John S. Thompson
John Sylvanus Thompson (8 March 1889 – 1963) was an American pianist, composer, and educator. He was born in Williamstown, Pennsylvania, to James C. Thompson, a merchant in a general store, and his Welsh wife, Emma J. Thompson (née Hall). John had three younger siblings: Alma, born 1895, James Jr., born in 1900, and Frank, born in 1905. Thompson had a promising career as a pianist, performing in many cities in America. In July, 1909, Thompson applied for a passport in preparation for touring Europe as a concert pianist. Once there, however, due to health issues and unrest leading up to World War I, he returned to the United States in April 1914. Thompson moved to Philadelphia to teach piano and met a writer, Loretta Katherine Foy, three years his junior, who was residing with her widowed mother. Thompson and Foy married on 14 August 1916 near his home town. They relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, where Thompson worked as a piano teacher in a music school. There, their son, John Jr., was born in 1918, followed by a second son, Charles Leslie, in 1924. He maintained a long and distinguished career in piano pedagogy. Thompson headed music conservatories in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Kansas City. His piano methods, Modern Course for the Piano, Teaching Little Fingers to Play (the first part of the Modern Course), Adult Piano Course and Easiest Piano Course are published by the Willis Music Company. Thompson died in Tucson, Arizona, after a long illness in 1963. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1889, Died March 1, 1963
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1910 - 1912
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-29 of 29 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | B-10518 | 10-in. | 6/8/1911 | The cuckoo clock | Evan Williams | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | B-11102 | 10-in. | 10/14/1911 | Hark, hark! the lark | Evan Williams | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | B-11105 | 10-in. | 10/14/1911 | Wynken, Blynken and Nod | Evan Williams | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | [Trial 1912-04-29-02] | Not documented | 4/29/1912 | Oh dry those tears | Mrs. Farwell | Female vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Thompson, John S.," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109327.
Thompson, John S.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109327.
"Thompson, John S.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Thompson, John, 1889-1963 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no92014586
Wikidata: John Sylvanus Thompson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q11548997
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/4497686
MusicBrainz: John Sylvanus Thompson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/44bf47a9-f50f-480c-bfb9-a332e342d7fe
ISNI: 0000 0001 0950 2064 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000109502064
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