Frank La Forge

Frank La Forge

Frank La Forge
Background information
Born October 22, 1879(1879-10-22), Rockford, Illinois
Died May 5, 1953(1953-05-05) (aged 73), New York, New York
Occupations Composer, pianist, teacher
Instruments Piano
Years active 1902–1953

Frank La Forge (Rockford, Illinois, October 22, 1879 – New York, New York, May 5, 1953) was an American pianist and composer and arranger of art songs.

Contents

Life and musical career

La Forge was a boy soprano, famous in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois.[1] He first studied piano with his older sister, and went to Vienna in 1900 to study with Theodor Leschetizky. In the following years he toured Europe, Russia, and the United States as an accompanist to Marcella Sembrich. He moved to New York City in 1920, where he became a music teacher, coach, and accompanist. He died at the piano, performing at a Musician's Club dinner.[2]

La Forge accompanied many important opera singers, including Marcella Sembrich, Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Lily Pons, Johanna Gadski and Lucrezia Bori. He taught a number of important American singers, including Marian Anderson, Lawrence Tibbett, Marie Powers, and Richard Crooks. In performance he usually accompanied entirely from memory, considered an unusual feat for an accompanist. His biography in Pathways of Song claimed that he had 'a repertoire of over five thousand memorized accompaniments embracing all schools'.[3] The Victor record catalog is full of examples of his playing, many with Marcella Sembrich and Lucrezia Bori. He recorded a few piano solos, as well as two works accompanying at the organ in 1912, 'Berceuse' and 'Le Cygne' (most likely the famous work by Saint-Saëns) with 'cellist Gutia Casini.[4]

Musical works

La Forge composed around 40 songs for voice and piano in the years between 1906 and 1940, as well as a few piano solos, choral works, and at least one solo for violin and piano. Some of the songs are sacred, and most were published individually by G. Schirmer, while a few have been reissued in various song anthologies and collections of American art songs from the same publisher. Many of his early songs were composed to German texts and modeled on the German Lied. Later songs were composed in the more accessible 'concert ballad' style, which was quite popular at the time.[5] Many were written for specific singers to show off their individual talents.

The songs are known for their craftsmanship, full piano accompaniments, and tasteful musical style. His 1919 piece Song of the Open was highlighted by Upton as representative of American song from the era 1900-1930.[6]

He was also a highly successful arranger of folksongs; Villamil mentions 'an excellent set of Mexican folk songs'.[7] Perhaps more significant was his work as an important compiler of songs for students, in the collection of several volumes he created with Will Earhart, the Pathways of Song.

Published secular songs

published by G. Schirmer unless noted

Published sacred songs

published by G. Schirmer unless noted

Published choral works

Published piano solos

Published instrumental solos

Arrangements and editing

1. Pregúntales á las Estrellas (O ask of the stars, beloved), Mexican folk-song, 1922
2. Crepuscúlo (Twilight), Mexican folk-song, 1922
3. El Céfiro (The Zephyr), Mexican folk-song, 1922
4. La Paloma (The Dove) by Sebastián Yradier, 1922
5. La Golondrina (The Swallow), Mexican folk-song, 1922
6. En Cuba (Cuban Song) by Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes, 1923
7. Estrellita (Little Star) by Manuel Ponce, 1923
8. Yo paso la Vida (In Sorrow and Sighing) by Jose Islas, 1926

Footnotes

  1. ^ Villamil, p. 254
  2. ^ Villamil, p. 255
  3. ^ Pathways of Song
  4. ^ http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/53203/La_Forge_Frank_instrumentalist_organ
  5. ^ Villamil, p. 255
  6. ^ Upton, p. 177
  7. ^ Villamil, p. 255
  8. ^ recorded for Victor in 1908: http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200006795/B-4989-Gavotte
  9. ^ unverified publication, but recorded for Victor in 1910-1911: http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200009842/B-9733-Souvenir_de_Vienne
  10. ^ recorded for Victor in 1925: http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/800006524/BVE-32177-Valse_de_concert
  11. ^ caption title: "Transcribed for and sung by Mme. Marcella Sembrich"

References

External links