John Tasker Howard Collection of 20th Century American Music

John Tasker Howard was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1890 and later graduated from Montclair High School. Howard earned an honorary master of arts degree in 1937 from Williams College. He was a music historian (he was believed to be a leading authority on Stephen Foster), pianist, lecturer, composer, author, and also provided some radio commentary. He lived primarily in Glen Ridge, N.J. He served as the curator of the New York Public Library American Music Collection from 1940 until his retirement in 1957. He is best known for the publication Our American Music, which focused on the history of music in the United States. He was actively involved in many musical organizations and was the Director of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers in 1945. Howard composed ballads and orchestral works and authored several books. John Tasker Howard died in West Orange, NJ in 1964 at the age of 73 after an illness.