Marion Frances Wyma Vree-Brown (18 July 1920 – 10 April 2012) was an American composer/arranger and music educator. Vree was born in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, Michigan, to Peter and Mina (Westrate) Wyma. She studied music at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, receiving her BM in 1947, MM in 1953, and DMA 1975. The title of her dissertation was ''The Development of Netherlands Psalmody from 1565-1773 through the Study of the Bourgeois Tune for Psalm 42''. She married Henry Vree and they had a son, Dale, before Vree's death in 1976. She remarried Harry Wesley Brown Jr. in 1980 and changed her name to Vree-Brown, although her music was published under the name Marion Vree. Vree taught music and directed choral groups in Los Angeles at Alexander Hamilton High School and at

Pierce College Pierce College may refer to: * Pierce College (Washington) * Los Angeles Pierce College ** Pierce College station See also * Peirce College * Franklin Pierce University Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hampshi ...

. She participated in the 1987 Congress on Women in Music (now the

International Alliance for Women in Music The International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) is an international membership organization of women and men dedicated to fostering and encouraging the activities of women in music, particularly in the areas of musical activity, such as compos ...

), during which she hosted a house concert with composer Deborah Kavasch. Vree composed and arranged music which was published by

Alfred Music Alfred Music is an American music publishing company. Founded in New York in 1922, it is headquartered in Van Nuys, California, with additional branches in Miami, New York, Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. History In New York City ...

Carl Fischer Music Carl Fischer Music (founded in 1872) is a sheet music publisher based in New York City's East Village. The company has since moved to the Wall Street area in 2013. After 140 years, the company remains a family-owned business, publishing both perf ...

, Harold Flammer 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 ...

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 ...

, and Walton Music (now

GIA Publications GIA Publications, Inc. is a major publisher of hymnals, other sacred music, and music education materials. Headquartered first in Pittsburgh and now Chicago, GIA is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. GIA originally stood for Gregorian Insti ...

Works

Her compositions for choir (with piano or organ accompaniment unless otherwise indicated), include: *''Amarilli, Mia Bella'' (

Giulio Caccini Giulio Romolo Caccini (also Giulio Romano) (8 October 1551 – buried 10 December 1618) was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was one of the founders of the genre ...

/Marion Vree) *''Christ is Born – French Christmas Carol'' *''Come, Let Us Sing Unto the Lord'' ( Francois Couperin/Marion Vree) *''Consecration'' *''From Heaven High I Come to You'' *''God is My Shepherd'' (with flute or oboe;

Anton Dvorak Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

/Marion Vree) *''Lamento della Ninfa'' (The Nymph's Lament;

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...

/Marion Vree) *''Lord will Come'' *''O Jesu so Sweet'' (a cappella;

Samuel Scheidt Samuel Scheidt (baptised 3 November 1587 – 24 March 1654) was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era. Life and career Scheidt was born in Halle, and after early studies there, he went to Amsterdam to study with ...

/Marion Vree) *''O Love Forlorn'' (a capella; English folk song arranged by Marion Vree) *''O Worship the King'' *''On This Day the Earth Shall Ring'' *''Praise the Lord, His Glories Show'' (

Henry Francis Lyte Henry Francis Lyte (1 June 1793 – 20 November 1847) was an Anglican divine, hymnodist, and poet. Biography Youth and education Henry Francis Lyte was the second son of Thomas and Anna Maria (née Oliver) Lyte, whose family came originally fr ...

/Marion Vree) *''Praise to the Living God'' (with trumpet and timpani) *''Prettiest of the City'' *''Quant Mon Mary Vient De Dehors'' (When Home from Work My Husband Comes; a cappella;

Orlande de Lassus Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palest ...

/Marion Vree) *''Shenandoah'' (American folk song arranged by Marion Vree) *''Two Songs of Praise'' *''Ye Servants of God'' (Paderborn Hymn Book/

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include " And Can It Be", " Christ the Lord Is Risen ...

/Marion Vree)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vree, Marion American women classical composers American classical composers Choral composers 1920 births 2012 deaths University of Southern California alumni 21st-century American women