music Educators Journal |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=25–30, 71–73 |date=December 1969 |jstor=3392659 |last1=Doyle |first1=John G. |doi=10.2307/3392659 |s2cid=191515573 }} He joined the music department at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, in 1965, and was appointed head of the department in 1971, serving in that capacity until 1989.{{cite web|url= https://www.wra.net/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=625 |title=Reserve Mourns the Loss of a Musician, Educator & Mentor |publisher=Western Reserve Academy|date= |access-date=2021-08-20}}
While at Western Reserve Academy, Appling "helped sculpt the music program into one of the region's preeminent programs." [WRA note] In addition to musical instruction, he gave the high school students numerous opportunities to perform both at the school's Hudson, Ohio, campus and at outside venues.{{cite news|title= WRA Senior Edward Emma Will Play Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 22 October 1972 | page=111| author= John Van Rhein | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84848290/piano-dedication-at-wra-with/}} In 1972, nine members of the WRA Glee Club joined the Case Men's Glee Club on a ten-day concert tour of Europe.{{cite news|title= WRA Glee Club Members Tour Europe with Case Men's Glee Club |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 10 March 1972 | page=B1| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84847651/members-of-wra-glee-club-to-join-case-me/}} The WRA chorus and glee club sang at Christmas at Stan Hywet, an annual series of classical programs, and the school's music department organized annual Music Festivals and Messiah Sings.{{cite news|title= Academy Singers Perform at Stan Hywet |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 7 December 1975 | page=129| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84849028/western-reserve-academy-singers-perform/}}{{cite news|title= Music In the Air |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 11 April 1977 | page=12 |author= Betty Jaycox | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84849891/music-in-the-air-wra-spring-music-fest/}}{{cite news|title= Academy's Music Festival This Weekend |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 26 April 1979 | page=70 |author= Betty Jaycox | url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84850225/academys-music-festival-this-weekend/}}{{cite news|title= Appling Leads WRA's Annual Messiah Sing |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal | location = Akron, Ohio| date = 2 December 1988 | page=45 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84855859/appling-leads-wras-annual-messiah-sing/}}
In 1972, Appling founded and directed Summer Music Experience, an international six-week program offering intensive music training and performance experience to gifted students of high school age.{{cite news| title= New Music Mecca For Youngsters |author= John Von Rhein |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal| location = Akron, Ohio| date = 12 March 1972 |page=104| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84538569/new-music-mecca-for-youngsters/}}{{cite news| title= High Schoolers Get Six Weeks of Music Study |author= John Von Rhein |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal| location = Akron, Ohio| date = 8 July 1973 |page=24| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84002664/high-schoolers-get-six-weeks-of-music/ |access-date=2021-08-30}}{{cite news| title= Hear and Now |author= John Von Rhein |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal| location = Akron, Ohio| date = 14 July 1974 |page=32| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84005288/hear-and-now-by-john-von-rhein-third/|access-date=2021-08-30}} The music camp/festival involved members of the Cleveland Orchestra and included visiting artists and master classes with Robert Shaw,(22 July 1978). 'Youth no obstacle for Summer Music Experience' by Robert Finn, p. 3-B. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). Grant Johannesen,{{cite news| title= SME Orchestra Plays with Polish |author= Donald Rosenberg |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal| location = Akron, Ohio| date = 19 July 1978 |page=3| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84004653/sme-orchestra-plays-with-polish/ |access-date=2021-08-30}} Louis Lane,{{cite news| title= Music Experience All Work for 44 at Western Reserve= Donald Rosenberg |newspaper= Akron Beacon Journal| location = Akron, Ohio| date = 8 August 1979 |page=16| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84006063/music-experience-all-work-for-44-at/ |access-date=2021-08-30}} André Watts, Phyllis Curtin,(22 October 1972). 'A Summer Discovery at Hudson' by Robert Finn, p. 9-G. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). Matthias Bamert{{cite web|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84002231/music-experience-equals-thrilling-bit/ |title='Music Experience' Equals Thrilling Bit of Hard Work |author=Helen Carringer |publisher=Akron Beacon Journal |date=3 September 1972 |page=91 |access-date=2021-08-20}} and many others.
