MacDowell, To a Wild Rose
To A Wild Rose is the first of ten pieces by American composer Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) comprising a set called Woodland Sketches. Each of the pieces has a title and tries to express that title through music: for example, autumn, sunset, a deserted farm, an Indian lodge. By far, To A Wild Rose is the most popular of the ten pieces. Its melody is said to be based on a song of the Brotherton Native American tribe in Michigan.
It is often played by students early in their study of the piano (once able to grapple with shaping melodies expressively) but also by professional pianists who delight in its beauty and simplicity, even employing it sometimes as a touching encore after a virtuosic recital. It is not difficult for a pianist to play, although mastery is required to convey its full tenderness and lightness.
The piece is immediately memorable for most listeners due to its clear, pleasing melody. It could can be considered a type of “song without words,” a topic we discussed in more detail in earlier Performance Picks.
Born in New York, MacDowell studied at the Paris Conservatory and paid a visit to Franz Liszt in Weimar. He lived in Germany for a time before settling in Boston. He became quite well known as a pianist and composer. Although his legacy faded after his death, he envisioned setting up an arts community in Peterborough, New Hampshire. His widow helped to build that into the Edward MacDowell Association that has provided fellowships to foster many up-and-coming American composers, including William Schuman, Leonard Bernstein, Amy Beach, Aaron Copland, and Edgard Varese.