Buck, Dudley
Buck, Dudley
Buck, Dudley, American organist, pedagogue, and composer; b. Hartford, Conn., March 10, 1839; d. West Orange, N.J., Oct. 6, 1909. He began piano lessons at age 16. After attending Trinity Coll. in Hartford (1855–57), he pursued studies at the Leipzig Cons, with Plaidy and Moscheles (piano), Schneider (organ), Hauptmann (composition), and Rietz (instrumentation). Returning to Hartford in 1862, he was active as a church organist and music teacher. After a Chicago sojourn (1869–71), he went to Boston as organist of the Music Hall and as a teacher at the New England Cons, of Music. In 1875 he became asst. conductor of the Theodore Thomas Orch. in N.Y He subsequently served as organist and choirmaster at the Holy Trinity Church, and as music director of Brooklyn’s Apollo Club until 1903. In 1898 he was elected to membership in the National Inst. of Arts and Letters. He publ. Illustrations in Choir Accompaniment with Hints in Registration (N.Y., 1877) and The Influence of the Organ in History (London, 1882). In his day, he was particularly successful as a composer of sacred music, organ pieces, and secular cantatas.
Works
DRAMATIC: Deseret, or A Saint’s Affliction, comic opera (N.Y., Oct. 11, 1880); Serapis, opera (1889). orch.:In Springtime, sym. (not extant); Romanza for 4 Horns and Orch. (c. 1875); Marmion, overture (1878); Festival Overture on...The Star-Spangled Banner (c. 1879); Canzonetta et bolera for Violin and Orch. (1887; also for Violin and Piano). chamber:Concert Variations on The Last Rose of Summer for String Quintet (1875); Romanza and Scherzo for 6 Instruments (1883); 3 Fantasias for Clarinet and Piano. organ:Grand Sonata (1866); Concert Variations on The Star-Spangled Banner (1868); Impromptupastorale (1868); At Evening (1871); Variations on a Scotch Air (1871); Sonata No. 2 (1877); Variations on The Last Rose of Summer (1877); Variations on Old Folks at Home (1888). vocal: sacred :The 4:6th Psalmfor Solo Voices, Chorus, and Orch. (1872); 4 cantatas: The Story of the Cross (1892), The Triumph of David (1892), The Coming of the King (1895), and Christ, the Victor (1896); 55 anthems; choruses; etc. secular:Numerous cantatas, including The Legend of Don Munio (1874), The Centennial Meditation of Columbia (1876), Scenes from The Golden Legend (1879), The Voyage of Columbus (1885), and The Light of Asia (1886); various choruses; songs.
Bibliography
D. B.: A Complete Bibliography (N.Y., 1910); W. Gallo, The Life and Church Music of D. B.(diss., Catholic Univ. of America, 1968).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire