Edward MacDowell
ca. 1905.
Edward Alexander MacDowell (New York, December 18, 1860 - January 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist, best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites "Woodland Sketches", "Sea Pieces", and "New England Idyls".
Juan Buitrago, a Colombian violinist who was living with the MacDowell family at the time, gave the young Edward his first piano lessons and later with friends of Buitrago, including lessons from Teresa Carreño, a Venezuelan pianist. His family moved to Paris, France and in 1877 Edward MacDowell was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire, then he went to the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt, Germany to study piano with Carl Heymann and composition with Joachim Raff. When Franz Liszt visited the Conservatory in 1879, a recital of student compositions was put on and MacDowell presented some of his own along with transcriptions of a Liszt symphonic poem. MacDowell taught piano at the Darmstadt Conservatory for a year.
In 1884, MacDowell married Marian Griswold Nevins, who had been one of his piano students. About the time that MacDowell composed a piano piece titled "Cradle Song", Marian suffered an illness resulting in an inability to bear children.
In 1888, MacDowell and his wife returned to the United States. They lived in Boston until 1896, when MacDowell became professor of music at Columbia University, a position he held until 1904.
Besides his own compositions, which include two piano concertos, two orchestral suites, four symphonic poems, four piano sonatas, piano suites, and songs, MacDowell published dozens of piano transcriptions of mostly Eighteenth Century pre-piano keyboard pieces.
From 1896 to 1898, MacDowell published 13 piano pieces and 4 part-songs under the pseudonym of Edgar Thorn. These compositions were not listed or even mentioned in Gilman's 1908 biography of MacDowell. They were listed in Arthur P. Schmidt advertisements in the 1912 publication of MacDowell's Critical and Historical Essays, without the misleading opus numbers later attached to them, which falsely suggested that they were composed prior to his first publications of 1883 (which began with Op. 10). MacDowell himself was responsible for assigning his "Two Old Songs" (1894) a misleading Op. 9. That may have provided someone an excuse, years after MacDowell's death, for assigning Edgar Thorn compositions opus numbers in the open 1 - 8 range.
In 1904, MacDowell was one of the first seven chosen for membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The MacDowells envisioned establishing a colony for artistic productions near their summer home in Peterborough, New Hampshire. After being run over by a hansom cab in 1904, MacDowell began to lose his mental capacities. The Mendelssohn Glee Club, for which he had composed choral music, raised money to help the MacDowells. In 1908, Edward MacDowell died and was buried in MacDowell Colony, which Marian MacDowell had established in 1907.
Works
published compositions for piano, a complete listing
Op. 10. First Modern Suite (1883) I. Praeludium - II. Presto - III. Andantino and Allegretto - IV. Intermezzo - V. Rhapsody - VI. Fugue
Op. 13. Prelude and Fugue (1883) I. Prelude - II. Fugue
Op. 14. Second Modern Suite (1883) I. Praeludium - II. Fugato - III. Rhapsody - IV. Scherzino - V. March - VI. Fantastic Dance
Op. 15. First Concerto (1885) I. Maestoso - II. Andante tranquillo - III. Presto
