Henry F. Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Henry Franklin Belknap Gilbert (September 26, 1868–May 19, 1928) was an American
composer
and collector of folk songs. He is best remembered today for his interest in the music of African-Americans around the turn of the 20th century.
Gilbert was born in Somerville, Massachusetts
, and attended the New England Conservatory; among his teachers were Edward MacDowell
, for composition, and Emil Mollenhauer, for violin. Upon graduation, Gilbert embarked upon a career in business. In 1900 he attended a performance of Gustave Charpentier
's Louise
which sent him back to music, and he soon became interested in American folk and popular music in particular. His Negro Episode—adapted from pieces he had heard on field trips—was performed in New York in 1896, and in 1905 he completed Americanesque, an orchestral suite based on three tunes from minstrel show
s.
Gilbert's interest in folk music had led him to the music of American blacks, and it was through using black folk tunes that he gained his first major success with 1910's Comedy Overture on Negro Themes
fas a ballet by the Metropolitan Opera Company in 1918. It was given to acclaim at the International Festival of Contemporary Music in Frankfurt-am-Main on July 1, 1927, with the composer in attendance, though by this time Gilbert was an invalid, and died less than a year later, in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. He had a congenital heart malformation known as Tetralogy of Fallot
, and his case was published by White
and Sprague in the Journal of the American Medical Association
.
Although Gilbert's music was generally well-regarded during his lifetime, his reputation has declined since his death; today, his music is little played.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and collector of folk songs. He is best remembered today for his interest in the music of African-Americans around the turn of the 20th century.
Gilbert was born in Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, and attended the New England Conservatory; among his teachers were Edward MacDowell
Edward MacDowell
Edward Alexander MacDowell was an American composer and pianist of the Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites "Woodland Sketches", "Sea Pieces", and "New England Idylls". "Woodland Sketches" includes his most popular short piece, "To a Wild Rose"...
, for composition, and Emil Mollenhauer, for violin. Upon graduation, Gilbert embarked upon a career in business. In 1900 he attended a performance of Gustave Charpentier
Gustave Charpentier
Gustave Charpentier, , born in Dieuze, Moselle on 25 June 1860, died Paris, 18 February 1956) was a French composer, best known for his opera Louise.-Life and career:...
's Louise
Louise (opera)
Louise is an opera in four acts by Gustave Charpentier to an original French libretto by the composer, with some contributions by Saint-Pol-Roux, a symbolist poet and inspiration of the surrealists....
which sent him back to music, and he soon became interested in American folk and popular music in particular. His Negro Episode—adapted from pieces he had heard on field trips—was performed in New York in 1896, and in 1905 he completed Americanesque, an orchestral suite based on three tunes from minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
s.
Gilbert's interest in folk music had led him to the music of American blacks, and it was through using black folk tunes that he gained his first major success with 1910's Comedy Overture on Negro Themes
Comedy Overture on Negro Themes
The Comedy Overture on Negro Themes is a concert overture composed in 1910 by Henry F. Gilbert; it was first performed in Central Park, New York City, by the Municipal Symphony on August 17, 1910. The piece derives its main melodic material from three black folk songs...
fas a ballet by the Metropolitan Opera Company in 1918. It was given to acclaim at the International Festival of Contemporary Music in Frankfurt-am-Main on July 1, 1927, with the composer in attendance, though by this time Gilbert was an invalid, and died less than a year later, in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. He had a congenital heart malformation known as Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect which is classically understood to involve four anatomical abnormalities...
, and his case was published by White
Paul Dudley White
Paul Dudley White , American physician and cardiologist, was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Herbert Warren White and Elizabeth Abigail Dudley. White's interest in medicine was sparked early in life, when he accompanied his father, a family practitioner, on rounds and house calls in a...
and Sprague in the Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
.
Although Gilbert's music was generally well-regarded during his lifetime, his reputation has declined since his death; today, his music is little played.