Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin
Encyclopedia
Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin (November 25, 1862February 17, 1901) was an American
pianist
and composer
.
, in Edgeworth, Pennsylvania
. There he spent the first sixteen years of his life, and received all his schooling, most of it from his father, Robert P. Nevin, editor and proprietor of a Pittsburgh newspaper, and a contributor to many magazines. It is interesting to note that he also composed several campaign songs, among them the popular "Our Nominee," used in the day of James K. Polk
's candidacy. The first grand piano
ever taken across the Allegheny Mountains
was carted over for Nevin's mother. Other members of the Nevin family showed musical inclinations as well; Nevin's younger brother, Arthur
, also achieved some renown as a composer, as did his cousins George
and Gordon Balch Nevin
.
From his earliest infancy Nevin was musically inclined, and was playing the piano at the age of four. Cushions were piled on the pedals to enable him to reach them. Nevin's father provided for his son both vocal and instrumental instruction, even taking him abroad for two years of travel and music study in Dresden
under Von Böhme. In 1878, he attended Western University, now known as the University of Pittsburgh
, but left at the end of his freshman year in 1879. Later he studied the piano for two years at Boston
, under Benjamin Johnson Lang
, and composition under Stephen A. Emery.
At the end of two years he went to Pittsburgh, where he gave lessons, and saved money enough to take him to Berlin
. There he spent the years 1884, 1885, and 1886, placing himself in the hands of Karl Klindworth
. Of him Nevin says: "To Herr Klindworth I owe everything that has come to me in my musical life. He was a devoted teacher, and his patience was tireless. His endeavor was not only to develop the student from a musical standpoint, but to enlarge his soul in every way. To do this, he tried to teach one to appreciate and to feel the influence of such great minds of literature as Goethe
, Schiller
, and Shakespeare
. He used to insist that a man does not become a musician by practising so many hours a day at the piano, but by absorbing an influence from all the arts and all the interests of life, from architecture, painting, and even politics."
The effect of such broad training, enjoyed rarely enough by music students, is very evident in Nevin's compositions. They are never narrow or provincial. They are the outpourings of a soul that is not only intense in its activities, but is refined and cultivated in its expressions. This effect is seen, too, in the poems Nevin chooses to set to music; they are almost without exception verses of literary finish and value. His cosmopolitanism is also remarkable, his songs in French, German, and Italian having no trace of Yankee accent and a great fidelity to their several races.
In 1885, Hans von Bülow
incorporated the best four pupils of his friend, Klindworth, into an artist class, which he drilled personally. Nevin was one of the honored four, and appeared at the unique public Zuhören of that year, devoted exclusively to the works of Johannes Brahms
, Franz Liszt
, and Joachim Raff
. Among the forty or fifty studious listeners at these recitals, Frau Cosima Wagner
, the violinist Joseph Joachim
, and many other celebrities were frequently present.
Nevin returned to America in 1887, and took up his residence in Boston, where he taught and played at occasional concerts.
In 1892 he went to Paris
, where he taught singing, and he coached many American and French artists for the operatic stage. In 1893 he moved on to Berlin, where he worked so hard at composition that his health collapsed, and he spent a year in Algiers
. The early months of 1895 he spent in concert tours through this country. As Klindworth said of him, "he has a touch that brings tears," and it is in interpretation rather than in bravura
that he excels.
Seeking solitude and the right atmosphere for composition, he went to live in Florence
, where he composed his suite May in Tuscany (Op. 21). After a year in Venice
Nevin made Paris his home for a year, then returned to America, where he remained until his death.
Nevin was married to Anne Paul Nevin. They had two children. He died in New Haven, Connecticut
.
His best-remembered compositions are the piano piece Narcissus
from Water Scenes and the songs "The Rosary" and "Mighty Lak' a Rose
" (lyrics of the latter by Frank Lebby Stanton
).
Nevin was pictured on a 1940 ten cent U.S. postage stamp, one of the "Famous Americans" series.
, Contemporary American Composers, Boston, 1900.
Vance Thompson
, The Life of Ethelbert Nevin, Boston, 1913.
John Tasker Howard
, Ethelbert Nevin, New York, 1935.
