Obscure Music Mondays

Frank Bridge (Feb. 26, 1879 - Jan. 10, 1941) was an English composer, conductor and violist. Born in Brighton, Bridge attended the Royal College of Music in London from 1899 to 1903, and spent much time playing in quartets, along with conducting as well. He decided to devote himself to composition, with one of his most famous students being Benjamin Britten, who respected and admired his teacher deeply. Continue reading →

Edward Alexander MaDowell (Dec. 18, 1860 - Jan. 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist, born in New York City. He was a part of the Second New England School, known more commonly as the Boston Six. Continue reading →

Arthur William Foote (March 5, 1853 - April 8, 1937) was an organist, pianist, and composer born in Salem, Massachusetts. Foote was part of the Second New England School, more commonly known as the Boston Six, along with Amy Beach, George Whitefield Chadwick, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine, and Horatio Parker. Foote, unlike the others in the Boston Six, was trained entirely in America, and his main teacher was Paine. Continue reading →

John Knowles Paine (Jan. 9, 1839 - April 25, 1906) was an organist and composer born in Maine, to a musical family. HIs grandfather built pipe organs, and his father and uncles were all music teachers. In the 1850s, Paine took organ and compositions with Hermann Kotzschmar, and completed his first composition (a string quartet) in 1855. He was appointed organist of Portland's Haydn Society, and gave recitals to help fund a trip to Europe. Continue reading →

George Whitefield Chadwick (Nov. 13, 1854 - April 4, 1931) was an American composer, teacher, conductor, and organist. Along with composers Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine and Horatio Parker, he was a part of the Second New England School, more commonly known as the Boston Six. Continue reading →

Horatio William Parker (Sept. 15, 1863 - December 18, 1919 )was an American composer, teacher, and organist, who came to be a part of the Second New England School, also commonly known as the Boston Six, along with Amy Beach, George Whitefield Chadwick, Arthur Foote, Edward MacDowell, and John Knowles Paine. Continue reading →

Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (Sept. 5, 1867 - December 27, 1944) was an American composer and pianist.  Extremely gifted from a young age, Beach's talents seemed to run in the family, with various members playing instruments or singing, and showing great aptitude for music. Continue reading →

Marie-Juliette Olga "Lili" Boulanger (Aug. 21, 1893 - March 15, 1918) was a French composer, and  sister of the famous composer and teacher Nadia Boulanger. We have featured Lili's works before for Obscure Music Monday, which you can read about here and here, along with more of her background. Lili Boulanger was found to have perfect pitch at age 2, and...

Martin Pierre Dalvimare (Sept. 18, 1772 - June 3, 1839) was a French harpist and composer. He had a comfortable childhood, and learned both harp and harpsichord at a young age. Continue reading →

Paul (Russian: Pavel) Pabst (May 15, 1854 - June 9, 1897) was a pianist and composer born in to a family of musicians in East Prussia. Pabst was fortunate to meet Anton Rubinstein as a young child, and moved to Russia in 1878. In that same year, Pabst, who was an accomplished pianist by this time, accepted Nikolai Rubinstein's invitation to become a professor at the Moscow Conservatory. Continue reading →