Roger Wagner

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the English artist and poet, see Roger Wagner (artist).
Roger Wagner
A man seated at a piano writing musical notation
Wagner in 1964
Background information
Born(1914-01-16)January 16, 1914
Le Puy, France
DiedSeptember 17, 1992(1992-09-17) (aged 78)
Dijon, France

Roger Wagner,

choral musician, administrator and educator. In 1946 he founded the Roger Wagner Chorale, which became one of America's premier vocal ensembles. He also founded the Los Angeles Master Chorale, one of the three original resident companies of the Los Angeles Music Center
, in 1964.

Early life

Wagner was born in

West Hollywood.[2]

Education

Wagner returned to France in 1931 to complete his musical studies, earning his degree from the College of Montmorency while studying with Marcel Dupré. He then served in the French army, during which time, he qualified as a member of the French decathlon team for the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Roger Wagner Chorale

Main article: Roger Wagner Chorale

In 1937, Wagner joined the

madrigal group of twelve of these singers that the soon world-renowned Roger Wagner Chorale
was born in 1946.

In 1964, on completion of the

United States State Department "cultural ambassador" in 1974. Wagner served as the Chorale's Music Director for 22 years until he was named Music Director Laureate.[3]

The Chorale's 1951 recording of

Pope Marcellus Mass" was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4]

Services to education

Roger Wagner also made a significant contribution to education and church music serving 32 years on the faculty of

UCLA where he continued as Professor Emeritus until his death. He was also Distinguished Professor of Choral Music at Pepperdine University.[5] In addition to his renowned choral work at St. Joseph's Church, Wagner served as Music Director at St. Charles Borromeo Church (North Hollywood) from 1942 to 1949, succeeded by his protege, Paul Salamunovich, who also eventually succeed him as conductor of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Wagner founded the Roger Wagner Center for Choral Studies at California State University, Los Angeles.[6]

Awards

Numerous honors and awards were earned by Roger Wagner during his lifetime including a

Archbishop of Naples presented him with the Order of St. Bridgette. The 1990 Western Division American Choral Directors Association Convention in Fresno, California
, was dedicated to Roger Wagner for his outstanding contribution to choral art.

The world's leading conductors and musicians, among them

Serge Koussevitsky, hailed Wagner's incomparable genius in the field of choral music. His vocal arrangements are published by Lawson-Gould and released by Warner Bros.

A large, painted portrait of Wagner hangs in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Roger Wagner also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on the north side of the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard.[7]

Wagner's view

"Following one of our performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, a well-known local critic asked me, "What is this hypnotic power you wield over your singers? And why did you form the Chorale?" The first question is indeed flattering; however, just the opposite is true. Singers hypnotize me, especially when they are good. The second question can best be answered, I think, by telling something about the Chorale. Every Monday evening 200 singers converge on the Chorale studios to do one thing...sing.

They sing choral masterworks, large and small, and find the experience good. School teachers, salesmen, housewives, executives, factory workers, students, professional musicians and others from all walks of life and from distances up to a hundred miles, come with one aim of trying to produce fine choral singing. Each has had some musical training, can read music and loves to sing. To them the Chorale is an ideal, as it is to me, and they dedicate themselves to it with an almost unbelievable devotion. Several have changed or even left jobs that continually interfered with rehearsals. This sort of thing naturally calls for whatever best I have to offer. It would be presumptuous of me to assume that these intelligent people make such sacrifices out of deference to me alone. The main attraction I have stated above. But aside from the quality of the music we perform and unceasing drive toward perfection, we work hard, accomplish a good deal but manage to have a little fun along the way. We have many beliefs in common. We believe music should become a living expression of human emotions and creeds. When we rehearse great works we feel we are truly living through a great experience. We are not concerned with political affiliations or social questions; our interests are purely musical. The Chorale is a heterogeneous mixture of races, colors and creeds whose members lose sight of any differences in a common endeavor. And one thing in which we unanimously concur is the right of self-expression and of the dignity of individuals who make sincere efforts to raise choral art to the highest possible level."

References

  1. ^ "Roger Wagner, 78, Founder and Leader Of 2 Choral Groups", The New York Times, 1992-09-19
  2. ^ "Article on The Fred Bock Music Companies" Archived 2018-11-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  3. ^ Bernheimer, Martin. "At Pavilion: Wagner Bids A Nostalgic 'Farewell'", The Los Angeles Times, 1986-04-21
  4. ^ "The National Recording Registry 2010". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  5. ^ "Roger Wagner Joins Pepperdine", The Los Angeles Times, 1986-07-13
  6. ^ Henken, John. "Roger Wagner at Still Conducts a Musical Life", The Los Angeles Times, 1987-12-09
  7. ^ Faris, Gerald. Article in The Los Angeles Times. 1992-09-18.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roger_Wagner&oldid=1279721424"