217
The MacDowell Colony in New
Hampshire, pictured here in 1948, has
supported thousands of artists since- MacDowell’s pianist wife, Marian,
led the colony for almost 25 years.
See also: Dvorˇ ák’s Symphony No. 9 212–215 ■ Ives’s Symphony No. 4 254–255 ■
Rhapsody in Blue 258–261 ■ Ionisation 268–269 ■ Appalachian Spring 286–287NATIONALISM 1830–1920
He was mentored by Liszt, who
introduced the young composer to
publishers in Leipzig during his
time in Germany.Country life
MacDowell published orchestral
works, concertos, sonatas, and
songs but is universally identified
with miniature piano pieces, and
most particularly the Woodland
Sketches of 1896. Following on from
a tradition started by Mendelssohn
and Schumann—writing suites of
short works aimed at the amateur
domestic market—these could also
be seen as a counterpart to Grieg’scontemporaneous Lyric Pieces, due
to their inherent nationalism and
celebration of the countryside.
Woodland Sketches is an opus
of ten pieces. Possibly inspired by
MacDowell’s move to the farm that
later became the artist’s colony
bearing his name, they celebrate
not only the landscape but also the
everyday American experience. In
parts such as “A Deserted Farm”
and “At an Old Trysting Place,”
they also borrowed some melodic
material from Native American
songs. Tending toward starker
textures than European Romantic
piano music, and occasionally
verging on impressionistic harmony,
as in the more complex “By a
Meadow Brook,” these sketches
contain elements that became a
part of the American musical
language of the 1920s and 1930s. ■Edward MacDowell
Born in New York in 1860,
MacDowell studied the piano
from early childhood and, at
the age of 17, was offered a
scholarship to the Paris
Conservatoire. After his time
in Paris, he went to Frankfurt
to study composition with
Joachim Raff. Raff introduced
him to Franz Liszt, who
arranged a performance of
MacDowell’s First Modern
Suite, Op. 10 in Zurich.
In 1888, MacDowell
returned to New York and
premiered his Piano Concerto
No. 2. He was then invited to
create a department of music
at Columbia University. Eight
years later, he resigned in a
dispute over courses. Amid
the bad publicity, MacDowell
suffered a nervous breakdown
and further health problems.
He never recovered. Just
before his death in 1908, he
and his wife established the
MacDowell Colony, where
artists of all kinds are
supported in residence.Other key works1883 First Modern Suite, Op. 10
1890 Piano Concerto No. 2,
Op. 23
1892 Indian Suite, Op. 48US_216-217_Edward_MacDowell.indd 217 26/03/18 1:01 PM