Edward Swan Hennessy (24 November 1866 – 26 October 1929) was an Irish-American composer and

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 ...

who lived much of his life in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In his pre-War piano music, he excelled as a miniaturist in descriptive,

programmatic music Program music or programatic music is a type of instrumental art music that attempts to musically render an extramusical narrative. The narrative itself might be offered to the audience through the piece's title, or in the form of program note ...

. After joining a group of Breton composers, he developed a reputation as a "Celtic" composer, drawing on his Irish heritage, writing in a style that was unique in a French as well as an Irish context. Even though he has been almost forgotten after 1950, his music was applauded by contemporary French music critics including

Henri Collet Henri Collet (; 5 November 1885 – 23 November 1951) was a French composer and music critic who lived in Paris. Biography Born in Paris, Collet first studied at the Conservatory of Music at Bordeaux before going to Madrid to study Spanish literat ...

Louis Vuillemin Louis Vuillemin (19 December 1879 – 2 April 1929) was a French composer and music critic who strongly identified with his Breton heritage in his music. Life Vuillemin was born in Nantes, his grandfather was the piano manufacturer M. Didion. He s ...

Émile Vuillermoz Émile-Jean-Joseph Vuillermoz (23 May 1878 – 2 March 1960) was a French critic in the areas of music, film, drama and literature. He was also a composer, but abandoned this for criticism. Early life Émile Vuillermoz was born in Lyon in 1878. He ...

and

Lucien Chevaillier Lucien Chevaillier (sometimes spelled Chevallier) (21 August 1883 – 3 February 1932)See http://data.bnf.fr/11172134/lucien_chevaillier/. was a French composer, pianist, and music journalist. Life Chevaillier was born in Paris and studied at the ...

. In some works, he used jazz elements and took inspiration from funfairs and industrial noise, anticipating trends associated with the group of "

Les Six "Les Six" () is a name given to a group of six composers, five of them French and one Swiss, who lived and worked in Montparnasse. The name, inspired by Mily Balakirev's '' The Five'', originates in two 1920 articles by critic Henri Collet in '' ...

Biography

Swan Hennessy was born in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

, of Irish origin and grew up in Chicago. His father, Michael David Hennessy (1837–1919), was a

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

-born former President of the Chicago City Railway Company before he became a lawyer in 1874. Hennessy's mother was Sarah J. Swan (c.1833–1880), a daughter of Joseph Rockwell Swan, an Ohio Supreme Court judge and founding member of the American Republican Party. Before 1870 the family moved to Chicago, where Hennessy grew up. There is no proof for the assertion in Baker's Dictionary that he studied "general subjects" in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, but he may briefly have attended one of the (private) public schools there, before pursuing musical studies in Germany at the Stuttgart Conservatory, 1879–86. Hennessy studied composition in an English-speaking class with the American teacher

Percy Goetschius Percy Goetschius (August 10, 1853 – October 29, 1943) was an American music theorist and teacher who won international fame in the teaching of composition. Career Goetschius was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He was encouraged by Ureli Corell ...

as well as piano with the German teacher Edmund Alwens. Upon completing his studies, Hennessy moved to London (1886–92) where he was married with two children and divorced (1893). Ten years of travel followed, including France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Ireland, with a home base in Italy, before he settled in Paris around 1903. In July 1909, Hennessy was married with Claire, née Przybyszewska (1883–1947), a Polish national he had met in Brussels. Her mother was a cousin of the

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

writer Stanisław Przybyszewski. The couple's son Patrice Hennessy (1910–1973) later became a well-known

man of letters An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

and an expert on the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. Although not from

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

, Hennessy was a member of the short-lived Association des Compositeurs Breton before World War I and continued to mix with their members including

Paul Le Flem Marie-Paul Achille Auguste Le Flem (18 March 1881 – 31 July 1984) was a French composer and music critic. Biography Born in Radon, Orne, and living most of his life in Lézardrieux, Le Flem studied at the Schola Cantorum under Vincent d'Ind ...

Paul Ladmirault Paul Émile Ladmirault (8 December 1877 – 30 October 1944) was a French language, French composer and Music criticism, music critic whose music expressed his devotion to Brittany. Claude Debussy wrote that his work possessed a "fine dreamy musi ...

