Thomas Canning

Thomas Canning (December 12, 1911 – October 4, 1989) was an American composer and music educator, serving as a professor of composition and music theory at the Eastman school and as composer-in-residence at West Virginia University. He also held appointments at Morningside College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the Royal Conservatory of Music. In his composition work, he created music for specific occasions or ceremonies, focusing on hymns and choral works, and collaborated with poets Robert Frost and William Carlos Williams to create music in conjunction with their works. His best-known orchestral work, Fantasy on a Hymn by Justin Morgan (1944), was recorded by Leopold Stokowski and Howard Hanson. Early life and education Canning was born in Brookville, Pennsylvania, on December 12, 1911. He was admitted at Oberlin College, where he studied composition under Normand Lockwood, receiving a B.M. in 1936. He received an M.A. from the Eastman School of Music in 1940, studying with Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers. Career After receiving his degree from Eastman, Canning taught music theory and composition at Morningside College (1936–1941) and Indiana University of Pennsylvani