Celeste de Longpré Heckscher
Encyclopedia
Celeste de Longpré Heckscher née Massey (b. 23 February 1860, d. 18 February 1928) was an American composer.
, the daughter of Robert Valentine Massey Jr. and Julia Whitney Pratt Massey. She began composing at the age of ten but her parents objected to her study of music. She married banker and steel merchant John Austin Stevens Heckscher in 1883 and had four children.
After her marriage, Heckscher studied composition with Henry Albert Lang and orchestration with Wasili Leps in Philadelphia, and later continued her studies in Europe
. In 1913 Heckscher gave a concert of her own compositions in New York
at the Aeolian Hall
. In 1918 she premiered her opera The Rose of Destiny at the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia as a fund-raiser for the Red Cross. She was active in and served as president of the Philadelphia Operatic Society for a number of years. She died in Germantown
, Philadelphia.
Life
Celeste de Longpré Massey was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, the daughter of Robert Valentine Massey Jr. and Julia Whitney Pratt Massey. She began composing at the age of ten but her parents objected to her study of music. She married banker and steel merchant John Austin Stevens Heckscher in 1883 and had four children.
After her marriage, Heckscher studied composition with Henry Albert Lang and orchestration with Wasili Leps in Philadelphia, and later continued her studies in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1913 Heckscher gave a concert of her own compositions in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at the Aeolian Hall
Aeolian Hall (New York)
Aeolian Hall was a concert hall near Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, New York City located on the third floor of 29-33 West 42nd Street across the street from Bryant Park. The Aeolian Building was built in 1912 for the Aeolian Company, which manufactured pianos...
. In 1918 she premiered her opera The Rose of Destiny at the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia as a fund-raiser for the Red Cross. She was active in and served as president of the Philadelphia Operatic Society for a number of years. She died in Germantown
Germantown
- Places :in the United States* Germantown, California, former name of Artois, California* Germantown, Connecticut* Germantown, Illinois* Germantown, Decatur County, Indiana...
, Philadelphia.
Works
Selected works include:- The Rose of Destiny, opera
- The Flight of Time, opera
- The Norse Maiden's Lament
- To the Forest, opera
- Impromptu, for piano
- Au Fond, for piano
- Valse Bohême, book of seven songs
- Romance for cello
- Dances of the Pyrenees, orchestral suite and ballet