R. O. Morris

Reginald Owen Morris DMus United Kingdom 1886-1948. Born at York, England, the son of an army officer, he was educated at Harrow School, New College, Oxford, and the Royal College of Music, London, where he subsequently became a famous professor of counterpoint and composition. He also edited the 1914 Oxford University Press edition of R D Blackmore’s novel, “Lorna Doone”. In 1915 he married Emmeline (Emmie) Fisher (1868-1941),becoming brother-in-law to Vaughn Williams. He and his wife lived close to the Williams’ for several years. At the outbreak of WW1 he enlisted in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. He was a composer and teacher at the Royal College of Music, London. For a ten-year period (1922-32) he wrote symphonic and chamber music, songs, and choral works. He also authored several works on music harmony, counterpoint and contrapuntal technique. From 1926 he taught music theory for two years at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, PA. Losing interest in music he turned to writing. He also set crosswords for “The Times”, and his reputation became well-established as a teacher. He was an author, composer, arranger, editor, and compiler. He wrote fiction, history, romance fiction, juvenile works, folk songs, scores, comic strips, chamber music and technical music topics. He died suddenly at Kensington, England, the day following a physical at the Royal College of Music (where they found nothing wrong with him). Other music composers praised his works, but performers generally ignored them, saying that he was a teacher who writes music rather than a composer who teaches.

John Perry