Wilbur
Held
Wilbur
Held was born August 20, 1914 in the little Chicago suburb
of Des Plaines. Dr. Held’s mother was an accomplished
violinist, and there was always music in his home and his church.
But piano lessons were poorly practiced, and the decision to
get serious about music didn’t happen until after graduation
from high school.
He
enrolled at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago,
studying organ with Frank van Dusen and theory/composition
with John Palmer. After getting serious he did pretty well,
and midway in his studies he became Leo Sowerby’s assistant
at St. James Church–an association that lasted seven years.
He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from
the conservatory.
In
1946 he joined the faculty at the Ohio State University, where
he became Professor of Organ and Church Music and head of the
keyboard department. He remained in this position for over
30 years, and for most of that time was also organist-choirmaster
at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbus, Ohio.
During
his tenure at O.S.U., he earned a Doctor of Sacred Music degree
from Union Theological Seminary in New York and studied the
organ sporadically with Marcel Dupré and Andre Marchal
when they were in this country– and also a term with Vernon
de Tar, and composition with Normand Lockwood and Wallingford
Riegger.
Dr.
Held started composing little pieces for the organ because
he felt there was a lack of teaching material aimed at developing
style and registration, especially for the romantic use of
the instrument. His Nativity Suite, published in 1959,
has sold well over 25,000 copies.
In
1978 he retired to Claremont, California, where he has continued
to be active as clinician, recitalist and composer. His compositions
not only appear in the MorningStar catalog, but also in the
catalogs of Augsburg, Concordia, Hinshaw, Beckenhorst, Sacred
Music Press and Hope.
Choral
music by Wilbur Held
Organ
music by Wilbur Held
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