- JAIRUS MAXSON STILLMAN, Mus. Doc., Professor of Music in
Milton College, has an
- almost National reputation in his chosen vocation. As a composer
he has had many valuable contributions, especially to sacred
music, but, while his work in that direction has been most important,
his labors have been more especially directed to the educational
side of the art. For the past fifteen years, with brief interruptions,
he has filled his present collegiate chair, and his work prior
to the acceptance of this position was most active, varied and
successful. Mr. STILLMAN was born February 20, 1834, in Alfred,
Allegany Co., N.Y., the third in order of birth of the six children
of Maxson and Lydia (CHAPMAN) STILLMAN.
- Maxson STILLMAN, a native of Westerly, R.I., was a descendant
in the sixth generation, through
- two lines, from George STILLMAN, and also through two lines
from Elder John CRANDALL, early New England emigrants from England.
He was also related to the BURDICK and MAXSON families of Rhode
Island, and on his mother's side to the ROGERS family, of Connecticut.
Lydia (CHAPMAN) STILLMAN, the mother of our subject, was born
September 23, 1803, in East Hampton, Mass., and her marriage
to Maxson STILLMAN occurred Sept. 26, 1822, at Berlin, Rensselaer
Co., N.Y., near which village she had taught school. In 1826,
they moved from Petersburg, Rensselaer county, to Alfred, Allegany
Co., N.Y., where Maxson STILLMAN continued to reside until his
death, in 1896, at the age of ninety-seven years, his wife having
preceded him to the grave by five and one-half years.
- Jairus Maxson STILLMAN, our subject, received a good education
in his youth, supplementing
- his district-school instruction with many terms in Alfred
Academy, and attendance at Alfred University. He had also become,
at the age of twelve years, the pupil of his father, a superior
workman in the trades of mill-wright and carpenter, becoming
so proficient that he occasionally assumed the entire charge
of the construction or repair work of mills of various kinds,
and the erection of dwellings and public buildings. But the young
man, while thus having mastered his trade, had his heart set
upon another kind of life work. The father, a tenor singer of
talent, had not only for many years led the choir of the large
church at Alfred of which he was a member, but had taught singing
schools in many places surrounding his home. His son inherited
great aptitude for music, and at the age of ten years could read
plain music at sight. He accompanied his father to singing schools,
and made rapid progress in the mastery of the principles of music.
He attended the singing classes in Alfred Academy conducted by
such instructors as Miss Susan E. CRANDALL (afterwards Mrs. Ethan
P. LARKIN), Orra STILLMAN and Darwin E. MAXSON. At twenty he
was elected leader of the church choir at Alfred, in which position
he was very successful.
- In 1855 our subject began teaching singing schools in Alfred
and vicinity, continuing
- meanwhile his study of music. For many years succeeding,
his life was devoted jointly to the study and teaching of his
art. From 1854 to 1857 he gave close attention to the study of
Singing and Pianoforte Music at Alfred University. In the summer
of 1857 he was a student at the Normal Musical Institute, at
North Reading, Mass., under the supervision of Lowell MASON,
G. F. ROOT, and others, and at the same time studied Voice Culture
under Auguste KREISSMAN, of Boston. During the summer months
of 1859 and 1860 he attended the Normal Musical Institute at
Genesee, N.Y., taking Pianoforte lessons of T. J. COOK, and lessons
in Voice Culture of Carlo BASSINI, both of New York. In 1861-62
he studied Pianoforte Music at Milton (Wis.) College, reciting
also in the German classes. In the summer of 1870 he attended
the National Normal Music Institute at South Bend, Ind., again
taking private lessons of BASSINI, completing "BASSINI's
Method of Singing." Between 1870 and 1874 he was a pupil
of Dudley BUCK of Chicago and Boston in Harmony and Counterpoint,
taking his lesson partly by mail and partly in person. In the
winters from 1858 to 1861 he taught singing schools and gave
private lessons in Shelby and Logan counties, Ohio, and incidentally
led the Lutheran Church choir at Bellafontaine, and the Seventh-day
Baptist choir at Jackson Center. In the years 1862, 1864 and
1866 he was professor of vocal and instrumental music in Hopkinton
Academy, Ashaway, R.I., and also in the winter months taught
singing schools six evenings each week, and at the same time
instructed as many as thirty private scholars. During the years
1863, 1865 and 1867 he had the direction of the musical department
at Alfred University, his classes embracing Pianoforte Music,
Voice Culture, and Elementary and Chorus Singing. The vigorous
spirit and correct style of rendition which he imparted were
retained for many years as the characteristics of that institution.
