John Alden Carpenter

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Biography

Born: February 28, 1876; Park Ridge, IL   Died: April 26, 1951; Chicago, IL  
Though his music is less well known today than that of his more adventurous contemporary, Charles Ives, John Alden Carpenter was a fine composer notable for his songs, orchestral music and ballets. He was a student of John Knowles Paine at Harvard University, and though his music was mostly rooted in European traditions of the nineteenth century, he did begin to assimilate the sounds of distinctly American forms, most notably jazz.. Like Ives, Read more Carpenter never pursued the life of a professional musician, choosing instead to work as vice president of the family business, George B. Carpenter & Co., in Chicago.

Carpenter was born in Park Ridge, IL, and was a direct descendant of John Alden, a passenger on the Mayflower. He graduated from Harvard in 1897, and then continued his composition studies with Edward Elgar and Bernhard Ziehn. He made his debut as a composer with his Violin Sonata in 1912; it was premiered by the famous Mischa Elman. Soon after, he began publishing songs, piano music, and his first orchestral piece, Adventures in a Perambulator, which recounted in music his childhood memories of being wheeled around in a carriage by his nanny. In 1921 he began to strike a more modern tone with his jazz-inflected ballet, Krazy Kat, which was based on the classic comic strip. Its success led to the commission of Skyscrapers, originally meant for Serge Diaghilev and the Ballet Russe, but eventually premiered by the Metropolitan Opera. Other important works include the symphonic poem, Sea Drift (1933), and his Second Symphony, which Bruno Walter premiered with the New York Philharmonic in 1942. Carpenter's most enduring works have been his many songs, including those to texts of Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman, and the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore. Read less

Featured John Alden Carpenter CDs & DVDs:

