Julia Frances Smith ( January 25, 1905 – April 18, 1989) was an American

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 ...

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 ...

, and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

Life and career

She was born in

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

. She graduated from

University of North Texas College of Music The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school among the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. It developed the first jazz studies ...

(1930) and then continued with graduate studies in piano and composition at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

with Reuben Goldmark and

Frederick Jacobi Frederick Jacobi (May 4, 1891 – October 24, 1952) was a Jewish-American composer and teacher. His works include symphonies, concerti, chamber music, works for solo piano and for solo organ, lieder, and one opera. He taught at Juilliard School ...

from 1932 to 1939, earning a diploma. She simultaneously studied at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

earning a master's degree in 1933 and a PhD in 1952. From 1932 to 1939, she served as pianist for the Orchestrette Classique of New York, a women's orchestra. During this time, she also gave concerts of mostly American music in Latin America, Europe, and throughout the United States. As a performer, she became particularly associated with the works of

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

. From 1941 to 1946, she taught at the

Hartt School The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...

, where she founded the department of

music education 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 origina ...

. She collaborated with composer

Cecile Vashaw Cecile L. Vashaw (23 August 1909 – 1 January 1985) was an American composer, conductor, and music educator who is best remembered today for her string method books and for founding and conducting the Toledo Youth Symphony. Vashaw was born in To ...

on ''The Work and Play String Method'', an instructional series for violin, viola, cello, and bass. She joined

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

in 1945. As a composer, Smith is best known for her

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

and

orchestral An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ...

works, which have all been performed. Her music incorporates elements of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and 20th-century French

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

. Her compositional style has an appealing directness and although tonal, makes interesting use of dissonance. Among her works are ''The String Quartet'', which uses irregular metres and driving rhythms, and the operas ''

Cynthia Parker Cynthia Ann Parker (October 28, 1827 – March 1871), also known as Naduah (Comanche language, Comanche: ''Narua''), was a white woman who was notable for having been captured during the Fort Parker massacre at about age nine, by a Comanche war b ...

'' and '' Cockcrow'', which employ folk music within a generally conservative tonal idiom. ''Cynthia Parker'' was Smith's first opera. She had long been determined to write an opera on a Texas story, and that of

was a gripping one. Kidnapped by Native Americans, Parker was raised by Comanche, eventually marrying a chief and raising three children of her own. She was found by Texas Rangers and returned to white society, but was unhappy there and eventually committed suicide. Smith plays up the differences between Native and settler cultures by using stereotypical "Indian" tropes for the Comanche and familiar and popular folk music for the white colonists of the American West. Smith was the recipient of several commissions and awards and was active in several music organizations, especially the

National Federation of Music Clubs The National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) is an American non-profit philanthropic music organization that promotes American music, performers, and composers. NFMC endeavors to strengthen quality music education by supporting "high standards o ...

, for which she chaired the Decade of Women Committee (1970–79). As a writer her publications include ''Aaron Copland: his Work and Contribution to American Music'' (New York, 1955) and a ''Directory of American Women Composers'' (Chicago, 1970), of which she was the editor. She died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Many of her manuscripts, including those of her operas, are held by the Music Library at the University of North Texas in Denton.

Selected compositions

* '' Allegiance: Patriotic Song'' (c. 1918) * ''Cynthia Parker'', opera (c. 1939) * ''Stranger of Manzano'', opera; libretto by John William Rogers * ''Characteristic Suite'' for piano (c. 1949) * ''Cockcrow'', one-act opera (1953) * ''American Dance Suite'' for two pianos, four hands (c. 1957) *Remember the Alamo (with

) (1965) * ''Two Pieces'' for viola and piano (1966) * ''Trio-Cornwall'
for Violin, Cello and Piano (1966)
* ''Concerto in E minor for piano and orchestra'' (1938 ; rev. 1971) * "

Glory to the Green and White The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

alma mater * ''Daisy'', opera in 2 acts; libretto by Bertita Harding * ''God Bless This House'' from the American opera ''Daisy''; text from the poem "Blessing the House" by

Anna Hempstead Branch Anna Hempstead Branch (March 18, 1875 – September 8, 1937) was an American poet. She was regarded as a major poet during her life, labeled by William Thomas Stead "the Robert Browning, Browning of American poetry". Early life Branch was born ...