Op. 16 Serenata (1883)
Op. 17 Two Fantastic Pieces (1884) I. A Legend - II. Witches' Dance
Op. 18 Two Compositions (1884) I. Barcarolle - II. Humoreske
Op. 19 Forest Idyls (1884) I. Forest Stillness - II. Play of the Nymphs - III. Revery - IV. Dance of the Dryads
Op. 20 Three Poems (1886) duets I. Night at Sea - II. A Tale of the Knights - III. Ballad
Op. 21 Moon Pictures (1886) duets I. The Hindoo Maiden - II. Stork's Story - III. In Tyrol - IV. The Swan - V. Visit of the Bear
Op. 23 Second Concerto (1890) I. Larghetto calmato - II. Presto giocoso - III. Largo
Op. 24 Four Compositions (1887) I. Humoreske - II. March - III. Cradle Song - IV. Czardas
Op. 28 Six Idyls after Goethe (1887) I. In the Woods - II. Siesta - III. To the Moonlight - IV. Silver Clouds - V. Flute Idyl - VI. The Bluebell
Op. 31 Six Poems after Heine (1887,1901) I. From a Fisherman's Hut - II. Scotch Poem - III. From Long Ago - IV. The Postwaggon - V. The Shepherd Boy - VI. Monologue
Op. 32 Four Little Poems (1888) I. The Eagle - II. The Brook - III. Moonshine - IV. Winter
Op. 36 Etude de Concert (1889)
Op. 37 Les Orientales (1889) I. Clair de lune - II. Dans le hamac - III. Danse Andalouse
Op. 38 Marionettes (1888,1901) I. Prologue - II. Soubrette - III. Lover - IV. Witch - V. Clown - VI. Villain - VII. Sweetheart - VIII. Epilogue
Op. 39 Twelve Studies (1890) I. Hunting Song - II. Alla Tarantella - III. Romance - IV. Arabesque - V. In the Forest - VI. Dance of the Gnomes - VII. Idyl - VIII. Shadow Dance - IX. Intermezzo - X. Melody - XI. Scherzino - XII. Hungarian
Op. 45 Sonata Tragica (1893) I. Largo maestoso - II. Molto allegro, vivace - III. Largo con maesta - IV. Allegro eroica
Op. 46 Twelve Virtuoso Studies (1894) I. Novelette - II. Moto Perpetuo - III. Wild Chase - IV. Improvisation - V. Elfin Dance - VI. Valse Triste - VII. Burlesque - VIII. Bluette - IX. Traumerei - X. March Wind - XI. Impromptu - XII. Polonaise
Op. 49 Air and Rigaudon (1894) I. Air - II. Rigaudon
Op. 50 Sonata Eroica (1895) "Flos regum Arthurus" I. Slow, with nobility - II. Elf-like, as light and swift as possible - III. Tenderly, longingly, yet with passion - IV. Fiercely, very fast
Op. 51 Woodland Sketches (1896) I. To a Wild Rose - II. Will o' the Wisp - III. At an Old Trysting Place - IV. In Autumn - V. From an Indian Lodge - VI. To a Water-lily - VII. From Uncle Remus - VIII. A Deserted Farm - IX. By a Meadow Brook - X. Told at Sunset
Amourette (1896) by Edgar Thorn
In Lilting Rhythm (1897) two pieces by Edgar Thorn
Forgotten Fairy Tales (1897) by Edgar Thorn I. Sung outside the Prince's door - II. Of a Tailor and a Bear - III. Beauty in the Rose-Garden - IV. From Dwarf-land
Six Fancies (1898) by Edgar Thorn I. A Tin Soldier's Love - II. To a Humming Bird - III. Summer Song - IV. Across Fields - V. Bluette - VI. An Elfin Round
Op. 55 Sea Pieces (1898) I. To the Sea - II. From a Wandering Iceberg - III. A. D. 1620 - IV. Starlight - V. Song - VI. From the Depths - VII. Nautilus - VIII. In Mid-Ocean
Op. 57 Third Sonata (1900) I. Mesto, ma con passione - II. Tristamente, ma con tenerezza - III. Allegro con fuoco
Op. 59 Fourth Sonata (1901) I. With great power and dignity - II. With naive tenderness - III. Very swift and fierce
Op. 61 Fireside Tales (1902) I. An Old Love Story - II. Of Br'er Rabbit - III. From a German Forest - IV. Of Salamanders - V. A Haunted House - VI. By Smouldering Embers
