Samuel Sanford

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

Notes

1. "Samuel Simons Sanford". ancestry.com. Ancestry. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
2. Whitehead, James Beswick (2 July 2001). . Archived from the original on 11 January 2009.
3. . Yale University. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008.
4. "History". Yale School of Music, Yale University. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
5. "S. S. Sanford Dead: Yale Professor of Music Succumbs to Long Illness". New York Tribune. 7 January 1910. p. 7.
6. "Naxos Founder Klaus Heymann Wins Sanford Medal". ClassicsToday.com (Press release). Classics Today. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
7. "Eugene Ormandy papers". University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
8. "Doriot Anthony Dwyer: Flute Faculty". The Boston Conservatory. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
9. "Krasner, Louis, 1903–1995. Louis Krasner papers, 1917–1995: Guide". OASIS: Online Archival Search Information System. Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University. 11 February 2015.
10. Sleeman, Elizabeth, ed. (2001). The International Who's Who of Women 2002. Psychology Press. ISBN 1857431227.
11. Lumley, Elizabeth, ed. (2003). Canadian Who's Who 2003. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802088659.
12. . Yale Bulletin & Calendar. Yale University. 29 (32). 15 June 2001. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009.
13. . Newsletter. Harvard University Department of Music. 1 (2). Summer 2001. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010.
14. "Transitions: Dorothy DeLay, beloved violin teacher". FanFaire webzine. FanFaire LLC.
15. . Yale Bulletin & Calendar. Yale University. 28 (22). 25 February 2000. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012.
16. "School of Music, 2002–2003" (PDF). Bulletin of Yale University. 98. Yale University (4): 61. 20 July 2002.
17. "Litton to be awarded Sanford Medal during Walton Centenary Celebration" (Press release). AndrewLitton.com. 11 October 2003.
18. "Robert Blocker, Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music & Professor of Piano". Yale School of Management, Yale University. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
19. . TourDates.Co.UK. 31 August 2005. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012.
20. . Oral History of American Music (OHAM). Yale University. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
21. "Joseph Polisi '80DMA awarded Sanford Medal". Yale School of Music. New Haven: Yale University. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
22. "Willie Ruff receives Sanford Medal". Yale School of Music, Yale University. 24 May 2013.
23. "Peter Gelb receives Sanford Medal at Convocation". Yale School of Music. New Haven: Yale University. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
24. "Yo-Yo Ma performs at Yale, awarded Sanford Medal". Yale School of Music. New Haven: Yale University. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
25. "Tokyo Quartet, Peter Oundjian receive Sanford Medals". Yale School of Music, Yale University. 23 January 2013. 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. Brock, Wendell (26 January 1999). "Passing of a musical giant: Robert Shaw's genius created place for Atlanta on world stage". Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

Sources