William Henry Sprigg Jr.

William Henry Sprigg Jr., 94 native of Manchester, NH and of Frederick, MD passed away on April 3, 2014 at Golden Living Center in Frederick, Born March 7, 1920 in Manchester, NH, he was the son of Clara Sprigg. William graduated with distinction from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester with a double major in organ and theory; where he also received his Master of Music degree in composition and his Performer's Certificate in organ. He did additional graduate work at Harvard, Boston U., and the Organ Institute and John Hopkins U. William completed a two-year graduate fellowship in theory at Eastman and a one-year graduate fellowship at Boston U. where he served as the University organist. He completed residency work for his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition at Boston U. and developed a theory test for the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ. William won first prize for the symphonic tone poem depicting some aspect of Maryland history "Maryland Portraits in Contrast: Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Carroll", sponsored by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Association, which was the unanimous choice of Judges William Schuman of Juilliard, Howard Hanson of Eastman and Hans Heinsheimer of Schirmer Publishing Company, and was preformed several times by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He received fellow (under full scholarship) at the Edward MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, NH. William dedicated organs from Main to California, soloist at Harvard, Boston U., Portland, Maine Municipal Auditorium, New York Town Hall, Riverside Church, Washington Cathedral, and many churches and colleges and was a guest organist at Radio City Music Hall. He completed two recordings on the Orion label. William was the professor or organ and theory at Hood College in Frederick and the organist-choir director of Evangelical Lutheran Church, one of the largest Lutheran churches in the East. William retired as the professor of organ and theory at Hood College with the third longest teaching track record in the 100 year history of the college. He served as chairperson of the department for 12 years and was instrumental in restoring Brodbeck Music Hall and designed the Coblentz Memorial Organ in Coffman Chapel. He retired as the organist and choir director of Evangelical Lutheran Church after serving for over 40 years, the longest reign of any staff member in the history of the church; he designed the tonal specifications for the relatively new half-million dollar organ in the church. An organ scholarship in the five figures is established at Hood College in his honor. William is survived by nieces Lydia Hunn, Rebecca Mifflin, Shirley Hunn, Leslie Bachofer and nephew Michael Hunn. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 11, 2014 at 11 AM at Evangelical Lutheran Church, 35 E. Church Street, Frederick. The Reverend Dr. Robert Driver-Bishop will officiate. Inurnment will be private in his hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire. Arrangements are by Keeney & Basford Funeral Home, 106 E. Church St., Frederick, Maryland 21701.