Marian MacDowell
| Marian MacDowell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | November 22, 1857 |
| Died | August 23, 1956 (aged 98) |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Concert pianist |
Marian MacDowell (maiden name Marian Griswold Nevins) (November 22, 1857 – August 23, 1956) was an American pianist and philanthropist. In 1907, she and her husband Edward MacDowell founded the MacDowell Colony for artists in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Her leadership of the artist retreat through two world wars, the Great Depression and other challenges created one of the foremost cultural institutions in the United States, which cultivated the work of generations of musicians, writers, poets, sculptors, and visual artists.
Marian Griswold Nevins was born in New York City, the third of five children born to David H. Nevins, a Wall Street banker, and his wife, Cornelia L. Perkins. When she was eight, her mother died in childbirth. Her aunt Caroline Perkins of South Carolina was a talented musician who came to New York to teach piano. She recognized her niece's gifts and encouraged them. As Marian grew older, she realized that she needed to study in Europe, a basis for being taken seriously as a performer or artist at the time. With a chaperone, she left for Frankfurt in 1880 intending to study with Clara Schumann at the Hoch Conservatory. Finding that Clara Schumann was away, Nevins asked for advice in getting another teacher and was referred to Edward MacDowell, a young American composer. After working together for several years, they decided to marry on July 24, 1884. They had one child who was stillborn. From the beginning Marian had great faith in her husband's talent and wanted him to devote himself to composing.
During their life together, Marian MacDowell realized that quietness and tranquility of the rural settings would positively affect her husband's work. In 1896, she bought Hillcrest, a farm in Peterborough, New Hampshire, for their summer residence. Marian MacDowell had a log studio built in the woods where Edward MacDowell composed. He appreciated the place, which was visited by their artistic friends. The MacDowells realized that artists can be stimulated by interacting with people from other disciplines, and they developed plans of creating a place where artists could come, live and interact together.
...
Wikipedia