Between the 1880s and 1940s, William Christopher O'Hare worked as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, organist, choir director, band and orchestra leader, show director, and music teacher. Music talent had been passed down from his mother's and father's sides of the family, and he passed down an interest to his sons, who carved out lives in the entertainment world. Not professional musicians themselves, they were the expediters, the enablers--men who helped bring vaudeville performers, films, and dance music to the masses.
Portions of this website content appeared in my 2002 article in The Rag-Time Ephemeralist, Chris Ware's ragtime journal that sadly, but necessarily, ceased publication as cartoonist Ware's career flourished. O'Hare family genealogy records have been available for several years on ancestry.com as part of a collaborative family tree started by my younger daughter. While she has focused on her dad's and her husband's sides of the family, I have focused on my side, including William Christopher O'Hare--one of my great-grandfathers.
Other O'Hare research appears here for the first time. Composer and critic A. Walter Kramer's Musical America reviews of O'Hare's Traditional Irish Songs and Deep River arrangements are among the more important finds during website development.
Because we live within and are influenced by the context of people, time, and place, this website encompasses not only William Christopher O'Hare's life and music, but also the personal, geographical, and cultural environment within which he grew up, lived, and worked. From time to time, blog posts will expand the cultural context.
The music samples serve as no more than an introduction. Because my database of O'Hare compositions, vocal arrangements, and orchestrations has surpassed 1,500 and is growing, what music you find here represents a fragment of the man's achievement. Where possible, I've included audio files of O'Hare's compositions and arrangements. In many cases, you will, instead, find song recordings of popular works O'Hare arranged for band or orchestra. When no recording is available of his arrangement, we can often know the music behind his arrangement. For those performers who may be interested, I have also included links to online O'Hare band and orchestra arrangements.
Thank you to everyone who has provided music, sheet music covers, commentary, or encouragement during the months of website development or during the early years of my O'Hare research. Each of you has played a role in the creation of this website.
Portions of this website content appeared in my 2002 article in The Rag-Time Ephemeralist, Chris Ware's ragtime journal that sadly, but necessarily, ceased publication as cartoonist Ware's career flourished. O'Hare family genealogy records have been available for several years on ancestry.com as part of a collaborative family tree started by my younger daughter. While she has focused on her dad's and her husband's sides of the family, I have focused on my side, including William Christopher O'Hare--one of my great-grandfathers.
Other O'Hare research appears here for the first time. Composer and critic A. Walter Kramer's Musical America reviews of O'Hare's Traditional Irish Songs and Deep River arrangements are among the more important finds during website development.
Because we live within and are influenced by the context of people, time, and place, this website encompasses not only William Christopher O'Hare's life and music, but also the personal, geographical, and cultural environment within which he grew up, lived, and worked. From time to time, blog posts will expand the cultural context.
The music samples serve as no more than an introduction. Because my database of O'Hare compositions, vocal arrangements, and orchestrations has surpassed 1,500 and is growing, what music you find here represents a fragment of the man's achievement. Where possible, I've included audio files of O'Hare's compositions and arrangements. In many cases, you will, instead, find song recordings of popular works O'Hare arranged for band or orchestra. When no recording is available of his arrangement, we can often know the music behind his arrangement. For those performers who may be interested, I have also included links to online O'Hare band and orchestra arrangements.
Thank you to everyone who has provided music, sheet music covers, commentary, or encouragement during the months of website development or during the early years of my O'Hare research. Each of you has played a role in the creation of this website.
Background image, top of page: William Christopher O'Hare