" This is one of the most vibrant times for the
Field of music, with more composers and
More genres than any other time in history. With
the access and flexibility of the Internet,
And modern social concepts, any genre, style,
or nationality of music is welcomed.” - Daniel Farrell
Since that unforgettable moment, Watkins
has performed the work a dozen times, for
varied audiences, including March 19, 2017,
in JU’s Terry Concert Hall; May 23, 2017, at the
San Jose Woman’s Club; and twice on May
4, 2018, in Wahoo. Those concerts were held
in downtown Wahoo and in the birthplace of
Howard Hanson on the composer’s own piano
in Saunders County. The Numbers Behind the Major
A discovery like the lost Hanson composition
begs the question: are universities producing
musicians like Hanson today? According
to the last U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
count, nearly 75,000 people across the nation
are employed as composers and/or music
directors. Florida is among a handful of states
with higher concentrations of such jobs.
Area newspapers in Saunders reported
that, though the majority of Wahoo residents
did not realize how well-respected and
admired the composer continues to be
nearly 40 years after his death, there is now
a growing awareness. Watkins will perform
the piece at the University of Nebraska
this fall, plans for a Howard Hanson music
festival in Nebraska are underway, a 100th
anniversary New York premiere has been
slated for October 2019, and the once-lost
composition has since been published by
Carl Fischer Music. Watkins' name appears
on the sheet music as editor. Inside the industry, there are standouts, those
listed as the hottest young composers in the
U.S. right now—Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly,
Mason Bates, Judd Greenstein, Gabriel
Kahane. The question in higher education
circles then becomes: will students continue
to pursue degrees in this niche within the
music world? Are universities doing enough
to inspire and engage another generation of
great composers?
The remaining challenge is how to capture
a true portrait of the 19-year old professor/
composer/pianist/theorist who would later
create seven orchestral works, including his
Pulitzer Prize-winning Symphony No. 4 Op.
34, Requiem, as well as numerous choral,
band, chamber, and solo piano pieces, and
even an opera. Merry Mount (1934), widely
considered the first thoroughly American
opera, was set in, composed by, based on a
story by, and performed by Americans.
“Nobody really comprehends what he did
before Eastman. While at Eastman, every
time Hanson stepped out for lunch, it was
documented. Where he went, what time he left,
with whom he went, what time he returned—all
recorded. But before that, very little is known.
I'm trying to establish the formation of Howard
Hanson,” said Dr. Scott Watkins
“It's virtually unheard of for a university
of our size to have a vibrant fine arts and
composition program,” Watkins says.
“Student-centric concerts are one of
the diamonds in our crown. Each year a
student receives the Delius Award and is
commissioned to compose something that
will be rehearsed and performed by our
symphony orchestra.”
Recent JU alumnus and winner of the
prestigious Delius Award, Daniel Farrell ‘18,
was a critical part of the Hanson discovery
and publication process. Watkins says,
“Daniel and I went over it a few times and
he made a digital version ready for print.”
Meanwhile, Watkins approached the Eastman
School of Music in Rochester, seeking
permission to submit for publication.
Farrell earned his Bachelor of Music degree
in Composition and Theory, studying under
Professor of Composition and Music Theory
Dr. Jian Jun He and George ‘Tony’ Steve.
He graduated summa cum laude with
departmental honors and earned the Fred
Noble Award in Scholarship. Farrell’s work
was most recently featured in the Jacksonville
Short Film Festival and his first international
debut occurred during a 10-day Valencia
International Performance Academy and
Festival (VIPA) this past July in Spain.
“Hanson’s romantic and conservative
approach speaks to me. It’s a huge shame
that his solo piano works are not performed
as much as they should be. His impact on
pedagogy is unmatched,” Farrell says, he
is excited to see a resurgence of interest in
the American composer’s work due to the
scholarship of Watkins.
This fall, he begins a Master of Music
Composition and Theory in Film and Media
Scoring program with the New York University
Steinhardt Program, where he will further
explore genre crossing. “No longer is jazz
restricted to jazz, rock restricted to rock,
classical to classical, etc. Contemporary
composition combines all these aspects,
creating new and completely unique
soundscapes.”
Versatility is Key
Composition majors at JU complete
coursework that includes multiple classes
in music theory and performance, as well
as training in choral literature, arranging,
philosophy, conducting, counterpoint,
transposition, film scoring, fugal technique,
world music, and electronic music, to name
only a few.
Watkins says, “When I was a kid, everybody
wanted to be Van Cliburn. That was in
the '60s and '70s.” Cliburn, who achieved
worldwide recognition as a solo pianist by
age 23, Watkins says is a prime example.
But the economics surrounding the music
industry soon shifted, and Watkins says it
was no longer enough to have tremendous
talent in one area.
Continued on next page.
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