In June, 1989, Appling was dismissed by Western Reserve Academy and his firing was met with protests and objections by a large number of the school's students, parents and alumni and members of the public. A defense fund raised several thousand dollars to help defray legal fees, and he and the school negotiated a financial settlement in 1990. The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote an extended article which included speculations about reasons for the dismissal, but these were never publicly disclosed by Appling or the school.{{cite news|title= Ouster of Music Head at Academy Protested |newspaper= The Plain Dealer| location= Cleveland, Ohio| date = 9 September 1989 | page=4-C |author=Robert Finn}}{{cite news|title= Discordant Notes Still Echo at WRA |newspaper= The Plain Dealer| location= Cleveland, Ohio| date = 25 January 1990 | page=5-E| author= Margaret Bernstein}}
In 1990, Appling was appointed Director of Choral Activities at Vassar College, a position he held until 1996, where he directed the Vassar College Choir and Vassar College Madrigal Singers in many performances.{{cite web|url= https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany19900907-01.2.6&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%22Fergusson+Addresses+Free+Speech+At+Convocation%22------- |title=Fergusson Addresses Free Speech At Convocation |publisher= The Miscellany News |author=Joanna R. Pearlstein |date=7 September 1990 |page=2 |access-date=2021-09-03}}{{cite web|url= https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany19941209-01.2.8&srpos=3&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-College+Choir+and+Madrigal+Singers+to+Perform------- |title=College Choir and Madrigal Singers to Perform |publisher= The Miscellany News|date=9 December 1994 |page=2 |access-date=2021-09-04}} Under Appling's leadership, the Madrigal Singers also performed away from the school's campus in concerts in New York City, at the 1991 Four Freedoms Medal awards ceremony in Hyde Park, New York, and other locations.{{cite web|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84672086/vassar-college-madrigal-singers-at/ |title=The Vassar College Madrigal Singers |publisher=Poughkeepsie Journal |date=31 January 1992 |page=6C |access-date=2021-09-04}}{{cite news | last = Faber| first = Harold| title =Marshall and 4 Others Get Freedoms Medals | newspaper = New York Times| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =October 13, 1991 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/13/nyregion/marshall-and-4-others-get-freedoms-medals.html | access-date =September 3, 2021 }} In 1996, Appling organized a panel discussion entitled Mutiny on the Amistad: The Art of Retelling. Panelists included the prominent African American composers Hale Smith and Anthony Davis and concerts including works by both composers were presented.{{cite web|url= https://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/?a=d&d=miscellany19960216-01.2.7&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%22Black+History+Month+Panel+Discussion+To+be+held%22------- |title=Black History Month Panel Discussion To Be Held |author=Stephanie Bosco |publisher= The Miscellany News |date=16 February 1996 |page=2 |access-date=2021-09-03}}
Recordings
= As conductor =
Under Appling's direction, the Glenville High School Choral Club released a self-titled LP in 1962 on the Delta Records of Ohio
label. The album included a wide variety of classical choral works as well as three traditional spirituals arranged by Appling.{{cite web|url= https://www.discogs.com/Glenville-High-School-Choral-Club-William-Appling-Glenville-High-School-Choral-Club/release/11316832 |title=Glenville High School Choral Club, William Appling |publisher=Delta Records of Ohio |date= |access-date=2021-08-23}}
In 1969, the Case Men's Glee Club under Appling's direction released an LP, Cantate Domino, through Recording Studios Inc. The album included a wide variety works including compositions by Hans Leo Hassler, Vincent Persichetti, and Appling's own arrangements of four Negro spirituals.{{cite web|url= https://digital.case.edu/islandora/object/ksl%3Akuldigmed00002 |title=Cantate Domino The Case Men's Glee Club, William Apping, Director |publisher=Case Western Reserve University|date= |access-date=2021-08-23}}
In 1970, Appling conducted The University Circle Singers in Donald Erb's Kyrie for chorus, percussion and electronic tape, on a recording of contemporary American music, Metamorphosis, released on the Ars Nova Ars Antiqua label.{{cite web|url= https://www.discogs.com/Erb-Rochberg-Stalvey-Metamorphosis/release/2823407 |title=Metamorphosis |publisher=Ars Nova Ars Antiqua Recordings |date=1970 |access-date=2021-08-23}}
William Appling Singers & Orchestra released a number of recordings including Wake Ev'ry Breath,{{cite web |title=WASO - William Billings: Wake Evr'y Breath |url=https://www.newworldrecords.org/products/william-billings-wake-evry-breath?_pos=1&_sid=9c1caf6cc&_ss=r |website=New World Records}} a CD on New World Records of music by William Billings;{{cite journal |author=Wilfrid Mellers |title=Reviewed Work: Wake Every Breath by William Billings, William Appling Singers & Orchestra, William Appling |journal=The Musical Times |volume=139 |issue=1863 |pages=71–72 |date=Summer 1998 |jstor=1004212}}{{cite web|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84008165/william-appling-singers-orchestra/ |title=Get in the spirit of American Music |publisher=San Francisco Examiner |date=3 July 1998 |page=41 |author=Allan Ulrich |access-date=2021-09-01}}{{cite news | last = Miller | first =Sarah Bryan | title =Classical Briefs - Billings: Hymn Tunes and Patriotic Songs | newspaper =New York Times | location = | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =May 24, 1998 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/24/arts/classical-briefs-051950.html | access-date =September 3, 2021}}
Stresses in the Peaceable Kingdom, choral music of Richard Wilson;{{cite web |title=Richard Wilson - Stresses in the Peaceable Kingdom |url= https://www.albanyrecords.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TROY333&Store_Code=AR&search=richard+wilson&offset=&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high= |website=Albany Records}} Shall We Gather,{{cite web |title=William Appling Singers - Shall We Gather: American Hymns & Spirituals|url=https://www.albanyrecords.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TROY476&Store_Code=AR&search=shall+we+gather&offset=&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high= |website=Albany Records}}{{cite news|title= CDs Classical: Shall We Gather |author= Sarah Bryan Miller |newspaper= St. Louis Post-Dispatch| location = St. Louis, Missouri| date = 6 January 2002 |page=70| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85159425/cds-classical-shall-we-gather/}} a recording of American hymns and spirituals; and The Revenge of Hamish,{{cite web |title=William McClelland - The Revenge of Hamish |url=https://www.albanyrecords.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TROY614&Store_Code=AR&search=mcclelland&offset=&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high= |website=Albany Records}}{{cite web |title=William McClelland: The Revenge of Hamish |url= https://cvnc.org/article.cfm?articleId=2676 |website=CVNC.org |author= William Thomas Walker |date=8 September 2006 |access-date=2021-09-01}} choral music of William McClelland, all on Albany Records.
