Edward Macdowell

[kolaboy]

I've always loved the music of Edward Macdowell, and have over the years sought out any biographical information on the composer that I could lay my hands on. Unfortunately, I feel that the extant biographies do neither the man, nor his compositions justice.

That being said, I recently came across an interesting passage in John Fielder Porte's 1922 biographical sketch:

"He felt, too, that he was growing away from pianoforte work and had he lived there would have been further and more representative symphonic poems and at least one symphony from his pen, three movements of the latter being among his unfinished manuscripts."

Now, I may have led a sheltered life, but I'd not heard about the existence of these symphonic movements (whatever their degree of completion). And they are apparently not related to the other aborted Macdowell symphony (Two Fragments After The Song Of Roland Op.90)

You'd think in a novelty-hungry world that some enterprising Newbould or Cooke would have
jumped on these. If they do indeed exist, I hope they will eventually see the light of day.

[eschiss1]

this is ringing a bell, though there was some sort of very cautionary note attached (... about the amount of the remaining music?) where I read it, I seem to recall- not where it was or what that caution was...

[chill319]

There is a great deal about MacDowell that has not been published and that can no longer be recovered. In 1969, when MacDowell could not have been more passé,  I considered writing a biography. In that connection I spoke with various knowledgeable parties in NYC. One told me that I'd better get up to New Hampshire quickly, while MacDowell's mistress was still alive. Impossible, I thought! In 1969! But further conversation and details convinced. A few days later I was drafted, and that was the end of that.

[kolaboy]

"There is a great deal about MacDowell that has not been published and that can no longer be recovered"

Ah... may I ask if you're referring to biographical information, or compositions - or both? Either way, it's tragic. It's unbelievable to me that one of America's first important composers has been treated so shabbily over the years. I wonder who has possession of his writings/sketches/unpublished works at this point?

Thanks for replying,

DM

[eschiss1]

in some ways one is fortunate- for few composers is there so useful a book freely scanned in (I do not know its flaws offhand but that it has them goes without saying) as  Catalogue of first editions of Edward MacDowell, 1861-1908 published by the Library of Congress some while back (it may only be viewable in the United States via Google Books at present but perhaps that can be rectified.)

[chill319]

There have been refinements to our information over the last 90 or so years, to be sure, but yes, Sonneck did a great job on that, and it's great to have access to it online.

The symphony sketch, the late sketches for a puppet operetta, and so on are all things I haven't seen. I assume you've read Lowens.

[Finn_McCool]

There's an Edward MacDowell exhibit this week at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.  It's part of the free "NextNOW" festival, which is described as "a signature event in University of Maryland's Arts for All initiative, which leverages the combined power of the arts, technology and social justice to address the grand challenges of our time."  Inside the Clarice Smith Center, there is a performing arts library called the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library and the MacDowell exhibit is housed within a gallery that connects the library to the larger building.  The information on the NextNOW website is a little confusing as it seems to indicate that the exhibit is only available at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.  That seemed a little odd to me, so I called over there and I was told that the exhibit is open whenever the library is open.  The library's hours are listed as being 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday.  The library website lists Saturday, September 10th as a day the library is closed; however, the NextNOW festival is still going on Saturday, so one would think the exhibit would still be available then.

Here's the official blurb:

The current exhibit at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library features Edward MacDowell (1860-1908), who was one of the first seven people to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and known as the first internationally recognized American composer. The artists' residency and workshop in New Hampshire (known now as MacDowell) is named after him. The exhibit showcases the life and works of this pianist and composer with scores, letters, and photographs from the Special Collections in Performing Arts (an archive housed in MSPAL).

Venue:

Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library

Since I live nearby, I stopped by over the weekend to see it and, frankly, there's not much there.  Unless you live nearby, I wouldn't recommend a trip to see it. 

Here's what I saw:

7 placards:
1. Edward MacDowell: An American Composer's Legacy
2. Compositional Process
3. MacDowell and Music Publishing
4. Marian, Edward and Peterborough, New Hampshire
5. Piano Compositions
6. Early Recorded Piano Music
7. Margery Lowens and Collecting on MacDowell


5 display cases:
- 1 case was about the MacDowell colony
- 1 case was about Ann McMillan, who spent several months at the MacDowell colony in 1970/1971
- 1 case had some old 78 records and published sheet music
- 1 case included a string quartet sketch, a piano sketch, a note from his wife explaining his health situation to his publisher and some pages showing the composer experimenting with text setting
- 1 case included a draft of a concert program, photographs and letters to fans

1 tablet with 5 selections:
1. Gong Song by Ann McMillan
2. Hexentanz
3. Piano Concerto No.2 (first movement)
4. Sonata Tragica
5. To a Wild Rose

All the exhibits in the display cases came from the Dr. Margery Morgan Lowens collection on Edward McDowell, which is housed there at the library.