Samuel Sanford Explained

Samuel Simons Sanford (15 March 1849^[1] 6 January 1910) was an American pianist and educator.

Early life

He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Education

He studied piano in New York with William Mason (son of Lowell Mason and student of Franz Liszt and Ignaz Moscheles). He went to Paris and studied with Alfred Jaëll, Louis Plaidy (teacher of Hans von Bülow and many others), Théodore Ritter (another student of Liszt), and Édouard Batiste. In 1869, he became acquainted with Anton Rubinstein, and later studied with him.

Career

He travelled with Rubinstein during his first American tour in 1872–73. Ignacy Jan Paderewski changed his execution of octave playing after hearing Sanford play, and once described Sanford as the most musically gifted person he ever knew.

Sanford brought Sir Edward Elgar's music to American attention through the brothers Walter and Frank Damrosch and Theodore Thomas. He was instrumental in having Elgar awarded an honorary doctorate in music from Yale University in 1905; at the conferral ceremony on 28 June, Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 was played, instituting the tradition of playing noble processional music at graduation ceremonies. Later that year, Elgar returned the compliment by dedicating his Introduction and Allegro to Sanford.^[2]

Sanford joined the Yale Music Faculty as Professor of Applied Music in 1894, along with Horatio Parker as Professor of Theory.^{[3] [4]} During the sixteen years he worked at Yale, he refused to be paid any salary as he was independently wealthy.

He died at home on 6 January 1910 after a long illness.^[5]

Sanford Medal

In 1972 Yale University instituted the Samuel Simons Sanford Medal (usually referred to as the Sanford Medal), to honour celebrated concert artists and distinguished members of the music profession. Recipients have included:

• 1972: Eugene Ormandy^[6]
• 1975: Doriot Anthony Dwyer^[7]
• 1983: Louis Krasner^[8]
• 1983: Maureen Forrester^{[9] [10]}
• 1991: Richard F. French^{[11] [12]}
• 1997: Dorothy DeLay^[13]
• 1999: Keith Wilson
• 2000: H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand^[14]
• 2002: Lili Chookasian^[15]
• 2003: Andrew Litton^[16]
• 2005: Robert Blocker^[17]
• 2005: Richard Stoltzman^[18]
• 2010: Vivian Perlis^[19]
• 2012: Joseph W. Polisi^[20]
• 2013: Willie Ruff^[21]
• 2013: Peter Gelb^[22]
• 2015: Klaus Heymann^[23]
• 2015: Yo-Yo Ma^[24]
• Emanuel Ax,^[25] Pierre Boulez,^[25] Alfred Brendel, Aaron Copland,^[25] Richard Goode, Marilyn Horne,^[25] Sherrill Milnes,^[25] Mstislav Rostropovich,^[25] Robert Shaw,^[26] Sir Georg Solti,^[25] Isaac Stern, Randall Thompson, and Virgil Thomson.^[25]

Sources

• World-Renowned Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman was Presented Prestigious Sanford Medal by Yale School of Music on Thursday, September 1, 2005

Notes and References

1. Web site: Samuel Simons Sanford . ancestry.com . Ancestry . 24 February 2014.
2. Web site: Elgar's English Twilight, an Idyll, or Dream Interludes of a Knightly Character: Esoteric strands in a Nationalist composer with some new light on the text of the Nazarene Oratorios . https://web.archive.org/web/20090111065452/http://www.btinternet.com/~j.b.w/elg2.htm . 11 January 2009 . James Beswick . Whitehead . 2 July 2001.
3. Web site: History of the Yale School of Music . Yale University . https://web.archive.org/web/20080107032603/http://www.yale.edu/music/about/atshistoryr.html . 7 January 2008.
4. Web site: History . Yale School of Music, Yale University . 27 February 2015.
5. News: S. S. Sanford Dead: Yale Professor of Music Succumbs to Long Illness . New York Tribune . 7 January 1910 . 7.
6. Web site: Eugene Ormandy papers . University of Pennsylvania . 13 September 2018.
7. Web site: Doriot Anthony Dwyer: Flute Faculty . The Boston Conservatory . 2013-03-04.
8. Web site: Krasner, Louis, 1903–1995. Louis Krasner papers, 1917–1995: Guide . OASIS: Online Archival Search Information System . . 11 February 2015.
9. Book: The International Who's Who of Women 2002 . Elizabeth . Sleeman . Psychology Press . 2001 . 1857431227.
10. Book: Canadian Who's Who 2003 . Elizabeth . Lumley . University of Toronto Press . 2003. 9780802088659 .
11. Richard French, musicologist who supported music libraries . Yale Bulletin & Calendar . June 15, 2001 . 29 . 32 . Yale University . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090418111837/http://www.yale.edu/opa/arc-ybc/v29.n32/story20.html . April 18, 2009 .
12. Richard F. French, Musicologist: 1915–2001 . Harvard University Department of Music . Newsletter . Summer 2001 . 1 . 2 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100706212420/http://music.fas.harvard.edu/newsletteraug01.html . 2010-07-06 .
13. Web site: Transitions: Dorothy DeLay, beloved violin teacher . FanFaire webzine . FanFaire LLC .
14. Dean honors music-loving Thai king . Yale Bulletin & Calendar . February 25, 2000 . 28 . 22 . Yale University . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120529063549/http://www.yale.edu/opa/arc-ybc/v28.n22/story3.html . May 29, 2012 .
15. School of Music, 2002–2003 . Bulletin of Yale University . 98 . 4 . July 20, 2002 . Yale University . 61.
16. Litton to be awarded Sanford Medal during Walton Centenary Celebration . October 11, 2003 . AndrewLitton.com.
17. Web site: Robert Blocker, Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music & Professor of Piano . Yale School of Management, Yale University . February 27, 2015.
18. Web site: Leading clarinetist to receive Sanford Medal: Richard Stoltzman will receive the award at a ceremony on September 1 . 31 August 2005 . TourDates.Co.UK . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120729125854/http://www.tourdates.co.uk/news/6384-leading-clarinetist-to-receive-sanford-medal . 29 July 2012 .
19. Web site: VIVIAN PERLIS . February 3, 2010 . Oral History of American Music (OHAM) . Yale University . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905100737/http://web.library.yale.edu/oham/staff . September 5, 2015 .
20. Web site: 21 May 2012 . Joseph Polisi '80DMA awarded Sanford Medal . Yale School of Music . New Haven . Yale University . 11 May 2018.
21. Web site: Willie Ruff receives Sanford Medal . May 24, 2013 . Yale School of Music, Yale University.
22. Web site: 12 September 2013 . Peter Gelb receives Sanford Medal at Convocation . Yale School of Music . New Haven . Yale University . 11 July 2018.
23. 26 May 2015 . Naxos Founder Klaus Heymann Wins Sanford Medal . ClassicsToday.com . Classics Today . 11 July 2018.
24. Web site: 16 January 2015 . Yo-Yo Ma performs at Yale, awarded Sanford Medal . Yale School of Music . New Haven . Yale University . 11 May 2018.
25. Web site: Tokyo Quartet, Peter Oundjian receive Sanford Medals . January 23, 2013 . Yale School of Music, Yale University . Previous recipients of the Sanford Medal include Georg Solti, Pierre Boulez, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sherrill Milnes, Marilyn Horne, Emanuel Ax, and Richard Stoltzman..
26. News: Passing of a musical giant: Robert Shaw's genius created place for Atlanta on world stage . Wendell . Brock . January 26, 1999 . Atlanta Journal and Constitution.