= As pianist =
Appling collaborated with soprano A. Grace Lee Mims on Spirituals, an album of Negro spirituals released in 1981 on H&GM Records.{{cite journal |title=Records Received |journal=The Black Perspective in Music |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=224–225 |date=Autumn 1982 |jstor=1214628}}(10 December 1982). 'Here's to a record Christmas' by Chris Colombi, Jr. Page 39. The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio). A number of the selections on the recording were arranged by Appling.{{cite web |title=A. Grace Lee Mims – Spirituals |url=https://www.discogs.com/A-Grace-Lee-Mims-Spirituals/release/7533728 |website=Discogs|date=1981 }}
William Appling Plays Scott Joplin & J.S. Bach, Appling's recording of works by J. S. Bach (the Italian Concerto and the First Partita) and Scott Joplin (seven compositions) was released by Albany Records in 2010.{{cite web |title=William Appling plays Joplin and J. S. Bach |url=https://www.albanyrecords.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TROY1163&Store_Code=AR&search=william+appling&offset=&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high= |website=Albany Records}}
Over a two-year period from 2006 to 2007, Appling recorded all of Scott Joplin's compositions for solo piano, a total of 46 works. Scott Joplin, The Complete Rags, Waltzes & Marches,{{cite web |title=William Appling – Scott Joplin: The Complete Rags, Waltzes & Marches |url=https://www.discogs.com/William-Appling-Scott-Joplin-The-Complete-Rags-Waltzes-Marches/release/10352820 |website=Discogs|date=April 2017 }} a 4-CD set, was released on April 1, 2017, the centenary of Scott Joplin's death. The recordings, produced by WASO, were the first ever "complete Joplin" recorded by an African American pianist and received widespread notice.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/scott-joplinthe-complete-rags-waltzes-marches-mw0003038831 |title=Review of William Appling "Scott Joplin: The Complete Rags, Waltzes & Marches" |publisher=allmusic.com |date= |access-date=2021-08-20}}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/hail-the-king-of-ragtime-1490734373 |title="Hail the King of Ragtime" |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |publisher=wsj.com |date= 28 March 2017|access-date=2021-08-20 |last1=Isacoff |first1=Stuart }}{{cite web|url= https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-hollywood-ending-to-william-applings-scott-joplin_b_58ddc0b0e4b0efcf4c66a775 |title="A Hollywood Ending to William Appling's Scott Joplin Quest" |publisher=huffpost.com |date= 31 March 2017|access-date=2021-08-19}}{{cite web|url= https://www.tpr.org/arts-culture/2017-06-20/william-applings-final-recordings-a-more-authentic-rag |title="William Appling's Final Recordings: A More Authentic Rag" |publisher=tpr.org |date= 20 June 2017|access-date=2021-08-19}}{{cite web|url= https://www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/william-appling-discovered-the-genius-of-scott-joplin/article_38690cc2-13ab-580f-b56d-148ee9bd48bd.html |title="William Appling Discovered the Genius of Scott Joplin" |publisher=phillytrib.com |date= 14 April 2017|access-date=2021-08-19}}{{cite news |last=Bemiss |first=Faith |date=2017-12-13 |title=William Appling CD highlights works of Scott Joplin |url=https://www.sedaliademocrat.com/stories/william-appling-cd-highlights-works-of-scott-joplin,13238? |work=Sedalia Democrat |access-date=2021-08-22}} In 2019, Appling's recording of Joplin's composition "Solace (A Mexican Serenade)" was featured by The New York Times in "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love he Piano." Times classical music reporter Michael Cooper wrote that, "With its aching harmonies and seamless blend of Latin rhythms, ragtime, Romantic flourish and ineffable nostalgia, this is one of those rare pieces whose emotional impact can withstand familiarity; it gets me every time."{{cite news|title= 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love the Piano |author= Michael Cooper |newspaper= The New York Times | location = New York, New York| date = 19 April 2019 | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/arts/music/classical-music-piano.html | access-date=2021-09-29 }} Appling's recording of Joplin's famous The Entertainer is featured at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee in its exhibition, "Rivers of Rhythm Pathways - The Evolution of African American Music Traditions."{{cite web|url= https://nmaam.org/rivers-of-rhythm-pathways/ |title= Rivers of Rhythm Pathways |publisher=nmaam.org |access-date=2021-09-29}} Appling's recording of Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag is featured in a special video by the Morgan Library & Museum regarding the original publishing contract for the composition, signed by Joplin himself in 1899 and now in the Morgan's archives.{{cite web|url= https://www.themorgan.org/videos/collection-focus-scott-joplins-maple-leaf-rag |title="Collection in Focus: Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag" |date=30 July 2021 |publisher=www.themorgan.org |access-date=2021-09-29}}
