Broome, (William) Edward

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Broome, (William) Edward

Broome, (William) Edward, English-born Canadian choral conductor, organist, teacher, and composer; b. Manchester, Jan. 3, 1868; d. Toronto, April 28, 1932. He studied in Wales with Roland Rogers (organ and piano, 1876-90) and Jules Riviere (conducting); was awarded a piano diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in London (1884) and was made a Fellow of the Guild of Organists (1889). After settling in Canada, he was awarded the B.Mus. from Trinity Coll., Toronto (1901) and the D.Mus. from the Univ. of Toronto (1908). He served as organist-choirmaster at churches in Brock-ville, Ontario (1893–95), Montreal (1895–1906), Toronto (1906–25), and Calgary (1926–27). From 1907 he taught at the Toronto Cons, of Music. In 1910 he founded the Toronto Oratorio Soc, which he conducted until 1925. He won 8 first prizes in composition in the Welsh Eisteddfods, including one for his dramatic cantata The Siege of Cardiff Castle (1908). Among his other works were the cantata The Hymn of Trust (1910), various other sacred pieces, and songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire