George Whitefield Chadwick

A member of the second school of American composers, Chadwick was a high school dropout and showed no early aptitude for music. As a result of the early death of his mother, Chadwick developed an independence and self-reliance that inspired him to pursue his own scholarly and musical path. He studied at the New England Conservatory and served for a time as professor of music at Olivet College in Michigan. He traveled to Leipzig, Berlin and Munich in 1877 to study composition. Upon his return to the USA he was appointed director of the New England Conservatory, where he created many new programs of study. As a member of the second school of American composers, Chadwick worked to free American music from the German conservatory style. Some of his works were based on French models, while others utilized Negro melodies, as in the melody of the Scherzo of the Symphony no. 2 in Bb, which is the same as the melody used in the later and better known New World Symphony by Dvor k. He also used the rhythms of Anglo-American prosody and Afro-Caribbean dance syncopations. Chadwick can be characterized as a realist and was one of the most influential teachers in American music. ~ Lynn Vought, All Music Guide