Regina Cohn Watson (April 23, 1845 - July 31, 1913) was a composer, pianist, and teacher who was born in Germany. Her family later moved to America, first to

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 t ...

, then to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where Regina lived for the rest of her life. In 1873, she married Lewis H. Watson, a Civil War veteran who had fought with an infantry unit from Maine. Regina Watson studied music with Franz Liszt and Karl Tausig in Europe, and with Bernhard Ziehn, probably in Chicago. After she moved to America, she gave lecture recitals on topics such as medieval French music, Italian music, and folk songs. She performed as a piano soloist in recitals and with orchestras. She belonged to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and helped found the Musical Art Society of Chicago. Watson is best remembered today as a piano teacher. Her students included Teresa Carreno, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, Phyllis Fergus Hoyt, Peter Lutkin, Veronica Murphy, and Theodora Sturkow-Ryder. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge organized an effort in 1916 to build and name a studio at the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowel ...

in Watson's memory. Composer

Amy Beach Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (September 5, 1867December 27, 1944) was an American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Her "Gaelic" Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in ...

used the Regina Watson Studio during her residency at the Colony. It was renovated in 1993 and became the MacDowell Colony's first barrier-free studio that was accessible to everyone. Watson's music was published by the Clayton F. Summy Company. Her compositions include:

Piano

*''Arabian Nigh''t *''Bourree la Gigue'' *''Cradle Song'' *''Dansons la Gigue'' *''Mazourka Etude'' *''Mignon, a Portrait'' *''Scherzino''

Vocal

*"Aus Drang und Lieb fuer Dich" *"Countess Laura" (text by

George Henry Boker George Henry Boker (October 6, 1823 – January 2, 1890) was an American poet, playwright, and diplomat. Early years and education Boker was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was Charles S. Boker, a wealthy banker, whose financi ...

) *"Cupid's Blunder" *"Explanation" *"Lune Blanche"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Regina 1845 births 1913 deaths American composers American women composers American pianists German composers German pianists 19th-century American women musicians ASCAP composers and authors 19th-century women pianists