Eichhorn, Hermene Warlick, 1906-

Musician and composer Hermene Warlick Eichhorn was born in Hickory, N.C. on April 3, 1906, the daughter of Jesse W. and Ethel Herman Warlick, and an organist of the fourth generation. After eight years of piano and composition study in Hickory with Alla Pearl Little (one of the first composers to achieve recognition in the state), Eichhorn entered the North Carolina College for Women (now UNCG), where she studied piano under Mary Lois Ferrell and Wade R. Brown, and harmony and composition under George M. Thompson and Henry H. Fuchs. Eichhorn graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Music with a specialization in piano in 1926, and in organ in 1927. In 1926 Hermene married George C. Eichhorn and took a job as organist at Holy Trinity Church in Greensboro, N.C. In 1928 she began writing a weekly column called "Music Notes" in the Greensboro Daily News. She succeeded Wade R. Brown as Choir Director at Holy Trinity in 1937. Eichhorn was active in musical work in the state, as an officer of the Euterpe Club of Greensboro and a member of the Executive Board of the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs. She specialized in writing for women's voices and other choral ensembles, published works that received many performances, and won a number of awards for her compositions. Eichhorn's works are characterized by original rhythms and harmonies, use of folk materials, and free use of early Church material. Among the most popular of her compositions were her cantatas: "Mary Magdalene," published in 1944, and "Son of the Highest," published in 1946, both of which were written in collaboration with poet Rose Myra Phillips, who supplied the lyrics for both works. Eichhorn also corresponded with poets James Stephens and Charles Hanson Towne, who supplied the lyrics for "The Daisies" and "While Mary Slept," respectively.