IN MEMORIAM
KENT WHEELER KENNAN
Kent Wheeler Kennan, internationally known composer, author, music
educator, and professor emeritus of music theory and composition
at The University of Texas at Austin, died in Austin on November
1, 2003. He is survived by his half-brother, George F. Kennan, the
noted author, historian, diplomat, and Russian expert, and by several
nephews, nieces and their children.
Professor Kennan was born on April 18, 1913, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He demonstrated musical talent at an early age, beginning piano lessons
at the age of six, and organ and flute studies shortly thereafter.
He received his degrees in music from the University of Michigan
and the Eastman School of Music in composition and music theory.
At the age of 23, he was awarded one of the most coveted prizes in
music, the Prix de Rome. This allowed him to study for three years
in Europe, primarily at the American Academy in Rome.
Except for a brief teaching stint at Kent State University and
two years at The Ohio State University during the 1950s, Professor
Kennan’s
teaching career was spent at The University of Texas at Austin.
He was one of the last surviving members of the original six-member
faculty of the College of Fine Arts created in 1940 under the
leadership of Dean William F. Doty. He served the University,
the college,
and
the School of Music in both teaching and administrative capacities
during his forty years of academic service, retiring in 1983.
His forty years of devotion to the School of Music and the College
of Fine Arts were recognized in May 2001, when the College of
Fine
Arts
bestowed upon him its highest honor, the E. William Doty Award.
The Doty Award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary
contributions
to education, to arts and society, and to the college and the
University. This was only one of his many awards that he openly
displayed.
Professor Kennan’s compositions include works for orchestra,
chamber ensemble, and solo instrument as well as songs and choral
music. One of his best-known works, “Night Soliloquy,” has
been performed by every major orchestra in the country under such
distinguished conductors as Toscanini, Ormandy, Stokowski, and Ozawa.
It has been recorded on six different labels and is considered a
staple of the flute repertory. Several other works, such as his “Sonata
for Trumpet and Piano,” “Three Pieces for Orchestra,” and “Three
Piano Preludes,” are also widely performed and recorded. In
addition to his original compositions, Professor Kennan made highly-regarded
transcriptions of sonatas by both Brahms and Prokofiev. His transcription
of the Prokofiev flute sonata for clarinet and orchestra has been
performed and commercially recorded by leading clarinetist Richard
Stolzman. In a decision that puzzled friends and admirers, Professor
Kennan composed his last major work in 1956 at the age of 43 and
opted to abandon composition. From then on, he wrote only occasional
small pieces and chose to devote himself to teaching and educational
writing. Even so, the strength and expressivity of his early works
earned him a deserved status as one of the most important American
composers of the first half of the twentieth century. At Kennan’s
death, Peter Bay (conductor of the Austin Symphony) said of him, “Kent,
like his music, was direct, honest and expressive, and he was
overly modest about his numerous accomplishments. His music and
dedication
to the education of musicians will keep his legacy alive well
beyond his earthbound years.”
Professor Kennan’s two books, “Counterpoint” and “The
Technique of Orchestration,” are widely regarded as the
best and most authoritative treatments of these subjects in English.
Both have been in continuous use for more than forty-five years
and have
been the most widely used texts in their fields for decades.
Kent Kennan was as generous with his resources as he was with
his time and talent. He was a charter member and benefactor of
the
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin and devoted countless
hours
to that organization as a pianist in its early years. He was
a strong supporter of KMFA (Austin’s Classical Radio Station) and on
occasion spent time manning the phones during pledge drives. The
Kent Kennan Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Music Composition or Theory
supported numerous music theory and composition students during his
life, and part of his legacy includes a substantial scholarship endowment
to the University’s School of Music for composition and
theory students. This will undoubtedly ensure the association
of his name
with the School of Music for future generations of musicians
educated at The University of Texas at Austin.
<signed>
Larry R. Faulkner, President
The University of Texas at Austin
<signed>
Sue Alexander Greninger, Secretary
The General Faculty
This memorial resolution was prepared by a special committee consisting
of Professors Donald Grantham (chair), Martha Hilley, and Dan
Welcher.
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