Arthur Pryor
Encyclopedia
Arthur Willard Pryor was a trombone
virtuoso, bandleader
, and soloist with the Sousa Band
. In later life, he was an American
Democratic Party
politician from New Jersey
, who served on the Monmouth County, New Jersey
Board of Chosen Freeholders
during the 1930s.
Pryor was born on the second floor of the Lyceum Theater in Saint Joseph
, Missouri
. He first took up music at a very young age and was playing the valve trombone by age 11. By age 15 he had mastered the slide trombone and was awarded a spot in his father's band. He was hailed as a prodigy
after this. Shifted to another band, Pryor went on to direct the Stanley Opera Company in Denver
, Colorado
until joining the John Philip Sousa
Band in 1892. He played his first solo with the Sousa Band at age 22 during the World's Columbian Exposition
in Chicago
in 1893. During his 12 years with the Sousa Band, Pryor estimated that he played 10,000 solos. From 1895 to 1903 Pryor was assistant conductor of the Sousa Band. After leaving the Sousa Band, he formed his own band, which made its debut at the Majestic Theatre in New York City
on November 15, 1903. The Pryor Band toured until 1909, when he decided to settle down and make Asbury Park
, New Jersey
the home of the band. Also at this time he became a staff conductor and arranger for the Victor Talking Machine Company
in Camden, New Jersey.
He set to work on an opera
titled Peter and Paul, with a libretto
by L. Frank Baum
, though the whereabouts of libretto or score are unknown. It was intended to star Fred Stone
and David Montgomery
in several roles in several time periods.
He retired from full-time conducting in 1933. On November 7 of that year, he and Henry W. Herbert were elected to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, defeating Director Bryant B. Newcomb
and his running mate, Arthur Johnson. Pryor and Herbert would each serve one, three year term in office. They were defeated by Republicans J. Russell Woolley and Edgar O. Murphy
.
During his career, Pryor wrote some of today's most famous trombone literature, including the heralded "Bluebells of Scotland
", as well as band novelty works such as "The Whistler and His Dog", with its piccolo
solo. Much of this literature has been recorded by Ian Bousfield
on his CD Pryor Engagement (Doyen DOY CD212).
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
virtuoso, bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, and soloist with the Sousa Band
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
. In later life, he was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, who served on the Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
Board of Chosen Freeholders
Board of Chosen Freeholders
In New Jersey, the Boards of Chosen Freeholders are the county legislatures in each of that state's 21 counties.- Origin :New Jersey's system of naming county legislators "freeholders" is unique in the United States...
during the 1930s.
Pryor was born on the second floor of the Lyceum Theater in Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph, Missouri
Saint Joseph is the second largest city in northwest Missouri, only second to Kansas City in size, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2010 census, Saint Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He first took up music at a very young age and was playing the valve trombone by age 11. By age 15 he had mastered the slide trombone and was awarded a spot in his father's band. He was hailed as a prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
after this. Shifted to another band, Pryor went on to direct the Stanley Opera Company in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
until joining the John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
Band in 1892. He played his first solo with the Sousa Band at age 22 during the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1893. During his 12 years with the Sousa Band, Pryor estimated that he played 10,000 solos. From 1895 to 1903 Pryor was assistant conductor of the Sousa Band. After leaving the Sousa Band, he formed his own band, which made its debut at the Majestic Theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on November 15, 1903. The Pryor Band toured until 1909, when he decided to settle down and make Asbury Park
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
the home of the band. Also at this time he became a staff conductor and arranger for the Victor Talking Machine Company
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
in Camden, New Jersey.
He set to work on an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
titled Peter and Paul, with a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, though the whereabouts of libretto or score are unknown. It was intended to star Fred Stone
Fred Stone
Fred Andrew Stone was an American actor. Stone began his career as a performer in circuses and minstrel shows, went on to act on vaudeville, and became a star on Broadway and in feature films, which earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Biography:He was particularly famous for appearing...
and David Montgomery
David Montgomery
David Montgomery is Farnam Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University. Montgomery is considered one of the foremost academics specializing in United States labor history and has written extensively on the subject. Along with David Brody and Herbert Gutman, he is credited with founding the...
in several roles in several time periods.
He retired from full-time conducting in 1933. On November 7 of that year, he and Henry W. Herbert were elected to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, defeating Director Bryant B. Newcomb
Bryant B. Newcomb
Bryant Baxter Newcomb was an American Republican Party politician, who served as Mayor of Long Branch, New Jersey and on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders.-Biography:...
and his running mate, Arthur Johnson. Pryor and Herbert would each serve one, three year term in office. They were defeated by Republicans J. Russell Woolley and Edgar O. Murphy
Edgar O. Murphy
Edgar Okerson Murphy was an American Republican Party politician, who served as Mayor of Farmingdale, New Jersey and as a member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders for Monmouth County, New Jersey.-Biography:...
.
During his career, Pryor wrote some of today's most famous trombone literature, including the heralded "Bluebells of Scotland
Bluebells of Scotland
Blue Bells of Scotland is a traditional Scottish folk song .-Text:As with most folk songs, it exists in multiple versions. In the version printed in 1803 in the Scots Musical Museum, the words are:...
", as well as band novelty works such as "The Whistler and His Dog", with its piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
solo. Much of this literature has been recorded by Ian Bousfield
Ian Bousfield
Ian Bousfield is Principal Trombone with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, having formerly held the same positions with the London Symphony Orchestra and Hallé Orchestra.- Early life and education :...
on his CD Pryor Engagement (Doyen DOY CD212).
Media
External links
- Recordings from the 19th Century includes a solo by Pryor recorded in 1897
- http://www.dillonmusic.com/Arthur_pryor_tbone/APryor_Trombone.htm Dillon's Music Own Arthur Pryor's Trombone
- The Asbury Park Boardwalk Past, Present and Future
- Arthur Pryor: Ragtime Pioneer explains how Arthur Pryor introduced syncopation to military marches and became a proponent of Ragtime music.
- MIDI sequences of piano transcriptions of 18 compositions by Arthur Pryor with links to free online sheet music
- Discography of Arthur Pryor on Victor RecordsVictor Talking Machine CompanyThe Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR) - audio recordin of "Canhanibalmo Rag" from the Library of Congress jukebox