Ngaio Marsh
, Overture to Death
, 1939, mentions a "Venetian Suite" by Nevin
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Biography
Nevin was born in 1862, at Vineacre, on the banks of the Ohio RiverOhio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, in Edgeworth, Pennsylvania
Edgeworth, Pennsylvania
Edgeworth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,680 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Edgeworth is located at ....
. There he spent the first sixteen years of his life, and received all his schooling, most of it from his father, Robert P. Nevin, editor and proprietor of a Pittsburgh newspaper, and a contributor to many magazines. It is interesting to note that he also composed several campaign songs, among them the popular "Our Nominee," used in the day of James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
's candidacy. The first grand piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
ever taken across the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
was carted over for Nevin's mother. Other members of the Nevin family showed musical inclinations as well; Nevin's younger brother, Arthur
Arthur Nevin
Arthur Nevin was an American composer, conductor, teacher and musicologist. Along with Charles Wakefield Cadman, Blair Fairchild, Charles Sanford Skilton, and Arthur Farwell, among others, he was one of the leading Indianist composers of the early twentieth century.-Biography:Born in Edgeworth,...
, also achieved some renown as a composer, as did his cousins George
George Balch Nevin
George Balch Nevin was an American composer and businessman. A member of the Nevin musical family, his cousins were the composers Ethelbert and Arthur Nevin; his son, Gordon Balch Nevin, also became a composer....
and Gordon Balch Nevin
Gordon Balch Nevin
Gordon Balch Nevin was an American composer and organist. A member of the Nevin musical family of Edgeworth, PA., his cousins were the composers Ethelbert and Arthur Nevin, and he was the son of composer and businessman George Balch Nevin...
.
From his earliest infancy Nevin was musically inclined, and was playing the piano at the age of four. Cushions were piled on the pedals to enable him to reach them. Nevin's father provided for his son both vocal and instrumental instruction, even taking him abroad for two years of travel and music study in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
under Von Böhme. In 1878, he attended Western University, now known as the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, but left at the end of his freshman year in 1879. Later he studied the piano for two years at Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, under Benjamin Johnson Lang
Benjamin Johnson Lang
Benjamin Johnson Lang was an American conductor, pianist, organist, teacher and composer. He introduced a large amount of music to American ears, including the world premiere of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No...
, and composition under Stephen A. Emery.
At the end of two years he went to Pittsburgh, where he gave lessons, and saved money enough to take him to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. There he spent the years 1884, 1885, and 1886, placing himself in the hands of Karl Klindworth
Karl Klindworth
Karl Klindworth was a German composer, pianist, conductor, violinist and music publisher.-Biography:Klindworth was born at Hanover in 1830. For a time he conducted a traveling opera troupe, but settled in Hanover as a teacher and composer. From there he went to Weimar, 1852, and studied the piano...
. Of him Nevin says: "To Herr Klindworth I owe everything that has come to me in my musical life. He was a devoted teacher, and his patience was tireless. His endeavor was not only to develop the student from a musical standpoint, but to enlarge his soul in every way. To do this, he tried to teach one to appreciate and to feel the influence of such great minds of literature as Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
, Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
, and Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. He used to insist that a man does not become a musician by practising so many hours a day at the piano, but by absorbing an influence from all the arts and all the interests of life, from architecture, painting, and even politics."
The effect of such broad training, enjoyed rarely enough by music students, is very evident in Nevin's compositions. They are never narrow or provincial. They are the outpourings of a soul that is not only intense in its activities, but is refined and cultivated in its expressions. This effect is seen, too, in the poems Nevin chooses to set to music; they are almost without exception verses of literary finish and value. His cosmopolitanism is also remarkable, his songs in French, German, and Italian having no trace of Yankee accent and a great fidelity to their several races.
In 1885, Hans von Bülow
Hans von Bülow
Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. He was one of the most famous conductors of the 19th century, and his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, including Richard...
incorporated the best four pupils of his friend, Klindworth, into an artist class, which he drilled personally. Nevin was one of the honored four, and appeared at the unique public Zuhören of that year, devoted exclusively to the works of Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, and Joachim Raff
Joachim Raff
Joseph Joachim Raff was a German-Swiss composer, teacher and pianist.-Biography:Raff was born in Lachen in Switzerland. His father, a teacher, had fled there from Württemberg in 1810 to escape forced recruitment into the military of that southwestern German state that had to fight for Napoleon in...
