Happy 112th Birthday, Virgil Thomson!

By CHARLES FERRUZZA

Painting by Alice Neel.

No one in Kansas City (besides myself) may give a damn, but today, Tuesday, November 25, is the 112th anniversary of the birth of Virgil Thomson. Virgil who?

Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) was once considered to be one of America’s most preeminent modern composers, although his reputation has lost some its luster over the years. In fact, most Kansas Citians have probably never heard of him. His childhood home is still standing at 2629 Wabash (it’s incorrectly listed as 2613 Wabash in several biographies of Thomson), but I’ll bet no one has ever thought of placing a plaque on the home, recognizing Thomson’s long contributions – as a composer and music critic.

Why? Dr. S. Andrew Granade, Assistant Professor of Musicology at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance has some thoughts on how Thomson became a “forgotten man” in his own home town. “After Virgil left Kansas City to go to Harvard and, later, Paris,” Granade says, “he didn’t come back to Kansas City very often, although Kansas City and Missouri definitely influenced his work.”