Maurice Duhamel Maurice Duhamel (23 February 1884 – 5 February 1940) was the pen-name of Maurice Bourgeaux, a Breton musician, writer and activist who was a leading figure in Breton nationalism and federalist politics in the years before World War II. Early life ...

Louis Aubert Louis François Marie Aubert (19 February 1877 – 9 January 1968) was a French composer. Biography Born in Paramé, Ille-et-Vilaine, Louis Aubert was a child prodigy. His parents, recognizing their son's musical talent, sent him to Paris to rec ...

Lucien Haudebert Lucien Haudebert (10 April 1877 – 24 February 1963) was a French composer who strongly identified with his Breton heritage. Life Haudebert was born in Fougères, Département Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany. He received his first music lessons at age ...

and others throughout the 1920s. Hennessy's public recognition in France mainly began with his association. During the early 1920s, Hennessy also enjoyed a brief period when he had several performances in Ireland following the first performance of his String Quartet No. 2, Op. 49 (1920) at the January 1922 World Congress of the Irish Race in Paris. The quartet is dedicated to the memory of the Irish revolutionary

Terence MacSwiney Terence James MacSwiney (; ga, Toirdhealbhach Mac Suibhne; 28 March 1879 – 25 October 1920) was an Irish playwright, author and politician. He was elected as Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork during the Irish War of Independence in 1920. He ...

. Hennessy died in 1929 from an embolic following a routine operation; the composer

Georges Migot Georges Elbert Migot (27 February 1891 – 5 January 1976) was a prolific French composer. Though primarily known as a composer, he was also a poet, often integrating his poetry into his compositions, and an accomplished painter. He won the 1921 ...

gave the funeral speech. Hennessy and his family are buried at

Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery (french: link=no, Cimetière du Montparnasse) is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery ...

, Paris, division 28, section III.

Music

Swan Hennessy's music before 1900 was heavily influenced by his conservative education and his teachers' predilection for the music of

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

. Around the time of his move to Paris, he also been an admirer of

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, as a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University ...

. Although his later music shows the influence of several contemporary stylistic directions, he never shook off this profound influence of the German

Romantics Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

. During the period 1907 to 1913, Hennessy wrote increasingly in an

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

style, with a prolific series of piano works and art songs in a descriptive and programmatic style inspired by sounds in his environment including nature, traffic, and industry. He also excelled in humoristic and satirical pieces, similar to but independent from

Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conse ...

. One contemporary critic wrote, "Il fut un humoriste d'une verve drue dont la drôlerie était faite à la fois d'observation et d'invention, de fantaisie et de psychologie." ("He was a humourist of great verve whose humour derived from observation and invention, fantasy and psychology"). However, despite favourable reviews in the French and German musical press, he initially did not succeed in having his music performed. This changed only after his membership in the Association des Compositeurs Bretons from 1912 and the integration of elements from the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland and Brittany into his compositions. Interrupted by World War I (which he spent near Montreux in Switzerland), he developed his Celtic leanings especially during the 1920s. Many of Hennessy's pieces with titles ending on terms like "celtique", "gaélique" or "irlandais" are inspired by traditional folk melody and rhythms, but he rarely quotes actual folktunes. In the course of the 1920s he wrote most of his chamber music, including several duets, trios and quartets. These earned him the reputation of a "Celtic" composer to the extent that his original pre-War piano music became forgotten. In a French obituary, he was called "le barde de l'Irlande" and is credited as having saved "l'ancienne mélodie celtique". Hennessy was very critical of the contemporary avant-garde, particularly of Arnold Schoenberg, and wrote numerous sarcastic and pessimistic letters and comments in the musical press. For him, a solution to what he perceived as a crisis was a turn to regional traditions of folk music and to incorporate these into works of art music. From the time Hennessy lived in Paris, his music was largely published by E. Demets and from 1923 by

Max Eschig Max Eschig (27 May 1872 – 3 September 1927) was a Czech-born French music publisher who published many of the leading French composers of the twentieth century, later also including many East European and Latin American composers. Life Eschig wa ...

