Helen Eugenia Hagan
Encyclopedia
Helen Eugenia Hagan was an American
pianist, music educator and composer of African descent.
, the daughter of John A. and Mary Estella Neal Hagan. She studied piano from her mother and then in the public schools of New Haven, Connecticut
. At age nine, she began playing organ for the Dixwell Congregational Church in New Haven.
She studied at Yale University
with Stanley Knight and graduated in 1912 with a bachelor's degree in music, playing her own Concerto in C Minor with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra at her commencement. She received the Samuel Simmons Stanford scholarship to study in Paris
, with Blanche Selva
and Vincent d'Indy
, and graduated from Schola Cantorum in 1914. She returned to the United States as World War I
began, and began a career as a concert pianist, touring from 1915 to 1918. In 1918 she was invited by the YWCA to entertain the troupes in France
, along with Joshua Blanton and Hugh Henry Proctor.
In 1920 Hagen married John Taylor Williams of Morristown, New Jersey
, but continued her concert career. She taught at the Mendelssohn
Conservatory of Music in Chicago
, and pursued a Masters of Arts degree from the Teachers' College of Columbia University
. In the 1930s she taught at the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State College
and served as Dean of Music at Bishop College
in Marshall, Texas
. She also continued to work as a choir director and church organist. She died in New York
after an extended illness.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist, music educator and composer of African descent.
Life
Helen Eugenia Hagan was born in Portsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, the daughter of John A. and Mary Estella Neal Hagan. She studied piano from her mother and then in the public schools of New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. At age nine, she began playing organ for the Dixwell Congregational Church in New Haven.
She studied at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
with Stanley Knight and graduated in 1912 with a bachelor's degree in music, playing her own Concerto in C Minor with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra at her commencement. She received the Samuel Simmons Stanford scholarship to study in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, with Blanche Selva
Blanche Selva
Blanche Selva was a French pianist, music educator, writer and composer of Catalan origin.-Biography:Blanche Selva was born in Brive-la-Gaillarde in Corrèze. As a child she studied piano with a number of teachers, took preparatory classes with Sophie Chen, and was admitted to the Paris...
and Vincent d'Indy
Vincent d'Indy
Vincent d'Indy was a French composer and teacher.-Life:Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy was born in Paris into an aristocratic family of royalist and Catholic persuasion. He had piano lessons from an early age from his paternal grandmother, who passed him on to Antoine François Marmontel and...
, and graduated from Schola Cantorum in 1914. She returned to the United States as World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began, and began a career as a concert pianist, touring from 1915 to 1918. In 1918 she was invited by the YWCA to entertain the troupes in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, along with Joshua Blanton and Hugh Henry Proctor.
In 1920 Hagen married John Taylor Williams of Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
, but continued her concert career. She taught at the Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn
Mendelson is a Polish/German Jewish family name, meaning "son of Mendel", Mendel being a Yiddish diminutive of the Hebrew given name Menahem, meaning "consoling" or "one who consoles".Mendelssohn is the surname of a number of people:...
Conservatory of Music 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...
, and pursued a Masters of Arts degree from the Teachers' College of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. In the 1930s she taught at the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State College
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
and served as Dean of Music at Bishop College
Bishop College
Bishop College was a historically black college, founded in Marshall, Texas, and later moved to Dallas, Texas, that operated from 1881 to 1988.-History:...
in Marshall, Texas
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
. She also continued to work as a choir director and church organist. She died in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
after an extended illness.