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New England Composer Series No. 4:
George Whitefield Chadwick
Born: Lowell, Massachusetts, 13 November 1854
Died: Boston, Massachusetts, 4 April 1931
"Mr. Chadwick is intensely interested in making his country a better place
in which to live through the refining influence of good music."
George W. Chadwick was among the first rank of American composers during the late 19th century and early 20th centuries.
After early organ studies with Dudley Buck and Eugene Thayer at the New England Conservatory of Music, Chadwick went to Germany for studies with Salomon Jadassohn and Josef Rheinberger. Upon returning to Boston in 1880, Chadwick became a teacher at the New England Conservatory and later became the director in 1897. He served in that position until his death in 1931.
There have been a number of recordings of his instrumental music
(piano pieces, organ works, overtures, symphonies and chamber music).
Yet much of his choral music and songs remain neglected.Along with John Knowles Paine (1839-1906), Chadwick was one of the
most respected members of the Second New England School, as it became to be known.The First New England School consisted of 18th century composers, such
as: William Billings and Oliver Holden, which were the names used for a choral society in the 19th century.As an illustration of the considerable respect Chadwick received, this is an excerpt from A Book of Choruses for High Schools and Choral Societies (1923):
He has composed five overtures, Rip Van Winkle, Thalia, Melpomene, Adonis, Euterpe; three symphonies; an opera, Judith; various smaller orchestral works, choral works, string quartets, and a number of anthems and songs. He was selected to compose the opening ode for the dedication of the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Probably no American composer has had a larger influence on the development of music in this country. Mr. Chadwick's works have won a permanent place in the repertoires of orchestras, choruses, choirs, and singers the world over, and a performance of one of his compositions is an event both in this country and in the art centers of Europe.
As conductor he has played an important part in stimulating a love for the best choral and instrumental literature. As organist and composer of church music he has notably improved standards of taste in that field. As teacher and Director of the New England Conservatory of Music he has led thousands of America's finest young musicians to a truer realization of the dignity of their profession and to a consciousness of their responsibility which the American musician owes to his art and to his community.
Mr. Chadwick is intensely interested in making his country a better place in which to live through the refining influence of good music.
That is high praise indeed for this New England composer who deserves much more recognition today as one of the most talented of American composers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I have admired his music for many years, and as a composer myself.
I am pleased that several of his choral works were performed by the Old Stoughton Musical Society and are now available on this CD -
"Praise Ye The Lord" - Music by Six New England Composers (AMRC 0003)
To paraphrase one of his impressive choral works, he was a composer of...
"All Power and Might."
--Roger Lee Hall, Director, Center for American MusicPreservation
LAND OF OUR HEARTS
A chorus for mixed voices (1918)
music by George Whitefield Chadwick
This chorus was recorded live in concert
and available on this limited edition DVD-ROM:
Here are a few CDs with Chadwick's instrumental music:
Chadwick: Four Symphonic Sketches & other composers
Chadwick: Symphonies No. 2 and 3
American Character:
Piano Music of George Whitefield Chadwick
Related Links on AMP
Essential American Recordings Survey (EARS)
New England Composer Series: Edwin A. Jones
New England Song Series No. 1: BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC
(Tune: Glory, Hallelujah)New England Song Series No. 2: GOIN' HOME
(Theme: Largo from Dvorak's Symphony from The New World)New England Song Series No. 3: JINGLE BELLS
New England Song Series No. 4: SIMPLE GIFTS
New England Song Series No. 5: SONG OF THE OLD FOLKS
(Tune: Auld Lang Syne)New England Song Series No. 6: FATHER AND I WENT DOWN TO CAMP
(Tune: Yankee Doodle)Singing Stoughton - America's Oldest Choral Society
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