(who had taken over Demets). Other publishers included Augener (London) and Schott (Mainz).

Selected works

For a full list of compositions, see

List of compositions by Swan Hennessy This is a list of compositions by Swan Hennessy (1866–1929). Hennessy was an American composer of Irish family background who studied in Germany, lived in England and Italy, but spent most of his career (from about 1903) in France. He was a mo ...

. Dates below are years of publication.

Chamber music

*''Lieder an den Mond. Romantische Stücke'', Op. 10, for violin, cello, piano (London: Augener & Co., 1888) *''Sonate en style irlandais'', Op. 14, for violin and piano (London: Schott & Co., 1904; as ''Sonate en Fa (style irlandais)'': Mainz: B. Schott's Söhne, 1905) *''Prémier Quatuor (Suite)'' tring Quartet No. 1 Op. 46 (Paris: E. Demets, 1913) *''Deuxième Quatuor'' tring Quartet No. 2 Op. 49 (1920) (Paris: E. Demets, 1920) *''Rapsodie celtique'', Op. 50, for violin and piano (Paris: E. Demets, 1915) *''Petit trio celtique'', Op. 52, for violin, viola, cello (Paris: E. Demets, 1921) *''Trio'', Op. 54, for two clarinets and bassoon (Paris: E. Demets, 1921) *''Variations sur un thème de six notes'', Op. 58, for flute, violin, viola, cello (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1924) *''Quatre Pièces celtiques'', Op. 59, for cor anglais, violin, viola, cello (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1925) *''Troisième Quatuor à cordes'' tring Quartet No. 3 Op. 61 (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1926) *''Sonatine celtique'', Op. 62, for viola and piano (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1924) *''Rapsodie gaélique'', Op. 63, for cello and piano (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1925) *''Deux Morceaux'', Op. 68, for alto saxophone and piano (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1926) *''Trio'', Op. 70, for flute, violin, bassoon (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1926) *''Quatre Morceaux'', Op. 71, for alto saxophone or viola (Op. 71bis) and piano (Paris: Éditions Max Eschig, 1929) *''Quatrième Quatuor à cordes'' tring Quartet No. 4 Op. 75 (Paris: Éditions Max Eschig, 1930) *''Deuxième Sonatine'', Op. 80, for violin and piano (Paris: Propriété de l'auteur, 1929) *''Sonatine'', Op. 81, for cello and piano (Paris: Propriété de l'auteur, 1929)

Piano music

*''Variations sur un thème original dans le style irlandais'', Op. 12 (London: Augener & Co. 1902; revised ed. as ''Variations on an Original Theme in the Irish Style'', Augener & Co., 1903) *''Au bord de la forêt'', Op. 21 (Paris: E. Demets, n.d.

907 __NOTOC__ Year 907 ( CMVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Rus'–Byzantine War: Varangian prince Oleg of Novgorod leads the ...

*''Étude'', Op. 25 (Paris: E. Demets, 1907) *''Nouvelles feuilles d'album'', Op. 27 (Paris: E. Demets, 1908) *''Variations sur un air irlandais ancien'', Op. 28 (Mainz: B. Schott's Söhne, 1908) *''Croquis de femmes'', Op. 33 (Paris: F. Durdilly, Ch. Hayet, successeur, 1911) *''Petite suite sur les notes Mi Do Mi Fa Si Mi'', Op. 34 (Mainz: B. Schott's Söhne, 1911) *''Fêtes. Deux Morceaux descriptifs'', Op. 36 (Mainz: B. Schott's Söhne, 1911) *''En passant ... (Études d'aprés nature)'', Op. 40 (Paris: E. Demets, 1912) *''Valses caprices'', Op. 41 (Paris: E. Demets, 1912) *''Sonatine'', Op. 43 (Paris: E. Demets, 1912) *''Sentes et chemins (Nouvelles études d'après nature)'', Op. 44 (Paris: E. Demets, 1912) *''Pièces celtiques'', Op. 45 (Paris: E. Demets, 1912) *''Croquis parisiens'', Op. 47 (Paris: E. Demets, 1913) *''Impressions humoristiques'', Op. 48 (Paris: E. Demets, 1913) *''Sonatine celtique'', Op. 53 (London: Evans & Co. 1924) *''Épigrammes d'un solitaire'', Op. 55 (London: Evans & Co., 1924) *''Trois Pièces exotiques'', Op. 57 (Paris: E. Demets, 1922) *''Étude de concert'', Op. 60 (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1924) *''Rapsodie irlandaise'', Op. 67 (Paris: Éditions Max Eschig, 1929) *''Banlieues ... Six Petites pieces'', Op. 69 (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1929) *''À la manière de ...'', 5 volumes (Paris: Éditions Max Eschig, 1927–8)

