Carpenter, John Alden

Epithet: American composer

John Alden Carpenter (b. Feb. 28, 1876, in Park Ridge, Ill.; d. Apr. 26, 1951, in Chicago, Ill.) was an American composer.

John Alden Carpenter was born in 1876 in Park Ridge, Ill. His earliest musical studies were with Amy Fay and W.C.E. Seeboeck in Chicago and J.K. Paine at Harvard University, from which he was graduated in 1897. Other musical studies included a few lessons with Edward Elgar in Rome in 1906 and four years of study with Bernhard Ziehn in Chicago (1908-12), with subsequent studies under Ziehn disciple Julius Gold in the years that followed. Like his father, Carpenter was by profession in the shipping business, serving as vice-president of the family firm George B. Carpenter & Co. until he retired in 1936 to devote himself entirely to music. Carpenter's musical compositions include both songs and orchestral and stage works. His earliest orchestral work, Adventures in a perambulator (1914) was the first of many successes. The ballet Skyscrapers (1923-24), performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1926, was one of the first attempts at a literal depiction of modern American urban life. Other stage works include a "jazz pantomime" entitled Krazy Kat (1921), based on the comic strip by George Herriman, and a ballet-pantomime with Spanish overtones, The birthday of the infanta (1917). Carpenter was also considered an outstanding composer of songs; of particular note are the song cycles Gitanjali (1913, orchestrated 1934), a setting of a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore, and Water-colors (1916, orchestrated 1918), based on the writings of Confucius and other Chinese poets. Carpenter's commissions include Song of faith (1932) for the George Washington Bicentennial in 1932, and the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge commissions of his String quartet (1927) and Piano quintet (1934). Carpenter was a highly successful composer in his day, being named a Knight of the French Legion of Honor (1921) and receiving such honors as the Gold Medal of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He also received honorary degrees from Harvard University, Northwestern University, the University of Wisconsin, and the American Conservatory of Music.

American composer.

American composer.

Born in Park Ridge, Illinois in 1876, Carpenter was raised in a musical household. After graduating from Harvard, he concentrated on studying musical composition while at the same time working in his family's business, a Chicago shipping-supply company. Carpenter's many works can be recognized as distinctly American. These include piano pieces, songs, ballet scores and orchestral suites. Among his best-known scores are the jazz-inspired Krazy Kat and for the ballet Skyscrapers. Carpenter died in Chicago in 1951.

American composer.

Born in Park Ridge, Ill., and educated at Harvard, Carpenter settled in Chicago where he divided his time between the family shipping supplies company and musical composition. His works include orchestral pieces, ballet scores (Krazy Kat, Skyscrapers), and piano pieces and songs (Looking-Glass River, Two Night Songs, Four Negro Songs). Married to Rue Winterbotham Carpenter, and later Ellen Borden, Carpenter was active in the Chicago musical scene, guiding the musical activities of the Arts Club and Chicago Allied Arts. He died in Chicago in 1951.

Biographical Sketch

John Alden Carpenter was born Feb. 28, 1876 in Park Ridge, Illinois. His earliest musical studies were with Amy Fay and W.C.E. Seeboeck in Chicago and J.K. Paine at Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1897. Other musical studies included a few lessons with Edward Elgar in Rome in 1906 and four years of study with Bernhard Ziehn in Chicago (1908-1912), with subsequent studies under Ziehn disciple Julius Gold in the years that followed. Like his father, Carpenter was by profession in the shipping business, serving as vice-president of the family firm George B. Carpenter & Co. until he retired in 1936 to devote himself entirely to music.

Carpenter's musical compositions include both songs and orchestral concert and stage works. His earliest orchestral work, Adventures in a Perambulator, was written in 1914 and was the first of many successes. The ballet Skyscrapers (1923-1924), performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1926, was one of the first attempts at a literal depiction of modern American urban life, and thus has been accorded a certain historical significance. Other stage works include a "jazz pantomime" entitled Krazy Kat (1921), based on the comic strip by George Herriman, and a ballet-pantomime with Spanish overtones, The Birthday of the Infanta (1917). Carpenter was also considered an outstanding composer of songs; of particular note are the song cycles Gitanjali (1913, orchestrated 1934), a setting of a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore, and Water-colors (1916, orchestrated 1918), based on the writings of Confucius and other Chinese poets. Carpenter's commissions include Song of Faith (1932) for the George Washington Bicentennial in 1932, and the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge commissions of his String Quartet (1927) and Piano Quintet (1934).

Carpenter was a highly successful composer in his day, being named a Knight of the French Legion of Honor (1921) and receiving such honors as the Gold Medal of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He also received honorary degrees from Harvard University, Northwestern University, the University of Wisconsin, and the American Conservatory of Music.

Carpenter died Apr. 26, 1951, in Chicago.