Caroline Holme Walker (June 14, 1863 – January 19, 1955) was an American composer, pianist, and teacher who transcribed bird songs into standard musical notation. She was born in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Missouri. Walker studied with Anna Strothotte, James North, and Robert Goldbeck in St. Louis. After moving to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado, she studied with Linda Ostrander. She married John M. Walker in 1885, and they had a daughter (Elizabeth) before divorcing in 1911. Walker was one of the founders of the Tuesday Musical Club in Denver. She taught at the Wolcott Conservatory and maintained a private studio at Brinton Terrace, along with other musicians such as

Lola Carrier Worrell Lola Carrier Worrell (1 July 1870 – 29 January 1929) was an American composer who wrote instrumental music, songs, and at least one piece for musical theatre. Born in St. Johns, Michigan, she studied music with Carlos Sobimo, Francis Hendricks an ...

. Walker published at least one article, "Bird Songs from the Musician's Point of View," in the journal

Country Life in America ''Country Life in America'' was an American shelter magazine, first published in November 1901 as an illustrated monthly by Doubleday, Page & Company. Henry H. Saylor was the initial managing editor, and Robert M. McBride started his career at thi ...

(1907), which described how she transcribed 31

meadowlark Meadowlarks are New World grassland birds belonging to genera ''Sturnella'' and ''Leistes''. This group includes seven species of largely insectivorous grassland birds. In all species the male at least has a black or brown back and extensively ...

songs into standard musical notation. Her composition ''Thrush Song'' was based on the song of the

veery The veery (''Catharus fuscescens'') is a small North American Thrush (bird), thrush species, a member of a group of closely related and similar species in the genus ''Catharus'', also including the gray-cheeked thrush (''C. minimus''), Bicknell's ...

thrush. In 1927, she gave a talk on "Music in Poetry – Poetry in Music" at the Denver Library. Walker's music was published by B. F. Wood Music Company, G. Schirmer Inc.,

Theodore Presser Company The Theodore Presser Company is an American music publishing and distribution company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, formerly King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and originally based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuing music publ ...

, and Wa-Wan Press. Her published songs include: *"Battle of Life" (words by Nancy B. Turner; included in Five Songs with Piano Accompaniment) *"Good Night" *"Lonely Garden" *"May Madrigal" (words by

Frank Dempster Sherman Frank Dempster Sherman (May 6, 1860September 19, 1916), sometimes writing as Felix Carmen, was an American poet and academic. Frank Dempster Sherman was born on May 6, 1860, in Peekskill, New York, to Lucy (MacFarland) and John Dempster Sherman. ...

; included in Five Songs with Piano Accompaniment) *"Plainsman's Song" *"Thrush Song" (words by S. Stephens; included in Five Songs with Piano Accompaniment; based on the song of the veery thrush) *"To a Letter" (words by S. Stephens; included in Five Songs with Piano Accompaniment) *"When the Dew is Falling" (words by

Fiona Macleod William Sharp (12 September 1855 – 12 December 1905) was a Scottish writer, of poetry and literary biography in particular, who from 1893 wrote also as Fiona Macleod, a pseudonym kept almost secret during his lifetime. He was also an editor ...

) *"Your Kiss" (words by

Gouverneur Morris Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the U ...

; (included in Five Songs with Piano Accompaniment)

References

External links

* download free sheet music for ''When the Dew is Falling'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Caroline Holme American women composers 1863 births 1955 deaths