Harry Somers
| Harry Somers | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born |
September 11, 1925 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | March 9, 1999 (aged 73) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Harry Stewart Somers, CC (September 11, 1925 – March 9, 1999) was one of the most influential and innovative contemporary Canadian composers of the past century. Possessing a charismatic attitude and rather dashing good-looks, as well as a genuine talent for his art, Somers earned the unofficial title of “Darling of Canadian Composition.” A truly patriotic artist, Somers was engaged in many national projects over the course his lifetime. He was a founding member of the Canadian League of Composers (CLC) and as such, was involved in the formation of other Canadian music organizations, including the Canada Council for the Arts and the Canadian Music Centre. He frequently received commissions from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Somers was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 11, 1925. Unlike most composers, Somers did not become involved in formal musical study at all until he reached his teens in 1939, when he met a doctor and his wife who were both accomplished amateur pianists and they introduced him to classical music. When describing this first encounter years later, Somers started that “A spark was ignited and I became obsessed with music. Almost from that instant I knew music would be my life, for better or for worse.”
The 14-year-old Somers began his intensive study of piano almost immediately after this first exposure under the tutelage of Dorothy Hornfelt, the neighbourhood piano teacher. After two short years of study with her, he was able to pass the grade VIII examination of the Toronto Conservatory.
In 1942, Somers began studying under Reginald Godden at the conservatory, whom he stayed with until 1943. It was Godden who recognized Somers' talent for composition and directed him to pursue formal studies under John Weinzweig. Weinzweig’s avant garde methods of compositions were well-suited to Somers’ budding innovative style. It was Weinzweig who set up a program of traditional harmony study for the young composer as well as introducing him to 12-tone techniques. (Schoenberg had enforced similarly strict lessons in traditional harmony upon his own pupils, even as he encouraged them to explore dodecaphony.) Somers remained under Weinzweig’s instruction until 1949.
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