John Alden Carpenter
Encyclopedia
John Alden Carpenter was an American
composer
.
, Carpenter was raised in a musical household. He was educated at Harvard University
, where he studied under John Knowles Paine
, and was president of the Glee Club
and wrote music for the Hasty-Pudding Club. Showing great promise as a composer, he journeyed to London
to study under Sir Edward Elgar
, later returning to the United States to study under Bernhard Ziehn in Chicago
. It was there he earned a comfortable living as vice-president of the family business, a mill supply company. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
music fraternity.
Carpenter composed many works meant to encompass the spirit of America, including the patriotic, The Home Road, and several jazz
-inspired works. He composed several ballets, including one based on the Krazy Kat
comics, and one in 1926, possibly his best-known, titled Skyscrapers set in New York (and which was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera), but equally inspired by his native Chicago. One of his most famous works was 1914's impressionistic orchestral suite Adventures in a Perambulator. In 1932 he completed The Song of Faith for the George Washington
bicentennial. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1933.
He died in Chicago in 1951.
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...
.
Biography
Born in Park Ridge, IllinoisPark Ridge, Illinois
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 37,775 people, 14,219 households, and 10,465 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,374.6 people per square mile . There were 14,646 housing units at an average density of 2,083.8 per square mile...
, Carpenter was raised in a musical household. He was educated at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he studied under John Knowles Paine
John Knowles Paine
John Knowles Paine , was the first American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music.-Life:He studied organ, orchestration, and composition in Germany and toured in Europe for three years...
, and was president of the Glee Club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
and wrote music for the Hasty-Pudding Club. Showing great promise as a composer, he journeyed to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to study under Sir Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
, later returning to the United States to study under Bernhard Ziehn in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It was there he earned a comfortable living as vice-president of the family business, a mill supply company. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
music fraternity.
Carpenter composed many works meant to encompass the spirit of America, including the patriotic, The Home Road, and several jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-inspired works. He composed several ballets, including one based on the Krazy Kat
Krazy Kat
Krazy Kat is an American comic strip created by cartoonist George Herriman, published daily in newspapers between 1913 and 1944. It first appeared in the New York Evening Journal, whose owner, William Randolph Hearst, was a major booster for the strip throughout its run...
comics, and one in 1926, possibly his best-known, titled Skyscrapers set in New York (and which was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera), but equally inspired by his native Chicago. One of his most famous works was 1914's impressionistic orchestral suite Adventures in a Perambulator. In 1932 he completed The Song of Faith for the George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
bicentennial. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1933.
He died in Chicago in 1951.
External links
- John Alden Carpenter letters to Remsen Bird at the Newberry Library
- John Alden Carpenter Papers at the Newberry Library