Biography
Sowerby's earliest training centered on piano and music theory, yet an encounter with Franck's works prompted him to take up the organ. Notice came quickly once the Chicago SO presented his Violin Concerto in 1913. He served as an Army bandmaster throughout World War I, then received the American Prix de Rome in 1921, which supported three years of study in Italy. On his return he joined the faculty of the American Conservatory and simultaneously became organist and choirmaster at the Episcopal Cathedral of St James. Canticle of the Sun earned him the Pulitzer Prize in 1946, and he founded and directed the College of Church Musicians at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. In addition to the sacred pieces written for church use, Sowerby composed across every genre except opera and drew on the Western traditions of jazz, blues, and folk music as sources.