Voice and piano

*''Lydia'', Op. 23 (

Charles Leconte de Lisle Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle (; 22 October 1818 – 17 July 1894) was a French poet of the Parnassian movement. He is traditionally known by his surname only, Leconte de Lisle''. Biography Leconte de Lisle was born on the French overseas ...

) (Paris: Julien Hamelle, 1908) *''Epiphanie'', Op. 26 (

José-Maria de Heredia José-Maria de Heredia (22 November 1842 – 3 October 1905) was a Cuban-born French Parnassian poet. He was the fifteenth member elected for seat 4 of the Académie française in 1894. Biography Early years Heredia was born at Fortuna ...

) (Paris: Julien Hamelle, 1908) *''Deux Mélodies'', Op. 30 ( Joséphin Soulary,

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poetry, French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticis ...

) (Paris: Julien Hamelle, 1908) *''Trois Chansons écossaises'', Op. 31 (Charles Leconte de Lisle) (Paris: Julien Hamelle, 1907) *''Trois Chansons espagnoles'', Op. 42bis (

Emmanuel von Geibel Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the ...

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

) (Paris: E. Demets, 1921) *''Trois Mélodies'', Op. 56 (Charles Baudelaire,

Albert Samain Albert Victor Samain (3 April 185818 August 1900) was a French poet and writer of the Symbolist school. Life and works Born in Lille, his family were Flemish and had long lived in the town or its suburbs. At the time of the poet's birth, his fa ...

, Jean Ajalbert) (Paris: Éditions Max Eschig, 1925–32) *''Trois Mélodies sur des poésies d'André Delacour et de Leconte de Lisle'', Op. 66 (Paris: Max Eschig & Cie., 1926) *''Trois Chansons celtiques'', Op. 72 (Charles Leconte de Lisle,

Anatole le Braz Anatole le Braz, the "Bard of Brittany" (2 April 1859 – 20 March 1926), was a Breton poet, folklore collector and translator. He was highly regarded amongst both European and American scholars, and known for his warmth and charm. Biography Le Br ...

, Pierre Scize) (Paris: Éditions Max Eschig, 1927) *''Deux Mélodies'', Op. 73 (

Paul Géraldy Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, Anatole le Braz) (Paris: Éditions Max Eschig, 1928) *''Deux Mélodies'', Op. 79 (

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' in international and ...

, Prosper Blanchemain) (Paris: Éditions Max Eschig, 1934)

Bibliography

, "La Musique chez soi – XCVII. Œuvres de Swan Hennessy", ''Comœdia'', 5 December 1921, p. 4. *

: "Un Entretien avec Swan Hennessy", in: ''Le Guide du concert'', 12 April 1929, p. 791–793, onlin
here
(accessed 13 January 2020). * Guy Ferchault: "Hennessy, Swan", in: ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'' (MGG), first edition, ed. Friedrich Blume, vol. 6 (Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1957), cc. 152–153. * Marjorie Brennan: 'Swan song for one of Cork's revolutionary heroes', in: "Irish Examiner", 31 October 2016, p. 16; onlin

