Fannie Charles Dillon (March 16, 1881February 21, 1947) was an American

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Life

Fannie Charles Dillon was born in

Denver, Colorado 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 ...

in 1881. She moved with her family to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

in 1890. She studied composition with

Heinrich Urban Heinrich Urban (27 August 1837 – 24 November 1901) was a German violinist and composer. Life and career Heinrich Urban was born in Berlin, and studied with Ferdinand Laub, Hubert Ries and Friedrich Kiel. He sang alto in the Königlich Domchor ...

Hugo Kaun Hugo Wilhelm Ludwig Kaun (21 March 1863 – 2 April 1932) was a German composer, conductor, and music teacher. Biography Kaun was born in Berlin, Germany and completed his musical training in his native city. In 1886 (or 1887), he left Germany fo ...

and

Rubin Goldmark Rubin Goldmark (August 15, 1872 – March 6, 1936) was an American composer, pianist, and educator.Perlis, ''New Grove Dictionary of American Music'', v. II, p. 239 Although in his time he was an often-performed American nationalist composer, hi ...

, and piano with

Leopold Godowsky Leopold Mordkhelovich Godowsky Sr. (13 February 1870 – 21 November 1938) was a Lithuanian-born American virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time, known for his theories concernin ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Personal life and marriage

After completing her studies, Dillon worked as a pianist, teacher, performer and composer in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. She taught at

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became ...

from 1910 to 1913 and in the Los Angeles high school system from 1918 to 1941. She founded Woodland Theater at

Fawnskin Fawnskin is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Its altitude is 6,827 feet (2,081 m). The community has a post office, which was established on May 18, 1918. History The small township was ...

Big Bear Lake Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is a snow and rain fed lake, having no other means of tributaries or mechanical replenishment. At a surface elevation of , it ...

, California, in 1924 and served as its general manager from 1926 to 1929. She married Cypriot theater actor James Christo. Dillon died in

Altadena, California Altadena () ("Alta", Spanish for "Upper", and "dena" from Pasadena) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Verdugo Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the downtown ...

. Her papers are stored by the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

library. As a composer, Dillon was known for adapting bird calls into her scores. While she was teaching at

Los Angeles High School Los Angeles High School is the oldest Public education#United States, public high school in the Southern California, Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are royal blue and white and the teams are ...

in the late 1920s, future composer

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

was among her students.Swed, Mark
"John Cage's genius an L.A. story"
''Los Angeles Times'', August 31, 2012; retrieved September 2, 2012.

Works

Dillon composed for piano, voice, orchestra and chamber ensemble, as well as for outdoor dramas. Selected works include: *''Nevertheless--Old Glory'', drama *''The desert calls'', drama *''Tahquitz'', drama (see

Tahquitz (spirit) Tahquitz (, sometimes ) is a spirit found in the legends of the Cahuilla, Kumeyaay and Luiseño Native American people of Southern California. Accounts of the legend vary significantly, but most agree that Tahquitz represents evil or death, and h ...

) *''Celebration of Victory'', for orchestra *''The Cloud'', for orchestra *''Woodland Flute Call'', for organ *''A Letter from the Southland: Mission Garden'' *''The Alps'' *''Chinese Symphonic Suite''

References

External links

Birds At Dawn - Fannie Charles Dillon from YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Fannie Charles 1881 births 1947 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century women composers 20th-century American women musicians American classical composers American women classical composers American music educators American women music educators Pomona College faculty Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American women academics