William Berwald

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William Henry Berwald (December 26, 1864 – May 8, 1948) was an American composer and conductor born in Schwerin, Mecklenburg. He studied counterpoint with Josef Rheinberger and worked as a teacher in Stuttgart before moving to the United States. Berwald taught at Syracuse University for 52 years, and his papers are kept in the university’s archives. From 1922 to 1925 he conducted the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. He wrote about 400 works, including many piano teaching pieces, and won several prizes: the Manuscript Music Society prize (1901), the Clemson Gold Medal (1913), the Prosser Etude prize (1915), and the Estey Organ Prize (1928). He died in Loma Linda, California. One notable pupil was Halsey Stevens.