. Among the forty or fifty studious listeners at these recitals, Frau Cosima Wagner
Cosima Wagner
Cosima Francesca Gaetana Wagner, née de Flavigny, from 1844 known as Cosima Liszt; was the daughter of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt...
, the violinist Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
, and many other celebrities were frequently present.
Nevin returned to America in 1887, and took up his residence in Boston, where he taught and played at occasional concerts.
In 1892 he went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he taught singing, and he coached many American and French artists for the operatic stage. In 1893 he moved on to Berlin, where he worked so hard at composition that his health collapsed, and he spent a year in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. The early months of 1895 he spent in concert tours through this country. As Klindworth said of him, "he has a touch that brings tears," and it is in interpretation rather than in bravura
Bravura
In classical music, a bravura is a virtuosic passage intended to show off the skill of a performer, generally as a solo, and often in a cadenza. It can also be used as an adjective , or to refer to a performance of extraordinary virtuosity. The term comes from the Italian language for great skill....
that he excels.
Seeking solitude and the right atmosphere for composition, he went to live in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, where he composed his suite May in Tuscany (Op. 21). After a year in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
Nevin made Paris his home for a year, then returned to America, where he remained until his death.
Nevin was married to Anne Paul Nevin. They had two children. He died in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
.
His best-remembered compositions are the piano piece Narcissus
Narcissus (music)
Narcissus is a piece of music composed for the piano in 1891 by Ethelbert Nevin. It is fourth of the five pieces in the suite Water Scenes. The composer recalled the Greek myth of Narcissus and, upon rereading the story, the music came quickly. The first draft was written immediately and was...
from Water Scenes and the songs "The Rosary" and "Mighty Lak' a Rose
Mighty Lak' a Rose
Mighty Lak' a Rose is a 1901 song with lyrics by Frank Lebby Stanton and music by Ethelbert Nevin.The lyrics are written in an approximation of an African American accent; such "dialect songs" were common in the era. The title thus means "Mighty like a rose"; this assessment is addressed by a...
" (lyrics of the latter by Frank Lebby Stanton
Frank Lebby Stanton
Frank Lebby Stanton—born February 22, 1857 in Charleston, South Carolina, died January 7, 1927 in Atlanta, Georgia, and frequently credited as Frank L. Stanton, Frank Stanton or F. L...
).
Nevin was pictured on a 1940 ten cent U.S. postage stamp, one of the "Famous Americans" series.
Piano pieces
- Lilian Polka (1874)
- Op. 2 Sketchbook (1888)
- 1 Gavotte
- 3 Love Song
- 5 Berceuse
- 7 Serenata
- 9 Valse Rhapsodie
- Op. 6 Three Duets (1890)
- 1 Valse Caprice
- 2 Country Dance
- 3 Mazurka
- Op. 7 Four Compositions (1890)
- 1 Valser Gentile
- 2 Slumber Song
- 3 Intermezzo
- 4 Song of the Brook
- Op. 8 Melody and Habanera for Violin and Piano (1891)
- Op. 13 Water Scenes (1891)
- 1 Dragon Fly
- 2 Ophelia
- 3 Water Nymph
- 4 Narcissus
- 5 Barcarolle
- Op. 16 In Arcady (1892)
- 1 A Shepherd's Tale
- 2 Shepherds All and Maidens Fair
- 3 Lullabye
- 4 Tournament
- Op. 18 Two Etudes (1892)
- 1 In the Form of a Romance
- 2 In the Form of a Scherzo
- Barcarolle for Violin and Piano (1893)
- La Guitare (1896)
- Op. 21 May in Tuscany (1896)
- 1 Arlecchino
- 2 Notturno
- 3 Barchetta
- 4 Misericordia
- 5 Il Rusignuolo
- 6 La Pastorella
- Op. 25 A Day in Venice (1898)
- 1 Alba
- 2 Gondolieri
- 3 Canzone amorosa
- 4 Buona Notte
- Op. 30 En Passant (1899)
- 1 A Fontainebleau
- 2 In Dreamland
- 3 Napoli
- 4 At Home
- O'er Hill and Dale (1902)
- 1 'Twas a Lover and His Lass
- 2 The Thrush
- 3 Love Is A-Straying, Ever Since Maying
- 4 The Lark Is on the Wing
Songs
- Bed-Time Song (1887)
- Op. 2 Sketchbook (1888)
- 2 Im Wunderschönen Monat Mai
- 4 Du Bist Wie Eine Blume
- 6 Lehn Deine Wang' an Meine Wang'
- 8 Oh! That We Two Were Maying
- 10 In Winter I Get Up at Night - Of Speckled Eggs the Birdie Sings - Dark Brown Is the River
- Op. 3 Three Songs (1888)
- 1 Deep in a Rose's Glowing Heart
- 2 One Spring Morning
- 3 Doris
- Op. 5 Five Songs (1889)
- 1 Herbstgefuhl
- 2 La Chanson des Lavandieres
- 3 'Twas April
- 4 Raft Song
- 5 Before the Daybreak
- Op. 9 Wynken, Blynken, and NodWynken, Blynken, and Nod"Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" is a popular poem for children written by American writer and poet Eugene Field and published on March 9, 1889. The original title was Dutch Lullaby....