The Songs Of John Alden Carpenter / Osborne, Helmrich
The Songs Of John Alden Carpenter / Osborne, Helmrich
Release Date: 06/27/2000   Label: Albany Records  
Catalog: 388   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 1-25 of 26 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Mercury Living Presence - The Collector's Edition Vol 2
    Mercury Living Presence - The Collector's Edition Vol 2
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001831802 Release Date: 06/04/2013   Number of Discs: 55
    Composer:  Arnold Schoenberg,  Anton von Webern,  Alban Berg,  Ottorino Respighi  ... 
    Performer:  Helga Pilarczyk,  Yehudi Menuhin,  Mihaly Székely,  Olga Szönyi  ... 
    Conductor:  Antal Doráti,  Rafael Kubelik,  Anatole Fistoulari,  Frederick Fennell  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra,  Philharmonia Hungarica  ... 
    On sale! $169.98
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  • 2.
    Michael Rabin - The Unpublished Recordings
    Michael Rabin - The Unpublished Recordings
    Label: Testament   Catalog: 1470 Release Date: 02/14/2012   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Johannes Brahms,  Max Bruch,  John Alden Carpenter  ... 
    Performer:  Michael Rabin
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  • 3.
    Echoes Of Nightingales / Christine Brewer, Roger Vignoles
    Echoes Of Nightingales / Christine Brewer, Roger Vignoles
    Label: Hyperion   Catalog: 67813 Release Date: 03/08/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sidney Homer,  Edwin McArthur,  Arthur Walter Kramer,  Mildred Lund Tyson  ... 
    Performer:  Christine Brewer,  Roger Vignoles
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  • 4.
    American Pioneers - Carpenter, Macdowell, Buck, Foote, Knowles Paine
    American Pioneers - Carpenter, Macdowell, Buck, Foote, Knowles Paine
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 41118 Release Date: 01/25/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Alden Carpenter,  John Knowles Paine,  Edward MacDowell,  Arthur Foote  ... 
    Conductor:  Kenneth Klein
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra
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  • 5.
    Music Of Piston, Ives & Carpenter
    Label: Composers Recordings, Inc. (Cri)   Catalog: 180 Release Date: 06/01/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Walter Piston,  Charles Ives,  John Alden Carpenter
    Performer:  Marjorie Mitchell
    Conductor:  William Strickland
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
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  • 6.
    The American Composers Series - Piano Music (1900-1945)
    The American Composers Series - Piano Music (1900-1945)
    Label: Vox Box   Catalog: 3027 Release Date: 05/27/2010   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Aaron Copland,  William Schuman,  Roger Sessions,  Roy Harris  ... 
    Performer:  Roger Shields
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  • 7.
    Wondrous Free - Songs Of America II / Thomas Hampson
    Wondrous Free - Songs Of America II / Thomas Hampson
    Label: Thomas Hampson Media   Catalog: 5432 Release Date: 09/15/2009   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Stephen Foster,  Edward MacDowell,  Sidney Homer,  Charles Ives  ... 
    Performer:  Thomas Hampson,  Craig Rutenberg,  Wolfram Rieger
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  • 8.
    The Complete Conchita Supervia Vol 3 - Parlophone And Odeon 1930-1932
    The Complete Conchita Supervia Vol 3 - Parlophone And Odeon 1930-1932
    Label: Marston   Catalog: 52060 Release Date: 10/12/2008   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Modesto Pomero,  Federico Longás Torres,  Juan Manén,  D'Hardelot  ... 
    Performer:  Conchita Supervia,  Pedro Vallribera,  Ivor Newton,  Alejandro Vilalta  ... 
    Conductor:  Paul Minssart,  Gustav Cloëz,  Unknown,  Antonio Capdevila
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestra
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  • 9.
    Thomson: Feast Of Love; Harris, Griffes, Etc / Mann, Mason, Odense So
    Thomson: Feast Of Love; Harris, Griffes, Etc / Mann, Mason, Odense So
    Label: Bridge   Catalog: 9254 Release Date: 04/08/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Roy Harris,  Charles Tomlinson Griffes,  John Alden Carpenter,  Horatio Parker  ... 
    Performer:  Patrick Mason
    Conductor:  Paul Mann
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Odense Symphony Orchestra
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  • 10.
    Songs Of An Innocent Age / Paul Sperry, Irma Vallecillo
    Songs Of An Innocent Age / Paul Sperry, Irma Vallecillo
    Label: Albany Records   Catalog: 34 Release Date: 10/24/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Amy Marcy Beach,  Carrie Jacobs-Bond,  Henry Clough-Leiter,  Dudley Buck  ... 
    Performer:  Irma Vallecillo,  Paul Sperry
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  • 11.
    American Tone Poems - Coerne, Parker, Etc / Kruger, Et Al
    American Tone Poems - Coerne, Parker, Etc / Kruger, Et Al
    Label: Bridge   Catalog: 9190 Release Date: 04/25/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Alden Carpenter,  Horatio Parker,  Edward Burlingame Hill,  Louis Coerne
    Conductor:  Karl Kruger
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philharmonia Orchestra,  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 12.
    Howard Hanson Conducts American Masterworks
    Howard Hanson Conducts American Masterworks
    Label: Mercury Living Presence   Catalog: 4756274 Release Date: 09/01/2004   Number of Discs: 5
    Composer:  Douglas Moore,  John Alden Carpenter,  Burrill Phillips,  Bernard Rogers  ... 
    Performer:  Joseph Mariano,  James Austin,  Francis Tursi,  Sidney Mear  ... 
    Conductor:  Howard Hanson
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra
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  • 13.
    American Classics - Explore America Vol 1
