__NOTOC__ William L Gillock (July 1, 1917 – September 7, 1993) was an American music educator noted for his many pedagogical piano compositions. Because of the melodic strength of his music he has sometimes been called "the Schubert of children's composers".Kathryn Starnes Duarte. The Piano Music of William Gillock, doctorate dissertation, University of Oklahoma (2004)
Life Gillock was born in La Russell, Missouri and began taking an interest in the piano from the age of three.Richard Rejino. 'The Magic of William Gillock' (Part One), in The American Music Teacher, Volume 66, Issue 4, (Feb/Mar 2017): pp. 12-16. He studied art at Central Methodist College, where his music teacher was Nannie Louise Wright. After graduating he moved to New Orleans, setting up his own teaching studio there. He later moved again to Dallas, where he concentrated on composing and adjudicating.Henry Doskey 'William Glock; Teacher and Friend,' in The American Music Teacher, Vol 43, No 5 (April 1994), pp.22-23
Gillock received multiple honours from the National Federation of Music Clubs, and his teaching pieces gained widespread popularity beyond the US, especially in Japan and Germany. He died in Dallas on September 7, 1993.Biography at bachcantatas.com
Music Gillock wrote over 300 pieces of pedagogical piano music, brief works with engaging titles and in many different historic and geographic styles.Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 7th ed. (1984), p. 881 They are still widely available in modern editions, and regularly included in collections of graded pieces issued by the music examination boards.
His most productive period as a composer was between 1956 and 1969. Notable collections include the three volumes of New Orleans Jazz Styles, the eight volume (51 pieces) Accent on series (such as Accent on Duets, Accent on Solos and Accent on the Seasons), and the multi-volume Piano All the Way method.Joseph Rezits and Gerald Deatsman. The Pianist's Resource Guide: Piano Music in Print and Literature on the Pianistic Art (1978), p. 214
More extended works include the four movement Little Suite in Baroque Style, which provides an introduction to contrapuntal playing (unusual in early-level pieces) and might be used as a bridge to Handel's keyboard suites.Le Zhan. William Gillock's Contributions to Piano Pedagogy: A Comparison of Three Works of Gillock with Selected Stylistic Models from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Repertoire (2019) Similarly (although for more advanced players) Gillock composed the three movement Sonatine in Classic Style (1963), and the Lyric Preludes in Romantic Style (24 pieces in all keys, 1958).N.J Bona. An Analytical Guide to Teaching and Performing Selected 'Lyric Preludes' of William Gillock, doctoral dissertation, University of Miami (1995)
Well-known individual short pieces, mostly for beginning and intermediate players, include Aeolian Harp, Autumn is Here, Carnival in Rio (originally for two pianos), the impressionistic Fountain in the Rain (1960, said to have been his best-selling composition), Goldfish (1964), Happy Holiday, Holiday in Spain, New Orleans Nightfall, On a Paris Boulevard, and The Prowling Pussy Cat.
References
External links 24 Preludes in Romantic Style, performed by Paul Barton