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William Henry Presser was
born April 19, 1916 in Saginaw, MI to parents who discouraged him from
pursuing the career he loved. His mother, Alma Presser, hoped he
would work in a grocery store or perhaps become a trumpet virtuoso. His
father, Charles Presser, was a saw blade manufacturer. Charles had
some musical ability, as he played guitar by ear. However, in young
William’s background, the strongest vein of musical talent came from
his great-uncle the music publisher, Theodore Presser. Unfortunately,
Theodore Presser died when William was 9, and they never had the
opportunity to meet. William Presser’s
earliest exposure to his favorite instrument came when a salesman sold
the family a violin and lessons. His mother preferred the trumpet and
was disappointed that her son insisted on the violin. The few
rudimentary lessons did not last long. William did not receive serious
violin lessons until high school when he was able to earn money and
pay for them himself. After finishing Saginaw
public schools, he attended Saginaw Freshman College, then finished
his Bachelor of Arts in 1938 at
Alma College, Michigan. Next he went to the University of Michigan.
There he began studying composition and conducting while majoring in
violin under a Russian instructor. He studied under conductors Thor
Johnson, Herman Genhart, Guy Fraser Harrison, and Pierre Monteux.
Percival Price taught him composition. He graduated in 1940 with a
Master of Music in violin. He taught briefly at
Buena Vista College in Iowa then entered Eastman School of Music in
the summer of 1942. His studies were interrupted when he was drafted
into the Army in 1943 where he served in the Military Police. After his brief military
career, he returned to Eastman and also began playing with the
Rochester Philharmonic. During his two-year tenure at the
Philharmonic, he played 2nd Violin and Viola. There were many guest
conductors including Fritz Reiner, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Sir Thomas
Beecham, Artur Rodzinski, André Kostelanetz, Leonard Bernstein, and
Igor Stravinsky. In 1947, William Presser graduated with a Ph.D. in
Theory. He resumed his teaching
career at Florida State College for Women where he taught violin and
conducted the orchestra. There he met Vera Geraldine Farnsworth, a
music education major and bassoonist. Dr. Presser moved on to Florence
State Teacher’s College (now North Alabama University), but
corresponded with his former student. They were married December 25,
1950. After briefly serving as
head of the music department of West Texas University, William Presser
and his wife moved to San Francisco where he taught in a small school
and worked as a free-lance violist. In 1953 he entered the
faculty of Mississippi Southern College (now the University of
Southern Mississippi.) He taught music theory and orchestration until
his retirement in 1981. In addition, he conducted the university
orchestra for seven years of his tenure at USM. William Presser’s long
career also included being resident composer at Appalachian State
University, and guest composer at Indiana University, Winona State
University, and Tufts University. He taught at the National Music Camp
in Interlochen, Michigan where he, his wife, and their two children
had a summer home. Presser began composing
in 1939 while at the University of Michigan. As well as by Percival
Price, he was mentored by Gardner Read, Bernard Rogers, Burrill
Phillips, and Roy Harris. He was most influenced by the musical style
of Harris, including his ideas of resonance, dissonance, and harmonic
series. Of the numerous awards
and grants he received, there were eleven first place awards in
unrestricted national contests for composition. He received annual
awards every year beginning in 1966 from ASCAP for his contributions
to serious music. He had
130 published works, mostly for the instrumental medium. His
chamber music for
winds and brass are staples of the repertoire,
appearing on many contest lists and college recitals. To promote American
composers, William Presser founded Tritone Press & Tenuto Publications
in 1961. During his 41-year tenure he built a catalog
of over 350 works by more than 50 American composers. William
Henry Presser died at the age of 88 in August 2004. He said before his
death, “I really think I’ve written all I’m supposed to.” Many thanks to the
composer's daughter Susan Presser Galligan for preparing this bio, and
to Dr. Kimberly Davis for permission to use extracts of her
dissertation. |
Last updated January 29, 2005.