    American Classics - Explore America Vol 1
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8559187 Release Date: 05/20/2003   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Florence Beatrice Price,  John Philip Sousa,  Charles Ives,  Michael Torke  ... 
    Performer:  Maria Corley,  Darryl Taylor,  Colin Currie,  William Bolcom  ... 
    Conductor:  Keith Brion,  James Sinclair,  Marin Alsop,  William T. Stromberg  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Artillery Band,  Northern Sinfonia,  Royal Scottish National Orchestra  ... 
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  • 14.
    American Classics - Carpenter / Posnak, Schwartz, Vega Quartet
    American Classics - Carpenter / Posnak, Schwartz, Vega Quartet
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8559103 Release Date: 11/19/2002   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Alden Carpenter
    Performer:  Paul Posnak,  Wendy Chen,  Guang Wang,  Jessica Wu  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vega Quartet
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  • 15.
    Yestertime Songs For Children
    Yestertime Songs For Children
    Label: Wendy Loder   Catalog: 33207 Release Date: 09/11/2001   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Engelbert Humperdinck,  Alexander Gretchaninov,  Johannes Brahms  ... 
    Performer:  Wendy Loder,  Wendy Loder & Janis Martin
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  • 16.
    A Collection Of American Songs / Carole Bogard, Et Al
    A Collection Of American Songs / Carole Bogard, Et Al
    Label: Parnassus Records   Catalog: 96021/2 Release Date: 06/26/2001   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Ned Rorem,  William Flanagan,  Richard Cumming,  John Woods Duke  ... 
    Performer:  Carole Bogard,  John Moriarty,  David Del Tredici,  Richard Cumming  ... 
    On sale! $36.98
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  • 17.
    American Classics - Carpenter: Adventures In A Perambulator
    American Classics - Carpenter: Adventures In A Perambulator
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8559065 Release Date: 06/19/2001   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Alden Carpenter
    Conductor:  John McLaughlin Williams
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ukrainian National Symphony Orchestra
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  • 18.
    The Songs Of John Alden Carpenter / Osborne, Helmrich
    The Songs Of John Alden Carpenter / Osborne, Helmrich
    Label: Albany Records   Catalog: 388 Release Date: 06/27/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Alden Carpenter
    Performer:  Robert Osborne,  Dennis Helmrich
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  • 19.
    American Dreams - Barber, Et Al / Leppard, Indianapolis So
    American Dreams - Barber, Et Al / Leppard, Indianapolis So
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 458157 Release Date: 08/10/1999   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Hoagy Carmichael,  Arthur Foote,  John Alden Carpenter  ... 
    Performer:  Arkady Orlovsky,  Hidetaro Suzuki
    Conductor:  Raymond Leppard
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
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  • 20.
    Stanford Archive Series Vol 4 / Ernestine Schumann-heink
    Stanford Archive Series Vol 4 / Ernestine Schumann-heink
    Label: Delos   Catalog: 5503 Release Date: 03/03/1998   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Engelbert Humperdinck,  Ronald, Landon, Sir,  John Stafford Smith,  Geoffrey O'Hara  ... 
    Performer:  Ernestine Schumann-Heink,  Katherine Hoffmann,  Geraldine Farrar,  Charles Adams Prince
    Conductor:  Rosario Bourdon
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  • 21.
    Skyscrapers / Klein, London Symphony Orchestra
    Skyscrapers / Klein, London Symphony Orchestra
    Label: Albany Records   Catalog: 235 Release Date: 10/14/1997   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Alden Carpenter,  Arthur Foote,  Edward MacDowell,  Dudley Buck  ... 
    Conductor:  Kenneth Klein
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra
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  • 22.
    Kirsten Flagstad Vol 4 - Wagner, Grieg, Sibelius, Et Al
    Kirsten Flagstad Vol 4 - Wagner, Grieg, Sibelius, Et Al
    Label: Simax   Catalog: 1824 Release Date: 01/01/1996   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Sir Edward Elgar,  Jean Sibelius,  Richard Wagner,  Stephen Collins Foster  ... 
    Performer:  Waldemar Alme,  Kirsten Flagstad,  Bruno Walter,  Edwin McArthur  ... 
    Conductor:  José Iturbi
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Detroit Symphony Orchestra
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  • 23.
    Carpenter: Collected Piano Works / Denver Oldham
    Carpenter: Collected Piano Works / Denver Oldham
    Label: New World Records   Catalog: 80328 Release Date: 12/08/1992   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  John Alden Carpenter
    Performer:  Denver Oldham
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  • 24.
    Carpenter: Krazy Kat; Gilbert: The Dance In Place Congo
    Carpenter: Krazy Kat; Gilbert: The Dance In Place Congo
    Label: New World Records   Catalog: 80228 Release Date: 12/08/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Powell,  Henry F. Gilbert,  Adolphe Weiss,  John Alden Carpenter
    Performer:  Zita Carno
    Conductor:  Calvin Simmons,  Lawrence Foster
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 25.
    Orchestral Works By Carpenter, Hadley, Mason & Q Porter
    Orchestral Works By Carpenter, Hadley, Mason & Q Porter
    Label: New World Records   Catalog: 80321 Release Date: 12/08/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Henry Hadley,  John Alden Carpenter,  Quincy Porter,  Daniel Gregory Mason
    Conductor:  Julius Hegyi
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Albany Symphony Orchestra
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