George Balch Nevin Explained

George Balch Nevin (March 15, 1859  - April 17, 1933) was an American composer and businessman. A member of the Nevin musical family, his cousins were the composers Ethelbert and Arthur Nevin; his son, Gordon Balch Nevin, also became a composer.[1] His brother, David W. Nevin, was mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania from 1912 to 1920.[2]

Nevin was born in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania,[3] and spent most of his life in the town of Easton. His output consisted mainly of cantatas, and included such works as The Crown of Life and The Incarnation; he was also known for his setting of Sidney Lanier's poem "A Ballad of Trees and the Master", and wrote a number of hymns as well. Helen Tretbar translated at least one of his songs ("Ho! Fill Me a Flagon!") into German.[4] For nearly thirty years, he ran a wholesale paper business in addition to composing.[1]

Nevin was also a historian and lecturer, and would sometimes give lectures on subjects related to music history to local historical societies. Some of these have survived in manuscript form.[5]

Nevin died in 1933.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Howard, John Tasker. Our American Music: Three Hundred Years of It. 1939. Thomas Y. Crowell Company. New York.
  2. Web site: Scheihing . Will . New Nevin Park fountain is a nod to its namesake . . https://web.archive.org/web/20140703151009/https://www.mcall.com/news/local/easton/mc-easton-nevin-park-iron-fountain-20140621,0,4581772.story . 28 February 2023. 2014-07-03 .
  3. Web site: George Balch NEVIN. 2008-08-05. geocities.com/heartland/garden/2471/. Rick Peterson. https://web.archive.org/web/20091023095342/http://geocities.com/Heartland/Garden/2471/nevingen/d0001/g0000091.html. dead. 2009-10-23.
  4. Web site: Category:Tretbar, Helen D. - IMSLP: Free Sheet Music PDF Download. 2021-06-07. imslp.org.
  5. Web site: The Story of the Martin Guitar Works - Signed 1920 Typescript. 2008-08-05. Biblio.com.