Sidney Homer
Encyclopedia
Sidney Homer was a classical composer
, primarily of songs.
Born in Boston
, Massachusetts
, USA, in 1864 (sometimes listed as 1865), he was the youngest child of deaf parents. He attended Phillips Academy
, Andover
, in the Class of 1884, but did not attend college. He married contralto
Louise Dilworth Beatty
in 1895. The couple had six children, including authors Anne Homer
and Joy Homer. Sidney Homer died in 1953 in Winter Park, Florida
. Sidney Homer's influence included his mentoring and supporting his nephew composer Samuel Barber
. Scholarship on Homer was a particular focus of musicologist Harry Colin Thorpe.
Homer was the composer of the tune for "A Plantation Ditty" with lyrics by Frank Lebby Stanton
.
Homer composed many of his songs with the voice of his famous wife in mind. Among his most famous songs are "A Banjo Song" (Weeden), "Requiem" (Stevenson), "Casey at the Bat" (Thayer), and "The House that Jack Built" ("Mother Goose.")
Sidney and Louise had six children, including twin daughters Anne and Kathryn, son Sidney jr. (a famous economist and author), and daughter Louise "jr."
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...
, primarily of songs.
Born in 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...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA, in 1864 (sometimes listed as 1865), he was the youngest child of deaf parents. He attended Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
, Andover
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, in the Class of 1884, but did not attend college. He married contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
Louise Dilworth Beatty
Louise Homer
Louise Homer was an American operatic contralto who had an active international career in concert halls and opera houses from 1895 until her retirement in 1932. After a brief stint as a vaudeville entertainer in New England, she made her professional opera debut in France in 1898...
in 1895. The couple had six children, including authors Anne Homer
Anne Homer
Anne Homer Doerflinger was an American writer who is best known for her short works of fiction. Under the name Anne Homer she published more than 100 short stories in magazines like Good Housekeeping, The Ladies Home Journal, Mademoiselle, and The Saturday Evening Post among others...
and Joy Homer. Sidney Homer died in 1953 in Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Sidney Homer's influence included his mentoring and supporting his nephew composer Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
. Scholarship on Homer was a particular focus of musicologist Harry Colin Thorpe.
Homer was the composer of the tune for "A Plantation Ditty" with lyrics 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...
.
Homer composed many of his songs with the voice of his famous wife in mind. Among his most famous songs are "A Banjo Song" (Weeden), "Requiem" (Stevenson), "Casey at the Bat" (Thayer), and "The House that Jack Built" ("Mother Goose.")
Sidney and Louise had six children, including twin daughters Anne and Kathryn, son Sidney jr. (a famous economist and author), and daughter Louise "jr."