(c. 1974) * ''Five pieces, for Double Bass and Piano'', double bass part edited by Homer R. Mensch (c. 1985) * ''Prairie Kaleidoscope: five songs for voice and piano'', poems by Ona Mae Ratcliff (''née'' Minnick; 1909–2001), music by Julia Smith (1981) * ''Suite for Wind Octet,'' (1980)

Selected writings

* Julia Smith, ''Aaron Copland, his work and contribution to American music'', Dutton, New York (1955) * ''Directory of American women composers, with selected music for senior & junior clubs'', compiled and edited by Julia Smith,

(1970)

Teaching positions

* 1935: Smith began part-time teaching at the Hamlin School, Fair Lawn, NJ * 1940–42: taught at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

* 1941–46: taught at the

, where she founded and served as head of the Department of Music Education * 1944–46: taught at Teachers College of Connecticut

Family

On April 23, 1938, Julia Smith married Oscar Albert Vielehr (b. Aug. 4, 1892,

Rochester, NY Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in Wes ...

; d. Nov 30, 1975,

New York, NY New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

), an engineer and inventor who worked for the Gyroscope Company, an Army ordnance plant. They met at a concert.Sarah Moore, ''College to Present Dentonite's Operas, ''Denton Record-Chronicle'', Oct. 3, 1954

References

Sources

* ''Who's Who in American Music: Classical,''

R.R. Bowker R. R. Bowker LLC (trading as Bowker) is an American limited liability company domiciled under Delaware Limited Liability Company Law and based in Chatham, New Jersey. Among other things, Bowker provides bibliographic information on publishe ...

, New York (1983), * ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Eighth edition,'' revised by Nicolas Slonimsky (1894–1995), Macmillan Publishing Co., New York (1992), p. 1734-5, * ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Ninth edition,'' edited by Laura Diane Kuhn (born 1953),

Schirmer Books G. Schirmer, Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. The oldest active music publisher in the United States, Schirmer publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-know ...

, New York (2001) * ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians,'' by Nicolas Slonimsky (1894–1995),

, New York (1997), p. 1275, * ''Baker's Dictionary of Opera,'' edited by Laura Diane Kuhn (born 1953),

, New York (2000), * ''Contemporary Authors. A bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields,'' Volume 128. Detroit:

Gale Research Gale is a global provider of research and digital learning resources. The company is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, west of Detroit. It has been a division of Cengage since 2007. The company, formerly known as Gale Research and the Gale G ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

(1990), * ''The New American Dictionary of Music,'' by Philip David Morehead (born 1942) wit
Anne MacNeil
Dutton, New York (1991), * ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera,'' four volumes, edited by

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...

(1930–2005), Grove's Dictionaries of Music, New York. and * ''The New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers,'' edited by Julie Anne Sadie &

Rhian Samuel Rhian Samuel (born Aberdare, Wales, 1944) is a Welsh woman composer who resided in the USA for many years. She has composed over 140 published works, including orchestral, chamber, vocal, and choral music. She now divides her time between mid-W ...

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...

, London;

W.W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton An ...

, New York (1994) , * The Concise Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Eighth edition, revised by Nicolas Slonimsky (1894–1995), New York, NY:

(1994), p. 953, . *

(1948)
The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 1st ed. , p. 345
'. *

(1952)
The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 2nd ed., p. 467-8
'. *

(1966)
The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 3rd ed., p. 688
'. *

(1980)
The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 4th ed., p. 472-3
', . * Zaimont, Judith Lang (born 1945) & Karen Famera,
Contemporary Concert Music by Women: A Directory of the Composers and Their Works, p. 118-9
', Westport, CT:

Greenwood Press Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG), also known as ABC-Clio/Greenwood (stylized ABC-CLIO/Greenwood), is an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which is today part of ABC-Clio. Established in 1967 as Gr ...

(1998), * Holdridge L. (2012) Visual Representation as a Method of Discourse on Captivity, Focused on Cynthia Ann Parker. In: Carocci M., Pratt S. (eds) Native American Adoption, Captivity, and Slavery in Changing Contexts. Studies of the Americas. Palgrave Macmillan, New York * Katie R. Buehner, Accessibility and authenticity in Julia Smith's “Cynthia Parker”. MM thesis, University of North Texas, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2007. 1451995.

External links

Interview with Julia Smith
May 3, 1987 {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Julia American women classical composers American classical composers American classical pianists American women classical pianists American opera composers 1905 births 1989 deaths People from Denton, Texas Juilliard School alumni University of North Texas College of Music alumni New York University alumni University of Hartford Hartt School faculty Classical musicians from Texas Central Connecticut State University faculty 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists Women opera composers 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American composers 20th-century women composers American women academics