Mary Howe (1882-1964) USA
- andreachamizoalber
- Aug 31, 2025
- 1 min read
Composer and pianist. She began giving concerts at 18 when she was accepted into Baltimore's Peabody Institute. In 1933, she went to Paris to study piano with Nadia Boulanger.
Here is Castellana, for two pianos and orchestra. I didn't find the score.
Her earliest compositions were exclusively for piano. However, she began to develop an interest in American themes, which led her to write some of her most famous orchestral works, "Sand, Stars," and "Three Pieces after Emily Dickinson."
So here is Stars and Sand, orchestral miniatures. Score by Sand only.
Later, Howe developed a passion for singing and wrote many songs. In support of her country during World War II, she wrote songs in support of the troops using lyrics by William Blake.
I share links to download sheet music for two of Howe's songs for voice and piano.
Here's her Elegy for Piano Trio, video, and score. In the video, the music starts at 1:15. The above is an introduction to the composer's life :)
When she debuted her song "Chain Gang Song," it was very well received, and after she came on stage to thank the audience, a man in the audience asked the director why a woman had been brought on stage. "Yeah, dude, SHE wrote the play."
Well, there is no video for that song but I share with you her Sonata for violin and piano.
3 movements from her Suite for strings and piano
And her Ballade Fantasque for cello and piano.
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