Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1857

Death

:

1906

Genre

:

Film

 

 

Vocal

 

Paul Dresser was an American composer and singer who was born on April 22, 1858, in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was the youngest of ten children and grew up in a musical family. His father, Johann Paul Dreiser, was a German immigrant who played the violin and his mother, Mary Dreiser, was a singer and pianist. Dresser began his musical career as a performer in traveling minstrel shows. He later moved to New York City and began writing songs for Tin Pan Alley publishers. His first big hit was "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away," which he wrote in 1897. The song became one of the most popular songs of the era and was adopted as the state song of Indiana in 1913. Dresser's success as a songwriter led him to pursue a career as a composer of classical music. He studied composition with George Whitefield Chadwick and began writing orchestral works. His most famous classical work is his symphonic poem "The Maid of Orleans," which was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896. In addition to his classical works, Dresser continued to write popular songs. He wrote over 150 songs during his career, including "My Gal Sal," "The Letter That Never Came," and "Just Tell Them That You Saw Me." His songs were performed by some of the most famous singers of the era, including Enrico Caruso and John McCormack. Dresser was also a successful performer. He toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, performing his own songs and classical works. He was known for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. Despite his success, Dresser struggled with alcoholism and financial problems throughout his life. He died on January 30, 1906, in New York City at the age of 47. He was buried in Terre Haute, Indiana, where a statue was erected in his honor. Today, Dresser is remembered as one of the most important composers of the late 19th century. His songs and classical works continue to be performed and recorded, and his legacy as a pioneer of American music lives on.

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