Awards and honors
Over his career, Appling received a number of awards including First Prize in Piano from the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) in 1954.{{cite web|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84486649/william-appling-wins-first-place-in/ |title=Ohioans Win Top Music Awards |publisher=New York Age |date=28 August 1954 |page=5 |access-date=2021-08-31}} He also won a scholarship in 1947 (at age fourteen) from the NANM for one year's study with Edwin Arthur Kraft.{{cite news|title= Musicians Award Scholarship, Oct. 6 |newspaper= Call and Post| location = Cleveland, Ohio| date = October 4, 1947 | page=11| url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-oct-04-1947-2668816/}}
In 1965, Appling was awarded the first Kulas Foundation Fellowship Award for Choral Conducting with the Cleveland Orchestra during the tenures of George Szell and Robert Shaw.{{cite web|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84471125/william-appling-receives-first-kulas/ |title=Kulas Fellow in Choral Conducting |author=Oscar Smith |publisher=Akron Beacon Journal |date=16 November 1965 |page=86 |access-date=2021-08-31}}
In November, 1998, Appling was inducted into the Glenville Hall of Fame in Glenville, Cleveland as an "Arts-Legacy" in a ceremony taking place at the Western Reserve Historical Society.(29 November 1998). 'Glenville Honors Its Own' p. 156, by Nancy Depke The Plain Dealer. (Cleveland, Ohio).
Shortly after William Appling's death in 2008, the Board of William Appling Singers & Orchestra along with Appling's former students, friends and colleagues began planning an event in his honor which would feature musical performances and spoken tributes and remembrances. Celebrating William Appling was held at the Riverside Church in New York City on June 21, 2009.{{cite news|title= Celebrating William Appling |newspaper= The Record | location = Hackensack, NJ | date = 21 June 2009 | page=F2 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84896363/celebrating-william-appling-riverside/}} A second event, A Tribute to William Appling: The Celebration Continues! was held on June 29, 2013, at the Church of the Holy Apostles in New York City.
In the spring of 2012, Western Reserve Academy presented the first William T. Appling Memorial Concert honoring Appling's enormous contribution to the school and to music, and since then the concert has been an annual event at the academy.{{cite web|url= https://www.mytownneo.com/article/20140720/news/307209716 |title=Western Reserve Academy presents the annual William T. Appling Memorial Concert |publisher=MyTownNEO |date=20 July 2014 |access-date=2021-09-04}}{{cite web|url= http://www.wra.net/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2779 |title=Fourth Annual William T. Appling Memorial Concert is May 3 |publisher=wra.net |date=24 April 2015 |access-date=2021-09-04}}{{cite web|url= https://issuu.com/reserve/docs/wra_magazine_summer_2018 |title=Along Brick Row - William T. Appling Memorial Concert, April 28, 2018 |publisher=WRA Magazine |date=29 August 2018 |page=7 |access-date=2021-09-04}}{{cite web|url= https://www.summitcountycalendar.com/event/Appling-Memorial-Concert-Sunrise-Mass |title=Appling Memorial Concert |publisher=SummitCountyCalendar.com |date=7 April 2019 |access-date=2021-09-04}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://williamappling.org William Appling Singers & Orchestra website]
- [https://www.wra.net/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=625 Reserve Mourns the Loss of a Musician, Educator & Mentor]
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Category:American music educators
Category:American male conductors (music)
Category:African-American conductors (music)
Category:African-American pianists
Category:African-American music educators
Category:American music arrangers
Category:American choral conductors
Category:Musicians from Cleveland
Category:Vassar College faculty
Category:Case Western Reserve University faculty
Category:Cleveland Institute of Music faculty