(1890)
- Op. 12 Songs for Soprano or Tenor (1891)
- 1 A Summer Day
- 2 Beat Upon Mine, Little Heart
- 3 In a Bower
- 4 Little Boy Blue
- 5 At Twilight
- Op. 17 Three Songs (1892)
- 1 Hab' ein Roslein
- 2 Le Vase Brise
- 3 Rappelle-toi
- Op. 20 A Book of Songs (1893)
- 1 A Fair Good Morn
- 2 Sleep, Little Tulip
- 3 Every Night
- 4 Airly Beacon
- 5 When the Land was White with Moonlight
- 6 A Song of Love
- 7 Nocturne
- 8 Dites-moi
- 9 Orsola's song
- 10 In der Nacht
- The Rosary (1898)
- Op. 28 Songs from Vineacre (issued separately)
- 1 A Necklace of Love (1899)
- 2 Sleeping and Dreaming (1899)
- 3 Mon dèsir (1899)
- 4 The Nightingale's Song (1899)
- 5 Dream-maker man (1900)
- 6 La lune blanche (1900)
- 7 Ein Heldenlied (1900)
- 8 Ein Liedchen (1900)
- An African Love Song (1901)
- Mighty Lak' a RoseMighty Lak' a RoseMighty Lak' a Rose is a 1901 song with lyrics by Frank Lebby Stanton and music by Ethelbert Nevin.The lyrics are written in an approximation of an African American accent; such "dialect songs" were common in the era. The title thus means "Mighty like a rose"; this assessment is addressed by a...
(1901), lyrics by Frank Lebby StantonFrank Lebby StantonFrank Lebby Stanton—born February 22, 1857 in Charleston, South Carolina, died January 7, 1927 in Atlanta, Georgia, and frequently credited as Frank L. Stanton, Frank Stanton or F. L...
(1894)
Publications
Rupert HughesRupert Hughes
Rupert Hughes was an American historian, novelist, film director and composer based in Hollywood. Hughes was born in Lancaster, Missouri. His parents were Felix Turner Hughes and Jean Amelia Summerlin, who were married in 1865. His brother Howard R. Hughes, Sr., co-founded the Hughes Tool Company....
, Contemporary American Composers, Boston, 1900.
Vance Thompson
Vance Thompson
Vance Thompson was an American literary critic, novelist and poet. The son of a Pittsburgh pastor, he was educated at Princeton University and graduated in 1883. He later studied in Germany, and worked as a dramatic critic in New York City from 1890 to 1897...
, The Life of Ethelbert Nevin, Boston, 1913.
John Tasker Howard
John Tasker Howard
John Tasker Howard was an early American music historian, radio host, writer, lecturer, and composer...
, Ethelbert Nevin, New York, 1935.
Ngaio Marsh
Ngaio Marsh
Dame Ngaio Marsh DBE , born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900...
, Overture to Death
Overture to Death
Overture to Death is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the eighth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1939. The plot concerns a murder during a village theatrical performance; Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor plays a prominent part in the story. So...
, 1939, mentions a "Venetian Suite" by Nevin