Mildred Elizabeth Thomson Souers[1] (February 26, 1894 - August 1977)[2] was an American composer[3] who wrote music for ballets and ballet studios, as well as for chamber ensembles, piano, and voice.[4]

Souers was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Addie F. and Ogilvie Sinclair Thomson. She married Marshall Ankeny Souers in 1918 and they had one son.[2]

Souers attended Drake University, where she studied with Francis J. Pyle.[5] Later, she studied with Marion Bauer in New York.[6] During World War I, she worked as a studio accompanist for Grace Jones Jackson, and volunteered as a weekly entertainer on Red Cross programs.[1] She was an announcer for Iowa radio stations KSO and KRNT.[7]

Souers belonged to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP),[4] the music sorority Sigma Alpha Iota, and the First Church of Christ, Scientist. She was a board member of the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra.[8] One of her choral compositions won First Prize from the National Federation of Music Clubs.[4] The Iowa Federation of Music Clubs honored her as their Composer of the Year in 1962.[9]

Souers’ papers are archived at the State Historical Society of Iowa in the Annals of Iowa.[7] Her compositions were recorded commercially by Hoctor Records,[10] a sub-label of Dance Records, Inc.[11] Souers’ music is published by Carl Fischer Inc., [12] Hal Leonard,[13] and Willis Music Co.[14] Her compositions include:

Ballet

  • Ballet of the Enchanted Dolls (piano, flute and voice; with Betty Bird and Titiana Grantzeva)[10]
  • Barre and Technique Melodies for the Dance Studio[15]
  • Dance of the Field Mice[16]

Piano

  • Under the Greenwood Tree[6]

Vocal

  • “Christmas Folk Song”[19]
  • “Immortal”[4]
  • “Iowa, Beautiful Land”[8]
  • “What Christmas Means to Me”
  • Winter Nocturne (for chorus)[15]


References

  1. 1 2 Souers, Mildred (15 Sep 1918). "The Des Moines Register". Newspapers.com. p. 29. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  2. 1 2 Souers, Mildred. "ancestry.com". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  3. ↑ Stern, Susan (1978). Women composers : a handbook. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-1138-3. OCLC 3844725.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). International Encyclopedia of Women Composers. Books & Music (USA). ISBN 978-0-9617485-1-7.
  5. ↑ Pfitzinger, Scott (2017-03-01). Composer Genealogies: A Compendium of Composers, Their Teachers, and Their Students. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-7225-5.
  6. 1 2 Claghorn, Charles Eugene (1996). Women composers and songwriters : a concise biographical dictionary. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-585-03162-2. OCLC 42329817.
  7. 1 2 Annals of Iowa. Iowa State Historical Department, Division of Historical Museum and Archives. 2001.
  8. 1 2 Souers, Mildred (31 Aug 1977). "The Des Moines Register". Newspapers.com. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  9. ↑ Pan Pipes of Sigma Alpha Iota. George Banta Company. 1962.
  10. 1 2 The Ballet Of The Enchanted Dolls Mildred Thompson Souers Betty Bird Tatiana Grantzeva, retrieved 2022-01-25
  11. ↑ Records, Hoctor. "Rate Your Music - RYM/Sonemic". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  12. ↑ Stewart-Green, Miriam (1980). Women composers : a checklist of works for the solo voice. Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall. ISBN 0-8161-8498-4. OCLC 6815939.
  13. ↑ "Mildred T. Souers: Impromptu: National Federation of Music Clubs 2014-2016 Selection Advanced Level". Presto Music. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  14. 1 2 Souers, Mildred. "Scholars Junction - Mississippi State University Institutional Repository". scholarsjunction.msstate.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  15. 1 2 Anderson, Ruth (1976). Contemporary American composers : a biographical dictionary. Boston: G.K. Hall. ISBN 0-8161-1117-0. OCLC 2035024.
  16. ↑ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1957). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series.
  17. ↑ Clavier: A Magazine for Pianists & Organists. Instrumentalist Company. 1964.
  18. ↑ Showcase: Music Clubs Magazine. National Federation of Music Clubs. 1960.
  19. ↑ Bro, J. Fischer &; Bro, J. Fischer &. "J. Fischer & Bro. Music Publishers Collection". infomotions.com. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  20. ↑ "Solo Bank - Composer Index". vocal-works.com. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
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