Celius Dougherty

Celius Dougherty
Born	Glenwood
Nationality	United States of America
Instruments	piano

Celius Hudson Dougherty
Born	(1902-05-27)May 27, 1902 Glenwood, Minnesota
Died	December 22, 1986(1986-12-22) (aged 84) Effort, Pennsylvania
Genres	Folk
Occupation(s)	Composer, Pianist
Instrument(s)	Piano

Celius Hudson Dougherty (May 27, 1902 – December 22, 1986) was an American pianist and composer of art songs and other music.

Biography

Celius Hudson Dougherty was born to William Francis Dougherty and Louise Martha Dougherty in Glenwood, Minnesota. Celius was interested in music and poetry from childhood. He claimed that he wrote his first song when he was seven years old. He was part of a musical family, and his mother, a music teacher and church musician, organized her seven children into a band. Celius performed as accompanist for one of his mother's song recitals at age ten. where he studied piano with Donald Ferguson and composition. As an undergraduate, he performed his own piano concerto with the school orchestra.

He toured as an accompanist to several important singers, such as Maggie Teyte, Eva Gauthier, Povla Frijsh, Jennie Tourel, Marian Anderson, and Alexander Kipnis. These performers often included Dougherty's songs on their programs.

Beginning in 1939, he also toured with Vincenz Ruzicka in duo-piano recitals. During the next 16 years, they gave the first performances of duets by Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Paul Hindemith, Darius Milhaud, and others. They performed with the Vienna Symphony in 1955. A documentary on the duo was filmed in 1981.

Dougherty retired to Effort, Pennsylvania, and died there in December 1986.

Music

Dougherty composed one opera, about 200 songs, and a few instrumental works. Since their creation, his songs have been considered excellent for student singers and are often heard on American recital programs.

The songs were composed over a 40-year period, from the 1920s to the 1960s. They are simple, "generally optimistic, often humorous", and "rendered with taste and skill." Because he was a pianist-composer, the piano accompaniments to his songs are usually well-crafted and interesting.

Musical Compositions

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (1980). The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary (Fourth ed.). New York, New York: ASCAP. p. 132.

• Baker, Theodore (2001), "Dougherty, Celius (Hudson)", in Slonimsky, Nicolas and Laura Kuhn (ed.), Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Centennial Edition, vol. 2, New York: Schirmer Books, p. 925, ISBN 0-02-865527-3.
• Crutchfield, Will (December 23, 1986). "Celius Dougherty, Composer and Accompanist to Singers". The New York Times. New York, New York. p. B6. Dougherty, Celius (2004). Thirty Art Songs in original keys. New York, New York: G. Schirmer. ISBN 0-634-06970-5.
• Villamil, Victoria Etnier (1993), A Singer's Guide to American Art Song (paperback ed.), Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., pp. 137–139, ISBN 0-8108-5217-9

External links

• http://www.celiusdougherty.org official web site for Celius Dougherty