- The work of Mr. STILLMAN now grew broader. From 1868 to 1885
he had charge of many
- larger singing bodies than he had previously undertaken.
During the period named he was associate principal and teacher
in six normal music schools, each for a term of six weeks, and
also conducted a large number of conventions and institutes.
In many towns his conventions were held from two to eight times,
some were patronized by entire counties, and two - those at Clear
Lake, Iowa, and Ripon, Wis. - were State enterprises. The normal
music schools were held at Goshen and Michigan City, Ind., Wheaton,
Ill., Whitewater and Milton, Wis., and Clarinda, Iowa. He taught
Harmony and Voice Culture as well as Chorus Singing in these
schools. His musical work to this time had extended to thirteen
States, namely: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin,
Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. In the last half of the seventies
he was a resident of Chicago, where he sang in the choir of Centenary
Church.
- It would be impossible to measure the beneficent results
of this prolonged and intense devotion to
- the art. Standards of music were raised in hundreds of communities,
and the inspiration to a musical career that was thus enkindled
in many a musical breast is indicated partly by the many choir
soloists, teachers of music, and others who have attributed their
proficiency largely to the instruction given by Mr. STILLMAN.
He is the associate author of "Good-Will for Sabbath Schools,"
"The Cluster," and "Anthem Treasures," the
latter two being well-known and popular anthem books. He has
also composed a large number of pieces for other anthem and Gospel
hymn books, and a number of songs published in sheet music form.
At Chicago he acted as one of the judges, with Prof. T. Martin
TOWNE and others, in selecting from 700 original pieces of music,
and in critically editing those which should be published in
the work called "International Lesson Hymnal No. 1,"
published by David C. COOK. In 1884 an excellent article on "Church
Music and How to Sustain it," written by Dr. STILLMAN, appeared
in the "Seventh-day Baptist Quarterly."
- Since 1885 our subject has been engaged, except for three
terms, as professor of vocal and
- instrumental music in Milton College. He has in that time
organized and managed its school of music with regular courses
of study, each covering from three to six years, in Pianoforte
Playing, Voice Culture, Harmony, and Elementary and Chorus Singing.
His work at this institution and outside, in the village and
neighboring localities, has attracted wide attention, and brought
many young people, desirous of obtaining a substantial musical
education, to the school. Another very marked and special result
of his labors here has been the preparation of young men for
singing in Evangelical work, either as soloists or in quartets.
The honorary degree of Doctor of Music was conferred upon Mr.
STILLMAN by Alfred University in 1879.
- When not quite eighteen years old Mr. STILLMAN united with
the Seventh-day Baptist Church
- at Alfred, N.Y., and he has ever since retained his membership
in that church. He possesses a deeply reverential religious spirit,
which expresses itself chiefly in song. He has taught singing
by schools and conventions in at least forty localities where
there are Seventh-day Baptist Churches. He has had charge of
the music in fourteen annual sessions of the General Conference
of this people, and in a larger number of the annual sessions
of four associations with their churches.
- J. M. STILLMAN married Dec. 8, 1867, Miss Clara LANGWORTHY,
a charming singer and
- an accomplished pianist, of Potter Hill, R.I. She died March
1, 1869, leaving a child seven weeks old, now Mrs. Clara STILLMAN
BURDICK, wife of Dr. Justin H. BURDICK, of Milton.
-
- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin"
(c)1901; pp. 2-4.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
|