Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

April 23, 1877

Death

:

January 20, 1952

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

 

Vocal

 

Arthur Farwell was an American composer, pianist, and music educator who was born on March 23, 1872, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was the son of a prominent businessman and a mother who was a talented pianist. Farwell showed an early interest in music and began taking piano lessons at the age of six. He later studied with several prominent teachers, including Percy Goetschius and George Whitefield Chadwick. Farwell's early compositions were heavily influenced by the music of Native American tribes, which he had encountered during his travels in the American West. He was particularly interested in the music of the Navajo and Hopi tribes, and he incorporated elements of their music into his own compositions. Farwell's interest in Native American music was part of a larger movement in American music at the time, which sought to create a distinctively American style of classical music. In 1895, Farwell founded the Wa-Wan Press, a publishing company that specialized in music by American composers. The press was dedicated to promoting the work of American composers and to creating a distinctively American style of classical music. Farwell's own compositions were published by the Wa-Wan Press, as were works by other American composers such as Charles Ives and Carl Ruggles. Farwell's compositions were characterized by their use of unconventional scales and harmonies, as well as their incorporation of Native American melodies and rhythms. His most famous work is probably his "Navajo War Dance," which was inspired by the music of the Navajo tribe. The piece features driving rhythms and a distinctive melody that is based on a Navajo chant. Farwell was also a respected music educator, and he taught at several institutions throughout his career. He was a professor of music at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1912 to 1919, and he later taught at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Farwell was known for his innovative teaching methods, which emphasized the importance of improvisation and creativity in music. In addition to his work as a composer and educator, Farwell was also a pianist and conductor. He performed his own compositions in concerts throughout the United States, and he conducted several orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony and the New York Philharmonic. Farwell's contributions to American classical music were significant, and he played an important role in the development of a distinctively American style of classical music. His use of Native American melodies and rhythms was groundbreaking, and his work helped to inspire a generation of American composers who sought to create a music that was uniquely American. Today, Farwell is remembered as one of the pioneers of American classical music, and his work continues to be performed and studied by musicians and scholars around the world.

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