* Axel Klein: "An Irish-American in Paris: Swan Hennessy (1866–1929)", in: ''Journal of the Society for Musicology in Ireland'', vol. 13 (2017–18), pp. 47–78; onlin
here
(accessed 30 July 2018). * Michael Dervan: "Swan Hennessy: Ireland's Great Lost Composer", in
''The Irish Times'', 27 March 2019
* Axel Klein: ''Bird of Time. The Music of Swan Hennessy'' (Mainz: Schott Music, 2019);
hardcover
,
paperback
. * A. Klein: "'L'indépendence n'est pas le meilleur chemin vers la gloire'. Une rétrospective de Swan Hennessy", in: ''Euterpe'' no. 36 (April 2021), pp. 8–16. * A. Klein: "Swan Hennessy: Eine Suche nach der verlorenen Zeit", in: ''Piano News'' vol. 26 (2022) no. 1 (Jan.–Feb.), pp. 24–28. * Harry White: "25 January 1922: Premiere of Swan Hennessy's Second String Quartet, Paris. Art Music and the Struggle for Independence", in: ''Ireland 1922. Independence, Partition, Civil War'', ed. Darragh Gannon and Fearghal McGarry (Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 2022), pp. 33–39.

Recordings

* ''Quatre Pièces celtiques'', Op. 59, in an arrangement for cor anglais and organ, performed by Manfred Hoth (cor anglais) and Ulrich Leykam (organ), on: K&M Records, CD ndatedSee entry in Bielefelder Katalog: http://www.bielekat.info/index.php?action=showdetail&id=39451. * ''Trio'', Op. 54 for two clarinets and bassoon, performed by Trio d'Ance di Bolzano, on
Rainbow RW 98107, CD (1999).
* ''Quatre Pièces celtiques'', Op. 59, in an arrangement for cor anglais and string orchestra, performed by Rachel Tolmie (cor anglais), Bourbaki Ensemble, on
Wirripang Wirr 018, CD (2008).
* ''Trio'', Op. 54 for two clarinets and bassoon, performed by Trio Pleyel, on

* ''Complete String Quartets 1–4'', performed by RTÉ ConTempo Quartet, on
RTÉ lyric fm CD 159, CD (2019)
Contains: String Quartet No. 1 (Suite), Op. 46; No. 2, Op. 49; No. 3, Op. 61; No. 4, Op. 75; ''Sérénade'', Op. 65; ''Petit trio celtique'', Op. 52. * ''Selected Works for Piano'', performed by Moritz Ernst, on
Perfect Noise PN 2006, CD (2020)
Contains: ''Au bord de la forêt'', Op. 21; ''Croquis de femmes'', Op. 33; ''Fêtes'', Op. 36; ''En passant ... (Études d'aprés nature)'', Op. 40; ''Valses caprices'', Op. 41; ''Sonatine'', Op. 43; ''Pièces celtiques'', Op. 45; ''Croquis parisiens'', Op. 47; ''Banlieues ...'', Op. 69; four excerpts from ''À la manière de ...'': ''Borodine'', ''Chabrier'', ''Debussy–Godard'', ''Ravel''. * ''Viola and Piano Works 1'', performed by Marcin Murawski (viola) and Anna Starzec-Makandasis (piano), o
Acte Préalable AP 490 (CD, 2020)
Contains: ''Berceuse'', Op. 13; ''Au village'', Op. 22; ''Valses caprices'', Op. 41; ''Rapsodie celtique'', Op. 50; ''Sonatine celtique'', Op. 62; ''Deux Morceaux'', Op. 68; ''Pièce celtique'', Op. 74. * ''Viola and Piano Works 2'', performed by Marcin Murawski (viola) and Hanna Holeksa (piano), o
Acte Préalable AP 524 (CD, 2021)
Contains: ''Sonate en style irlandais'', Op. 14; ''Mazurka et Polonaise'', Op. 17; ''Étude'', Op. 25; ''Rapsodie gaélique'', Op. 63; ''Quatre Morceaux'', Op. 71; ''Deuxième Sonatine'', Op. 80; ''Sonatine'', Op. 81; ''À la manière de Frédéric Chopin''.

References

External links

*
''Meet Swan Hennessy''
(illustrated introduction to S.H.), April 2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hennessy, Swan 1866 births 1929 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical composers American classical composers American emigrants to France American male classical composers American people of Irish descent Classical musicians from Illinois Composers for piano Irish classical composers Irish expatriates in France Irish male classical composers Musicians from Rockford, Illinois Pupils of Percy Goetschius State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart alumni String quartet composers