Frederick Grant Gleason

Full biography Frederick Grant Gleason

Frederick Grant Gleason was an American composer, born on December 17, 1848, in Middletown, Connecticut. He was known for his contributions to organ music and often blended popular and classical styles in his compositions. Gleason received his formal music training in Chicago, where he studied organ, violin, and composition.

He studied organ with Clarence Eddy, piano with Regina Watson, and theory with Carl Wolfsohn, and then with John Knowles Paine at Harvard University. Gleason also studied composition with Adolf Friedrich Hesse in Germany and with Charles-Marie Widor and Alexandre Guilmant in France.

During his lifetime, Gleason composed a number of works for the organ, including preludes, fugues, and sonatas. He was also a prolific composer of hymn tunes, many of which are still in use in churches today. Gleason's music was often performed during his lifetime, particularly in Chicago and the surrounding areas.

Gleason died on December 6, 1903, in Chicago, at the age of 54. While he may not be a well-known composer today, his music remains an important part of the American classical music canon.