Pearl G. Curran
Encyclopedia
Pearl Gildersleeve Curran (Denver, Colorado
, June 25, 1875 – New Rochelle, New York
, April 16, 1941) was an American librettist and composer
of art songs and works for chorus
.
after the Civil War
. As a young girl she studied the violin
, and later became interested in the piano
. She later attended Denver University. She also studied with Otto Pfeffercorn, Flora Smith Hunsicker and Martha Miner.
She settled in Larchmont, New York
, and married Hugh Grosvenor Curran, a manufacturer in New York city
. She was a member of ASCAP, the Pen Women’s Society and the Westchester County Music Festival Association.
, and John Charles Thomas
. Victor Records recorded three of her songs in the 1920s. Caruso premiered her song Life, and it was the only American
composition on the choral program at the 1934 music festival in Budapest
. Her song Sonny Boy was transcribed into Braille
for the blind during her lifetime, indicating its popularity at the time. Her grandchildren, Patricia, Nancy, and Winfred B. Holton III inspired several of her songs, including In My Looking-Glass. At the end of her life, she developed the nationally broadcast radio program A Half Hour with Pearl Curran, for which she provided piano accompaniments to some of her most popular melodies.
She was adept at conveying the mood of the text with melody
and accompaniment, ranging from the "serene love song" Nocturne and the "introspective" song Evening, to the more animated and descriptive song Rain, with short and repeated notes in the piano representing a rainy day. However, author Victoria Villamil accurately describes the dichotomy in her songs: "Unquestionably the greatest detriment to her work was her insistence on setting her own simplistic, old-fashioned texts. Otherwise, her songs are imaginative, melodious, and well crafted. Despite their naiveté, they can also be surprisingly elaborate and expansive."
Choral arrangements
Keyboard works
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, June 25, 1875 – New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
, April 16, 1941) was an American librettist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of art songs and works for chorus
Chorus
-Musical:* Choir, a vocal ensemble* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound; signal processors design to simulate the effect* Refrain or chorus of a song, pre-chorus may refer to bridge...
.
Biography
Pearl was born in Denver to J. H. and Elizabeth Tipton Heats Gildersleeve. She was a descendant of settlers who had migrated to ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. As a young girl she studied the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, and later became interested in the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. She later attended Denver University. She also studied with Otto Pfeffercorn, Flora Smith Hunsicker and Martha Miner.
She settled in Larchmont, New York
Larchmont, New York
Larchmont is a village in Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,864 at the 2010 census. It is located within the town of Mamaroneck, on the shore of Long Island Sound, northeast of Midtown Manhattan...
, and married Hugh Grosvenor Curran, a manufacturer in New York city
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She was a member of ASCAP, the Pen Women’s Society and the Westchester County Music Festival Association.
Music
In 1912 she published Five Love Songs, and in the years that followed she wrote both the text and music to over 40 songs. Many important singers of the first half of the 20th century performed her works, including Enrico Caruso, Anna CaseAnna Case
Anna Case was an American soprano. She recorded with Thomas Alva Edison, who used her voice extensively in "tone tests" of whether a live audience could tell the difference between the actual singer and a recording...
, and John Charles Thomas
John Charles Thomas
John Charles Thomas was a popular American opera, operetta and concert baritone.-Birth, schooling and stage debut:...
. Victor Records recorded three of her songs in the 1920s. Caruso premiered her song Life, and it was the only American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composition on the choral program at the 1934 music festival in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. Her song Sonny Boy was transcribed into Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
for the blind during her lifetime, indicating its popularity at the time. Her grandchildren, Patricia, Nancy, and Winfred B. Holton III inspired several of her songs, including In My Looking-Glass. At the end of her life, she developed the nationally broadcast radio program A Half Hour with Pearl Curran, for which she provided piano accompaniments to some of her most popular melodies.
She was adept at conveying the mood of the text with melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
and accompaniment, ranging from the "serene love song" Nocturne and the "introspective" song Evening, to the more animated and descriptive song Rain, with short and repeated notes in the piano representing a rainy day. However, author Victoria Villamil accurately describes the dichotomy in her songs: "Unquestionably the greatest detriment to her work was her insistence on setting her own simplistic, old-fashioned texts. Otherwise, her songs are imaginative, melodious, and well crafted. Despite their naiveté, they can also be surprisingly elaborate and expansive."
Musical Compositions
Songs for voice and piano- A Bachelor's Lament (A whimsy), 1927
- The Best is Yet to Be text by Robert BrowningRobert BrowningRobert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
, 1940 - Bird Songs, 1932
- Blessing (Thanksgiving song, text by Joan Secor), 1924
- Change o' Mind (An Irish Ballad), 1921
- The Crucifixion (sacred), 1925
- Dawn (text by Feril Hess), 1917, published 1918
- Five Songs, 1912, Carl Fischer MusicCarl Fischer MusicCarl Fischer Music is a major publisher of sheet music based in New York City that has been in business since 1872. As one of the few remaining family-owned music publishers, it supplies educational materials to professional and beginning musicians of all ages, as well as new music works.Notable...
- 1. Love's Mystery
- 2. Twilight
- 3. When Thou Art Nigh
- 4. When I'm Alone
- 5. My Dearie
- Flirtation, 1920, Oliver DitsonOliver DitsonOliver Ditson was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century. Ditson began his business with Samuel H...
- Gratitude (The Perfect Boon) (sacred, text by Earl B. Thomas), 1931
- Ho! Mr. Piper, 1919
- Hold Thou my hand (sacred), 1927
- The Holiday, 1919, Oliver DitsonOliver DitsonOliver Ditson was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century. Ditson began his business with Samuel H...
- I Know (Encore Song), 1924
- In My Looking-glass, 1931
- Life (text by Mary Stewart Cutting), 1919
- The Lord is My Shepherd (sacred, biblical text), 1921
- The Lord's Prayer (sacred, biblical text)
- Nocturne, 1923
- Nursery Rhymes, 1921
- A Picture, 1922
- Prayer, 1927
- Rain, 1920
- The Resurrection, 1924
- Sonny Boy, 1919, Oliver DitsonOliver DitsonOliver Ditson was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century. Ditson began his business with Samuel H...
- To Eostra (Spring song), 1924
- To the Sun, 1920, Oliver DitsonOliver DitsonOliver Ditson was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century. Ditson began his business with Samuel H...
- Two Idylls, 1921
- 1. Evening
- 2. A Pastorale
- The Two Magicians, 1922
- Two Meditations, 1922
- 1. Contentment (text by M. S. Cutting)
- 2. In Autumn
- What is a Song? (A Query), 1928
Choral arrangements
- Bird Gossip, women's voices, 1939
- Bird Songs, women's voices (arr. Carl Deis), 1935
- Blessing, women's voices, 1924; mixed voices (arr. Keith Downing), 1946; mixed voices (arr. William Stickles), 1963
- The Crucifixion, mixed voices (arr. Carl Deis), 1950
- Dawn, women's voices, 1923; men's voices, 1923; mixed voices (arr. Carl Deis), 1927
- Ho! Mr. Piper, mixed voices (arr. Ralph L. Baldwin), 1927
- Life
- Nocturne
- Nursery Rhymes, women's voices (arr. Carl Deis), 1948
- Rain, women's voices (arr. Carl Deis), 1923
- The Resurrection, mixed voices (arr. Carl Deis), 1949
- The Two Magicians, women's voices (arr. Carl Deis)
Keyboard works
- Blessing (Thanksgiving) (arr. William Stickles)
- Wedding music (for piano or organ), 1922