Edward MacDowell
Page, Elizabeth Fry
English
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Below is a summary of Edward MacDowell
E-text prepared by David Newman, Keith M. Eckrich, and the Project
EDWARD MACDOWELL
His Work and Ideals
by
ELIZABETH FRY PAGE
With Poetical Interpretations by the Author
New York
Dedicated to MRS. ALINE REESE BLONDNER
Founder and Honorary President of the MacDowell Club of Nashville,
Tennessee.
CONTENTS
PREFACE
EDWARD MACDOWELL
His Work and Ideals
POETICAL INTERPRETATIONS
To MacDowell
A. D. 1620
Song
In Deep Woods
Shadow Dance
At an Old Trysting-Place
To a Water Lily
Told at Sunset
To a Wild Rose
The Spirit Call
A Deserted Farm
In Memoriam
PREFACE
This is not merely an appreciation of Edward MacDowell as a man and a
composer, but a study of the influences and natural endowments that
combined to produce his style, a comparison of his work with that of
others who achieved fame in other branches of the fine arts, all of
which he felt were closely allied and supplemental, and a glance at
his ideals and their evolution at Peterboro.
Most of his compositions are written around some poetic idea and are
so suggestive and appealing to the imagination that in studying them
the native poetic fancy is easily aroused; but the full effect is lost
to the casual hearer who is not familiar with the theme. The
accompanying poems are interpretations of some of his best-known piano
numbers, based upon the briefly indicated poetic idea upon which they
are founded, reinforced by a careful intellectual study of each
composition and its appeal to the individual creative faculty of the
author.
The sonnet to MacDowell was written at the beginning of the two
darkened years preceding his death, when he forgot that there was such
a thing as music.
"A.D. 1620" and "Song" are from the "Sea Pieces." The former describes
the sailing of the galleon bearing the Pilgrim Fathers to America. The
"Song," which is distinctly Irish in its melody, seems to me to be
sung by a lad on board the galleon, who sings and whistles to keep up
the courage of his fellow-pilgrims, thereby forgetting his own pain.
The "Shadow Dance" is written three notes to two, and this difficult
musical form is represented by the three shadows dancing before two
people. "A Deserted Farm" is a lyric description of the now beautiful
"Hill Crest" as he found it. "The Spirit Call" is suggested by the
Celtic vein of mystery and haunting sadness pervading most of the
MacDowell music.
The sonnet "To a Wild Rose" was inspired by a rumor from the
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