Frédéric Louis Ritter (22 June 1834 – 6 July 1891) was a French composer, choral conductor, teacher, and author.
Biography
He was born in
Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
on 22 June 1834.
He studied under Moritz, Hauser, and
Schletterer. In 1856 he came to the United States, resided for some years in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, where he founded the Cecilia and Philharmonic Societies, and in 1861 moved to New York City and conducted the Sacred Harmonic Society and
Arion Society The Arion Society was a German-American musical society. It was founded in January 1854 to promote "the perpetuation of love for some of the characteristic elements of German civilization". It was disbanded because of Anti-German sentiment following ...
.
In New York, he married Fannie Raymond, his second wife.
In 1867 he organized New York's first musical festival. The same year, he was appointed professor of music at
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
, although he didn't move to the campus in
Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
until 1874.
He received a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
from
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 ...
in music in 1878.
He died in
Antwerp, Belgium
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, on 6 July 1891.
Legacy
Albert Metcalf purchased Ritter's music library at auction and donated it to
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
by 1901.
Works
He composed many songs, orchestral, church, and piano works. He wrote several works on music with his wife:
* ''History of Music'' (1870–74)
* ''History Of Music in the Form of Lectures'' (1876)
* ''Music in England'' (1883)
* ''Music in America'' (1883)
* ''The Student's History Of Music'' (1884)
* ''Practical Harmony, Especially Designed For The Use Of Piano-Forte Students'' (1888)
References
* This source gives 1832 as his birth year.
*
External links
*
* Contains a possibly incomplete but lengthy list of his works including those in manuscript (several symphonies and concertos that seem not to have been published), and other information.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter, Frederic Louis
1834 births
1891 deaths
Vassar College faculty
French emigrants to the United States
American male writers