Richard Donovan

Richard Frank Donovan (1891–1970) was an American composer and organist. He was the Battell Professor of Music Theory at Yale University from 1947 to 1960.

Biography Donovan was born on 29 November 1891 in New Haven, Connecticut. He studied at the Yale School of Music and the Institute of Musical Art, the latter of which he graduated from in 1922. He also studied under Charles-Marie Widor in Paris.

In 1923, Donovan's was employed as a teacher at Smith College. He also taught at the Institute of Musical Art for a period. He joined the faculty of Yale in 1928 and was Battell Professor of Music Theory from 1947 to 1960. He was also acting dean of the school of music between 1940 and 1941.

Donovan died on 22 August 1970 in Middletown, Connecticut.

Works Orchestral Wood-notes (for flute, strings, harp; 1924–5) Smoke and Steel (symphonic poem after Carl Sandburg; 1932) Symphony (for chamber orchestra; 1936) Ricercare (for oboe and strings; 1938) Suite (for oboe and strings; 1944–5) Design for Radio (1945) New England Chronicle (1947) Passacaglia on Vermont Folk Tunes (1949 ) Symphony (1956) Epos (1963)

Chamber Chamber sextet (for wind, piano; 1932) Piano suite (1932) Clarinet sonata (1937) Piano trio, in one movement (1937) Serenade (for oboe, strings trio; 1939) Terzetto (for 2 violins, viola, 1950) Soundings (bassoon, trumpet, percussion; 1953) Woodwind quarter (1953) Piano suite (1953) Music for six (for oboe, clarinet, string quartet; 1957) Fantasia (bassoon; 1960, revised 1961) Piano trio (1963)

Choral How far is it to Bethlehem? (female voices, organ; 1927) Chanson of the Bells of Oseney (female voices, piano; 1930) To all you ladies now at hand (male voices, pian/orchestra; 1932) Fantasy on American Folk Ballads (male voices, piano/orchestra; 1940) Hymn to the Night (female voices; 1947) 4 Songs of Nature (female voices, 1953; Mass (unison voices, organ, 3 trumpets, timpani; 1955) Magnificat (male voices, organ; 1961)