Stephen Tuttle

Who was Stephen Tuttle?

Stephen Davidson Tuttle was a musicologist and chairman of the department of music at the University of Virginia, and an associate professor of music at Harvard University. While at Virginia he directed the Virginia Glee Club, and commissioned Randall Thompson to write The Testament of Freedom for the Glee Club in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson.

Tuttle was the son of Baptist missionaries and spent his childhood in the family home of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and in India. Tuttle studied music at Denison University and Harvard University, where he was the roommate of composer Elliott Carter; their acquaintance resulted in Carter's composition "To Music." Following his graduation, he taught music at Harvard from 1937 to 1941 before taking the appointment at Virginia, joining the faculty along with Randall Thompson and James E. Berdahl.

After joining the faculty at Virginia, Tuttle collaborated with Randall Thompson, whom he assisted in teaching undergraduate music courses. It was during this time that the commission of a piece in memory of Thomas Jefferson's bicentennial occurred.