John Moriarty Obituary, Death – John Moriarty was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, and he was named after his parents, John Moriarty Sr. and Fabiola Moriarty. His father was a chauffeur for a number of local officials, including Mayor Harry Monks and Senator McClaine, amongst others. His job was to transport people from point A to point B. John attended Sacred Heart Elementary School for his primary education before moving on to Durfee High School for his secondary education. He graduated from Durfee High School in 1948 as the student in his class with the highest grade point average. After taking his piano lessons at the New England Conservatory in Boston during his senior year of high school, he decided to continue his education at the institution and became a full-time undergraduate student there the following fall (1948).
He went on to have a distinguished career as a conductor and composer. During his time at the Conservatory, he became aware of the significance of the pianist’s role as an accompanist and vocal instructor, which led to the development of his interest in vocal repertoire and a greater appreciation for its importance. After that, he entered the world of opera, where he worked in a variety of capacities, including as an administrator, a stage conductor, and most notably as a conductor. He is particularly remembered for his work in the latter capacity. After returning from Europe, where he had studied under the auspices of the Frank Huntington Beebe Award, John was given an appointment to the faculty of the New England Conservatory. This appointment came shortly after John had received the award.
John became increasingly involved in opera projects while he was teaching at the New England Conservatory. Eventually, he produced the first two live opera productions on WGBH-TV in Boston. Frank Huntington Beebe is honored with this accolade, which bears his name. 1975 saw the release of his book, “Diction for Singers,” which was published by E.C. Schirmer Music Co. It was both a reference manual and an instructional manual, and it covered the stage pronunciation of French, German, Italian, and Latin. Because it has been printed such a large number of times, it is now generally accepted as the textbook of choice in music conservatories and universities throughout the United States.
In addition to that, he has created recordings of opera and snippets of opera, as well as contributed his talents as a pianist accompanist to recordings for Cambridge, Parnassus, and Newport Classic records. Although John Moriarty retired from his position as Chairman of the Opera Department at the New England Conservatory in 2001, he continued to teach at the institution two days a week because education had always been an important component of his life. In 1982, he was given the Outstanding Alumni Award, and in 1992, the Conservatory presented him with an honorary doctorate. Both of these honors are still held today. In 1989, he uprooted his life and moved to Fall River, where he eventually made his home on Rock Street.
This location was directly across the street from the former location of St. Helena’s Convent, which was the location of his very first piano lesson, which was taught by Sr. Stephen Mary of the Holy Union Sisters. Up until the year 1993, he continued to receive his piano instruction from Sr. Stephen Mary. This change in location gave the impression that his life had come full circle. James T. Bynum, who had been John’s companion for the past 53 years, as well as two of John’s sisters, Frances Souza of South Easton, Massachusetts and Helen Hallin of Poway, California, and a number of John’s nieces and nephews, are among the people who are left behind after John’s passing.