Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin (November 25, 1862February 17, 1901) was an American pianist and composer.

right|thumb|Ethelbert Nevin, ca. 1891

Early life

Nevin was born on November 25, 1862, at Vineacre, on the banks of the Ohio River, in Edgeworth, Pennsylvania. There he spent the first sixteen years of his life, and received all his schooling, most of it from his father, Robert Peebles Nevin, editor and proprietor of a Pittsburgh newspaper, and a contributor to many magazines. (Robert Nevin also composed several campaign songs, among them the popular "Our Nominee," used in the day of James K. Polk's candidacy.) Nevin's mother, Elizabeth Duncan Oliphant, was a pianist. The first grand piano ever taken across the Allegheny Mountains was carted over for Nevin's mother. Other members of the Nevin family showed musical inclinations as well; Nevin's younger brother, Arthur, also achieved some renown as a composer, as did his cousins George and Gordon Balch Nevin.

Musical education

From a young age, Nevin was musically inclined. He began playing the piano by the age of four, although he needed cushions piled on the pedals to enable him to reach them. Nevin's father provided for his son both vocal and instrumental instruction. He overworked himself at times, steadily deteriorating his health. On the night of February 15, 1901, while in New Haven, Connecticut, Nevin had attended a recital given by Harold Bauer. After returning home, however, his health worsened. He had shown symptoms of numbness in his hands, altering his ability to play the piano. On the morning of February 17, he was confined to his bed as his health was becoming more unpredictable. He died later that day on February 17, 1901 in New Haven, Connecticut, aged just 38.

Nevin was commemorated by being pictured on a 1940 ten cent U.S. postage stamp, one of the "Famous Americans" series.

Piano pieces

  • Lilian Polka (1874)
  • Op. 2 Sketchbook (1888)
  • 1 Gavotte
  • 3 Love Song
  • 5 Berceuse
  • 7 Serenata
  • 9 Valse Rhapsodie
  • Op. 6 Three Duets (1890)
  • 1 Valse Caprice
  • 2 Country Dance
  • 3 Mazurka
  • Op. 7 Four Compositions (1890)
  • 1 Valser Gentile
  • 2 Slumber Song
  • 3 Intermezzo
  • 4 Song of the Brook
  • Op. 8 Melody and Habanera for Violin and Piano (1891)
  • Op. 13 Water Scenes (1891)
  • 1 Dragon Fly
  • 2 Ophelia
  • 3 Water Nymph
  • 4 Narcissus
  • 5 Barcarolle
  • Op. 16 In Arcady (1892)
  • 1 A Shepherd's Tale
  • 2 Shepherds All and Maidens Fair
  • 3 Lullabye
  • 4 Tournament
  • Op. 18 Two Études (1892)
  • 1 In the Form of a Romance
  • 2 In the Form of a Scherzo
  • Barcarolle for Violin and Piano (1893)
  • La Guitare (1896)
  • Op. 21 May in Tuscany (1896)
  • 1 Arlecchino
  • 2 Notturno
  • 3 Barchetta
  • 4 Misericordia
  • 5 Il Rusignuolo
  • 6 La Pastorella
  • Op. 25 A Day in Venice (1898)
  • 1 Alba
  • 2 Gondolieri
  • 3 Canzone amorosa
  • 4 Buona Notte
  • Op. 30 En Passant (1899)
  • 1 A Fontainebleau
  • 2 In Dreamland
  • 3 Napoli
  • 4 At Home
  • O'er Hill and Dale (1902)
  • 1 'Twas a Lover and His Lass
  • 2 The Thrush
  • 3 Love Is A-Straying, Ever Since Maying
  • 4 The Lark Is on the Wing

Songs

thumb|left|Ethelbert Nevin, c. 1900. This image is from the Ethelbert Nevin Collection and Archive housed and maintained by the American Center for Music at the University of Pittsburgh Library System, University of Pittsburgh

  • Bed-Time Song (1887)
  • Op. 2 Sketchbook (1888)
  • 2 Im Wunderschönen Monat Mai
  • 4 Du Bist Wie Eine Blume
  • 6 Lehn Deine Wang' an Meine Wang'
  • 8 Oh! That We Two Were Maying
  • 10 In Winter I Get Up at Night,<br>Of Speckled Eggs the Birdie Sings,<br>Dark Brown Is the River
  • Op. 3 Three Songs (1888)
  • 1 Deep in a Rose's Glowing Heart
  • 2 One Spring Morning
  • 3 Doris
  • Op. 5 Five Songs (1889)
  • 1 Herbstgefuhl
  • 2 La Chanson des Lavandieres
  • 3 'Twas April
  • 4 Raft Song
  • 5 Before the Daybreak
  • Op. 9 Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (1890)
  • Op. 12 Songs for Soprano or Tenor (1891)
  • 1 A Summer Day
  • 2 Beat Upon Mine, Little Heart
  • 3 In a Bower
  • 4 Little Boy Blue
  • 5 At Twilight
  • Op. 17 Three Songs (1892)
  • 1 Hab' ein Roslein
  • 2 Le Vase Brise
  • 3 Rappelle-toi
  • Op. 20 A Book of Songs (1893)
  • 1 A Fair Good Morn
  • 2 Sleep, Little Tulip
  • 3 Every Night
  • 4 Airly Beacon
  • 5 When the Land was White with Moonlight
  • 6 A Song of Love
  • 7 Nocturne
  • 8 Dites-moi
  • 9 Orsola's song
  • 10 In der Nacht
  • The Rosary (1898)
  • Op. 28 Songs from Vineacre (issued separately)
  • 1 A Necklace of Love (1899)
  • 2 Sleeping and Dreaming (1899)
  • 3 Mon dèsir (1899)
  • 4 The Nightingale's Song (1899)
  • 5 Dream-maker man (1900)
  • 6 La lune blanche (1900)
  • 7 Ein Heldenlied (1900)
  • 8 Ein Liedchen (1900)
  • An African Love Song (1901)
  • Mighty Lak' a Rose (1901)<br>lyrics by Frank Lebby Stanton (1894)

Ethelbert Nevin Collection

The University of Pittsburgh Ethelbert Nevin collection archives consist of the collection of manuscripts, recordings, memorabilia, and original hand-written scores that document his life, work and influence. The archives contains correspondence, commissioned commercial musical compositions, scores, recordings.

Publications

  • Rupert Hughes, Contemporary American Composers, Boston, 1900.
  • Vance Thompson, The Life of Ethelbert Nevin, Boston, 1913.
  • John Tasker Howard, Ethelbert Nevin, New York, 1935.
  • Ngaio Marsh, Overture to Death, 1939, mentions a "Venetian Suite" by Nevin

Legacy and honors

The World War II Liberty Ship was named in his honor.

References

Bibliography

  • online book
  • Narcissus MIDI file
  • Ethelbert Nevin - Pittsburgh Music History
  • New York Times obituary
  • Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.