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Mary Wortham Carlisle was born on April 4, 1882, in Richmond, Virginia, at her maternal grandparents' home. Her father, Calderon Carlisle Esq., was a well-known and successful international lawyer as well as legal counsel for the Spanish, British, and Italian legations in Washington, D.C., directly descended from the Earls of Buchan, Macleod Chiefs of Scotland, and a colorful tapestry of European nobility. Her mother, Katherine Cornick Thomas, came from an old Richmond, Virginia family descended from the First Families of Virginia; her father, James B. Thomas Jr. being a prominent philanthropist. [1] Carlisle was raised in Washington, D.C. and later lived in Newport, Rhode Island with her husband, Walter Bruce Howe Esq. (law partner of her brother, James Mandeville Carlisle Esq.), at their home, Berry Hill, on Ocean Drive, designed by Mckim, Mead, and White. [2]
Her early lessons were with the noted pianist Herminie Seron.[3] By age 18, Carlisle was performing publicly and was accepted into Baltimore's Peabody Institute.[4] Before attending Peabody, she studied form and analysis with Howard Thatcher, a Peabody alumnus.[5] At Peabody, she studied piano with Richard Burmeister, achieving notable proficiency.[6] She also studied composition with Gustav Strube, Ernest Hutcheson, and Harold Randolph.[7] She graduated with an Artist Diploma in Composition in 1922. [8] In 1933, Howe traveled to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger, a renowned French pianist and composer.[3] Paris also offered opportunities of cultural experiences and art education for her daughter Molly. Howe met Nadia at a concert and later over tea. [9]
As early as 1911, Carlisle started performing with her friend Anne Hull, with one of their most notable performances being of Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos;[10] however, she much preferred composition. Her early compositions were almost exclusively for piano.[11] At only nine years old, she composed The Mariposa Waltz for piano in 1891.[12] She notably emulated Neo-romanticism, with an unusually open mind for modernism.
She began to develop an interest in themes in nature and American themes, paving the way for some of her most famous orchestral works (which include Sand, Stars, Rock, Three Pieces after Emily Dickinson and "Chain Gang Song" for orchestra and chorus). Her "Chain Gang Song" was especially praised for its lack of femininity; after its first performance, once the chorus and orchestra called her up to bow, a man from the audience praised the conductor for the piece and asked why a woman was bowing with the ensemble.
Howe later developed a passion for composing for the voice, writing many art songs. In support of her country during World War II, she composed vigorous pieces in support of the troops which incorporated the texts of William Blake, also written for voice.
In 1931, Mary Howe co-founded the National Symphony Orchestra and later the Chamber Music Society of Washington as well as the Society of American Women Composers. Howe's involvement spread across numerous groups such as the National Federation of Music Clubs, the League of Composers, the National Association of American Composers and Conductors, the MacDowell Colony, the Huntington Hartford Foundation, and on the board of the National Cultural Center (the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts).[13]
Howe died in 1964 at the age of 82, ten years after the death of her husband, Walter Bruce Howe. They were survived by their three children, Bruce, Calderon, and Molly.
Music by Mary Howe (1998) – performed by John Martin, Mary Howe, William Strickland, and Catholic University of America Chamber Arts Society, Performed by Tokyo Imperial Philharmonic Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic
Love's Seasons: Songs of Mary Howe and Robert Ward (2004) by Sandra McClain and Margo Garrett
Stars (1927) – Hans Kindler and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C., on 29 January 1941 for RCA Victor (78rpm: 11-8608) and reissued on CD in 1999 (Biddulph WHL 063).
Songs and Duets (2021) – Courtney Maina (soprano), Christopher Leach (tenor), Mary Dibbern (piano), Toccata Classics TOCC0634
Between Us: Music for Two by Mary Howe (2022) – includes the Violin Sonata (1922), and Ballade Fantastique, Three Restaurant Pieces, Partita, Merles de Coulenne, Interlude between Two Pieces, various performers, Navona NV6432
^Works Cited
Indenbaum, Dorothy. Mary Howe: Composer, Pianist and Music Activist, New York University, United States -- New York, 1993, p.128. ProQuest, https://manowar.tamucc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/mary-howe-composer-pianist-music-activist/docview/304073289/se-2.
^Indenbaum, Dorothy. Mary Howe: Composer, Pianist and Music Activist, New York University, United States -- New York, 1993, pp. 128-129. ProQuest, https://manowar.tamucc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/mary-howe-composer-pianist-music-activist/docview/304073289/se-2.
^Mary Howe Papers, JPB 04-39. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
^Works Cited
Indenbaum, Dorothy. Mary Howe: Composer, Pianist and Music Activist, New York University, United States -- New York, 1993, p. 134. ProQuest, https://manowar.tamucc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/mary-howe-composer-pianist-music-activist/docview/304073289/se-2.
^Indenbaum, D. (1993). Mary howe: Composer, pianist and music activist (Order No. 9317667). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304073289). Retrieved from https://manowar.tamucc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/mary-howe-composer-pianist-music-activist/docview/304073289/se-2
^Mary Howe Papers, JPB 04-39. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
