Philip Manuel

Philip Manuel (Canton, 1893–Chicago, 6 October 1959) was an American pianist, organist, harpsichordist and music educator.[1] With pianist, organist and harpsichordist Gavin Williamson, he formed a duo in 1922, known as Manuel and Williamson, that helped promote the use of harpsichords as concert instruments.[2] In the spring of 1935, the duo were the first professionals to play Bach's Concerto for Four Harpsichords in the United States on this instrument.[3]

Philip Manuel
Philip Manuel and Gavin Williamson
Born1893 (1893)
Canton, Minnesota, USA
Died1959 (1960) (aged 66)
Chicago, USA
OccupationAmerican pianist, organist,
harpsichordist and music educator

Life and career

Philip Manuel was of Portuguese and British descent.[4] He began the study of music at a military school with piano teachers who traveled from town to town. He attended Grinnell College in Iowa, where he studied in both the academic and music departments.[4] Following his graduation, he traveled to Vienna to study organ, piano and singing, and then to London.[4] After a time teaching at the University of North Dakota, he moved to Chicago.[4] He served overseas during the War.[5]

His was slim, quiet, and scholarly. He wore pince-nez instead of spectacles, and tended to stick out his tongue during crucial moments of a musical programme.

Manuel's first professional association was as a tenor singer to pianist Gavin Williamson (1897–1989).[5] In 1916 at the University of Chicago, the two men discovered a common interest in harpsichord as a concert instrument.[2] In the 1920s, there were fewer than 50 harpsichords in the United States, most located in museums.[6] Manuel and Williamson went to Paris, where they studied for many years with Wanda Landowska and contracted with Pleyel et Cie to produce two instruments for their use.[7] With these instruments, they initiated concert tours of the United States, and also worked as teachers of harpsichord, piano and voice. The two frequently played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and were broadcast on the National Broadcasting Company radio network.[8]

Manuel died in Chicago at age 66. Notable students include Lili Chookasian.[9]

Discography
  • Bach: Concerto in C Major for 3 Harpsichords and Strings / Rameau: Les cyclopes - Manuel and Williamson Harpsichord Ensemble, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1948)
  • Bach Concerto in C Major for 2 Harpsichords and Strings/ Couperin: Musette de Taverny - Manuel and Williamson, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1948)
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References
  1. Thomas Scott, Godfrey Burhrman (1958). American Organist, Volumes 41-42. American Guild of Organists. p. 415.
  2. "Letters, Volumes 41-22". Washington, DC.: Time, Inc. ISSN 0040-781X.
  3. Ohl, J. F. (1935). Letters, Volumes 41-42 (Aug. 1935 ed.). Washington, DC.: Time Inc. ISSN 0040-781X.
  4. Moldenhauer, Hans. Duo-pianism: a dissertation. Chicago Musical College Press. p. 166. OCLC 401031.
  5. Palmer, Larry (1993). Harpsichord in America: A Twentieth-Century Revival. Indiana University Press. p. 74. ISBN 0253208408.
  6. Heise, Kenan (25 April 1989). "Gavin Williamson: Helped save harpsichord". Chicago Trubune. Retrieved 11 July 2014. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. "Letters, Volumes 41-42". Washington, DC.: Time Inc. 1935. ISSN 0040-781X. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. Kipnis, Igor, ed. (2004-08-01). Harpsichord and Clavichord: An Encyclopedia. ISBN 9781135949785. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  9. Macy, Laura Williams (2008). The Grove Book of Opera Singers. Oxford University Press. p. 87. ISBN 0195337654.
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