Helen Steele (born June 21, 1894) was an American composer and pianist who is best remembered today for her composition ''America, Our Heritage'', for band and chorus. Steele was born in Enfield, Connecticut, to Agnes McCane and George Steele. She studied music at Wellesley College and

Mount Holyoke Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation , is the westernmost peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile (160 km) Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, and is the ...

, where she earned a B.A. On September 12, 1921, she married Wager Swayne Kelly, a voice teacher who also used the name Wager Harris. He died in 1944. Steele accompanied tenor Enrique Ruiz on piano on his recitals, and collaborated with him on several compositions. Her composition ''America, Our Heritage'', was performed live on the Ed Sullivan Show on August 17, 1969, and recorded by the Washington D.C. Festival Chorus. Steele was a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). Her music was published by

Shawnee Press Shawnee Press, Inc., was an independent print and recorded music publisher and for a time, the largest educational music publisher in the world. The Company published several music types including choral, vocal, instrumental, and classroom in a ...

, Inc. Her vocal compositions included: *''America, Our Heritage'' (band and chorus; arranged by

Hawley Ades Hawley Ades was an American choral arranger, born in Wichita, Kansas on June 25, 1908. He died March 26, 2008, at the age of 99, three months shy of his 100th birthday. He was the son of two professional musicians; choral director Lucius Ades, a ...

) *“Duerme” *“El Afilador” (The Scissors Grinder; with Enrique Ruiz and Guido Vandt) *“Lagrimas” (Blue Tears; English text by Guido Vandt; Spanish text and music by Enrique Ruiz; arranged by Helen Steele) *“Legend of Befana” *“Let’s Planet” *“May Our Love Today Live Tomorrow” (text by Guido Vandt; music by Enrique Ruiz and Helen Steele)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, Helen American women composers 1894 births American women songwriters ASCAP Mount Holyoke College alumni Year of death missing