Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

January 5, 1871 in Newton, MA

Death

:

June 8, 1940 in Westwood, MA

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Opera

 

 

Orchestral

 

Frederick Converse was an American composer who was born on January 5, 1871, in Newton, Massachusetts. He was the son of a wealthy businessman and was raised in a family that valued education and the arts. Converse showed an early interest in music and began taking piano lessons at the age of six. He later studied composition with John Knowles Paine, who was a prominent composer and music educator at Harvard University. Converse attended Harvard University, where he earned a degree in music in 1893. He then went to Munich, Germany, to study composition with Ludwig Thuille and piano with Josef Rheinberger. While in Munich, Converse was exposed to the music of Richard Wagner and other German composers, which had a significant influence on his own compositions. After returning to the United States, Converse began a career as a composer and music educator. He taught at several institutions, including the New England Conservatory of Music and Harvard University. He also served as the director of the MacDowell Colony, which was a retreat for artists and writers in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Converse's compositions were primarily in the classical style, and he was known for his use of orchestration and harmony. His early works were influenced by German Romanticism, but he later incorporated elements of American folk music and jazz into his compositions. Converse's most famous work is his Symphony in E-flat major, which was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1908. The symphony was well-received and established Converse as a prominent American composer. In addition to his symphony, Converse composed several other orchestral works, including a suite for orchestra, a tone poem, and a ballet. He also wrote chamber music, including a string quartet and a piano trio. Converse's vocal music includes several art songs and a cantata. Converse was a member of several musical organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and served as the president of the American Guild of Organists. Converse's career as a composer was cut short by his death on June 8, 1940, in Westwood, Massachusetts. However, his contributions to American classical music were significant, and his works continue to be performed and recorded today.

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