Roy Harris was born on February 12, 1898, in Chandler, Oklahoma, with a rich tapestry of Scottish, Irish, and Welsh ancestry woven into his background. At just five years old, his family packed up and moved to sunny Covina in California, thanks to a combination of a lucky gambling streak and the sale of their homestead. Growing up on a farm, Roy had a unique, rural upbringing that ignited his creativity.
Musical sparks flew early for Roy, who learned piano from his mother and later picked up the clarinet. Although he took some classes at the University of California, Berkeley, he was largely a self-taught composer. In the early 1920s, he honed his skills under the tutelage of notable figures like Arthur Bliss and Arthur Farwell, while also working as a truck driver and dairy delivery man to make ends meet.
The journey took a thrilling turn when Roy ventured to Paris from 1926 to 1929, largely thanks to the endorsement of Aaron Copland. In the city of lights, he studied with the legendary Nadia Boulanger. While he didn't quite fit into her neoclassical mold, he delved into Renaissance music and created his first major work: the Concerto for Piano, Clarinet, and String Quartet.
A serious back injury brought him back to the U.S., where he formed crucial connections with influential figures like Howard Hanson and Serge Koussevitsky. Koussevitsky premiered Harris’s Symphony '1933' in 1934, marking a historic moment as the first American symphony to be commercially recorded. That wasn’t all—his music even made waves at the 1936 Summer Olympics!
But it was his Symphony No. 3, first performed in 1939, that catapulted him to fame, making him a household name in American music.
Throughout the 1930s, Harris taught at several prestigious institutions, including Mills College and the Juilliard School, and he kept moving through teaching roles at various colleges across the country. He eventually settled in California, teaching at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles. Notable students included William Schuman and Florence Price, and his influence spread far and wide.
In 1936, Harris tied the knot with pianist Johana Harris (originally Beula Duffey), who would go on to become a star in her own right. Their partnership was a force in the American music scene, reminiscent of the collaboration between Robert and Clara Schumann. Together, they championed American folksongs and even founded the International String Congress. Their family grew to include five children, two of whom played in the psychedelic rock band, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band.
Harris’s impact didn’t stop at composition. He co-founded the Music Academy of the West in 1947, aiming to nurture the next generation of musicians. A true champion of the arts, he was dedicated to bolstering the presence of string players in the U.S. and was appointed as a cultural ambassador by the U.S. State Department on a trip to the Soviet Union in 1958.
Though his last symphony faced criticism for tackling themes of slavery and the Civil War during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, Harris's earlier works exuded a rugged American patriotism, often drawing inspiration from folk music. In fact, the first movement of his American Ballads utilized the old cowboy tune 'Streets of Laredo.'
With a catalog boasting over 170 works—including symphonies, chamber and piano music—Harris left an indelible mark on American music. Roy Harris’s journey through the world of music was anything but ordinary, filled with creativity, collaboration, and a profound love for the art form. His legacy continues to inspire composers and musicians today. Harris died October 1, 1979, in Santa Monica, California.
Selected Performances
Streets of Laredo (from American Ballads) - Composed in 1946, "Streets of Laredo" is part of his larger work titled American Ballads, which reflects his interest in American folk themes and idioms. The piece draws inspiration from the traditional American cowboy ballad of the same name, which tells the story of a dying cowboy's reflections on life and death. Harris's composition captures the essence of American folk music while incorporating his own modern classical style. The piece often features rich harmonies and rhythmic elements that evoke the landscape and spirit of the American West. Through its lyrical lines and expressive melodies, Harris aims to connect listeners with the emotional depth of the original ballad.
Locating The Music
Most of Harris's piano works, including his American Ballads, are available on Amazon.
Compositions for Piano
Sonata Op. 1 (128)
Little Suite for Piano (1938)
Suite for Piano (1944)
American Ballads (1946)
Toccata (1949)
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