George Templeton Strong (May 26, 1856 – June 27, 1948)
["Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835-1974"](_blank)
for George Templeton Strong, National Archives at College Park, Maryland, via Ancestry.com, accessed 26 May 2020 was an American
composer of
classical music and a professional
painter. His work has been described as
Romantic. He moved to
Vevey, Switzerland
Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used.
It was the seat of the district of ...
, in 1897 and lived there and in
Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
for the remainder of his life. Although his career was in Europe, he is considered an American composer.
Early life and education
George Templeton Strong was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to Ellen (Ruggles) and
George Templeton Strong
George Templeton Strong (January 26, 1820 – July 21, 1875) was an American lawyer, musician and diarist. His 2,250-page diary, discovered in the 1930s, provides a striking personal account of life in the 19th century, especially during the eve ...
, an attorney. The family was musical; both parents were amateur musicians and his father, an amateur organist, was on the board of the
New York Philharmonic Society.
His father was active in the community and helped found the
United States Sanitary Commission
The United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the United States Army (Federal / Northern / Union Army) during the American Civil W ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. Since the 1930s, the senior Strong has been notable for the literary quality of his voluminous diary, which he kept most of his life.
With early musical promise, the son was given lessons and training, studying the piano, violin and oboe.
He occasionally played as an oboist and English horn player with the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...
Orchestra.
While the senior Strong hoped his son would follow him in the law, they became reconciled before the father's death.
Career
In 1879 Strong traveled to the
Leipzig Conservatory
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...
in Germany, where he became a pupil of
Salomon Jadassohn and
Richard Hofmann together with many European musicians who became prominent in the next decades. He composed his third symphonic poem, ''Undine'', Op. 14 in 1883. In 1886 Strong moved to
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
, where he became close friends with American composer
Edward MacDowell
Edward Alexander MacDowell (December 18, 1860January 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist of the late Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites '' Woodland Sketches'', ''Sea Pieces'' and '' ...
. There he composed ''The Haunted Mill'' and completed his ''Symphony No.2 in G minor'' in 1888.
[Victor and Marina Ledin, "Bio and Description of Strong 2nd Symphony"](_blank)
Naxos, April 1999, accessed 15 March 2009
After his 1891 return to the United States, Strong taught counterpoint and composition at the New England Conservatory in Boston. He disliked the work, and his health suffered.
in 1897 he moved back to Europe to
Vevey, Switzerland
Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used.
It was the seat of the district of ...
, on
Lake Geneva
, image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg
, caption = Satellite image
, image_bathymetry =
, caption_bathymetry =
, location = Switzerland, France
, coords =
, lake_type = Glacial la ...
. For the next several years he studied watercolor painting seriously and worked as professional artist. About 1912, he moved to Geneva, where he began to compose music again. He lived in Geneva for the rest of his life and painted seriously for 30 years.
His compositions include (
a selected list from the French Wikipedia):
* ''Undine'', Op. 14, symphonic poem
* ''Three Symphonic Idylls'' for two pianos, Op. 29
* ''The Haunted Mill,'' cantata
* Symphony No. 2 "Sintram" in
G minor
G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major.
According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the con ...
, Op. 50. Dedicated to composer
Edward MacDowell
Edward Alexander MacDowell (December 18, 1860January 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist of the late Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites '' Woodland Sketches'', ''Sea Pieces'' and '' ...
. (premiered 1893)
* ''La nuit'', Four brief symphonic poems
* ''Legende'', Quartet for 4 Horns in F (1915)
* ''Le roi Arthur'', symphonic poem (1916)
* ''An der See'', symphonic poem (lost)
* ''Elegy'' for cello and orchestra
* ''The Life of an Artist'' for violin and orchestra, dedicated to
Joseph Szigeti
Joseph Szigeti ( hu">Szigeti József, ; 5 September 189219 February 1973) was a Hungarian violinist.
Born into a musical family, he spent his early childhood in a small town in Transylvania. He quickly proved himself to be a child prodigy on ...
* ''Hallali'' for solo horn and orchestra (1923)
* Suite for cello and orchestra (1923)
* ''Chorale on a theme of Hans Leo Hassler'' (1929)
* Six pieces for cello and orchestra (1931)
* String Quartet (1935)
In 2002, three of his orchestral pieces were recorded digitally for the first time and released on the Naxos label: Symphony No. 2 in G minor, Op. 50, ''La nuit'' and ''Le roi Arthur''.
Private life
Strong married three times. He first wed Frances Gertrude Veronica Anderson (a cousin of the theatrical costume designer and painter,
Percy Anderson) in June 1883 at Samer, France, then Elizabeth Jane Myers in 1894 at Brentford, UK and finally around 1946, Lẻonie Clara Ehrat.
[''New-York Times'', 29 June 1948]
In 1948 Strong died aged 92 in Geneva, where he had lived for more than 30 years.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, George Templeton
1856 births
1948 deaths
19th-century classical composers
20th-century classical composers
American male classical composers
American Romantic composers
American expatriates in Switzerland
Musicians from New York City
American watercolorists
Painters from New York City
New England Conservatory faculty
University of Music and Theatre Leipzig alumni
Pupils of Salomon Jadassohn
19th-century American painters
19th-century American male artists
American male painters
20th-century American painters
19th-century American composers
20th-century American composers
Musicians from Geneva
Classical musicians from New York (state)
20th-century American male musicians
19th-century American male musicians
Artists from Geneva
20th-century American male artists