Edward MacDowell, His Work and Ideals

This study combines biographical appreciation and musical analysis to trace the influences and natural gifts that shaped Edward MacDowell's style and to compare his work with allied arts. It argues that many piano pieces are built upon poetic or programmatic ideas that reward informed listening, and it offers the author's own poems as interpretive responses to selected compositions, each poem arising from a careful study of a piece's theme and mood. Brief essays describe the evolution of his ideals at Peterboro and suggest the modest, nature-minded spirit reflected in his later music.