Op. 62 New England Idyls (1902) I. An Old Garden - II. Mid-Summer - III. Mid-Winter - IV. With Sweet Lavender - V. In Deep Woods - VI. Indian Idyl - VII. To an Old White Pine - VIII. From Puritan Days - IX. From a Log Cabin - X. The Joy of Autumn
published compositions for orchestra, a complete listing
Op. 15. First Concerto (1885)
Op. 22 Hamlet and Ophelia (1885)
Op. 23 Second Concerto (1890)
Op. 25 Lancelot and Elaine (1888)
Op. 29 Lamia (1908)
Op. 30 Two Fragments after the Song of Roland (1891) I. The Saracens - II. The Lovely Alda
Op. 35 Romance for Violoncello and Orchestra (1888)
Op. 42 First Suite (1891-1893) I. In a Haunted Forest - II. Summer Idyl - III. In October - IV. The Shepherdess' Song - V. Forest Spirits
Op. 48 Second Suite (1897) I. Legend - II. Love Song - III. In War-time - IV. Dirge - V. Village Festival
published songs
Op. 11. and 12. An Album of Five Songs, for voice and piano (1883) I. My Love and I - II. You Love Me Not - III. In the Skies - IV. Night-Song - V. Bands of Roses
Op. 26 From an Old Garden, for voice and piano (1887) I. The Pansy - II. The Myrtle - III. The Clover - IV. The Yellow Daisy - V. The Blue Bell - VI. The Mignonette
Op. 27 Three Songs, for male chorus (1890) I. In the Starry Sky Above Us - II. Springtime - III. The Fisherboy
Op. 33 Three Songs, for voice and piano (1894) I. Prayer - II. Cradle Hymn - III. Idyl
Op. 34 Two Songs, for voice and piano (1889) I. Menie - II. My Jean
Op. 40 Six Love Songs, for voice and piano (1890) I. Sweet, Blue-eyed Maid - II. Sweetheart, Tell Me - III. Thy Beaming Eyes - IV. For Love's Sweet Sake - V. O Lovely Rose - VI. I Ask but This
Op. 41 Two Songs, for male chorus (1890) I. Cradle Song - II. Dance of the Gnomes
Op. 43 Two Northern Songs, for mixed chorus (1891) I. The Brook - II. Slumber Song
Op. 44 Barcarolle, for mixed chorus with four-hand piano accompaniment (1892)
Op. 47 Eight Songs, for voice and piano (1893) I. The Robin Sings in the Apple Tree - II. Midsummer Lullaby - III. Folk Song - IV. Confidence - V. The West Wind Croons in the Cedar Trees - VI. In the Woods - VII. The Sea - VIII. Through the Meadow
Op. 11. Two Old Songs, for voice and piano (1894) I. Deserted - II. Slumber Song
Two Songs from the Thirteenth Century, for male chorus (1897) I. Winter Wraps his Grimmest Spell - II. As the Gloaming Shadows Creep
Op. 52 Three Choruses, for male voices (1897) I. Hush, hush! - II. From the Sea - III. The Crusaders
Part-Songs Published under the Pseudonym of Edgar Thorn: Love and Time (1897), The Rose and the Gardener (1897), The Witch (1898), War Song (1898)
Op. 53 Two Choruses, for male voices (1898) I. Bonnie Ann - II. The Collier Lassie
Op. 54 Two Choruses, for male voices (1898) I. A Ballad of Charles the Bold - II. Midsummer Clouds
Op. 56 Four Songs, for voice and piano (1898) I. Long Ago - II. The Swan Bent Low to the Lily - III. A Maid Sings Light - IV. As the Gloaming Shadows Creep
Op. 58 Three Songs, for voice and piano (1899) I. Constancy - II. Sunrise - III. Merry Maiden Spring
Op. 60 Three Songs, for voice and piano (1902) I. Tyrant Love - II. Fair Springtide - III. To the Golden Rod
Summer Wind, for women's voices (1902)
Two College Songs, for women's voices (1907) I. Alma Mater - II. At Parting
Publications
- Lawrence Gilman, Edward MacDowell (New York, 1909)
- E. F. Page, Edward Macdowell: His Work and Ideals (New York, 1910)
References
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- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
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