John Knowles Paine

Full biography John Knowles Paine

John Knowles Paine was an American composer who was born on January 9, 1839, in Portland, Maine. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of his generation, and is known as the "Dean of American Music." Paine was primarily a symphonist and church musician, and his compositions were deeply influenced by the music of his European contemporaries.

Paine was trained at Harvard University and the University of Munich, where he studied music with such notable composers as Leonhard von Call, Franz Lachner, and Josef Rheinberger. After his studies, Paine returned to the United States and became a professor of music at Harvard University, where he taught for nearly forty years.

Paine's compositions were varied in style and included symphonies, overtures, chamber works, and choral music. His major orchestral work, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 23, was the first symphony written by an American composer to be performed by a major orchestra. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1876, and received critical acclaim.

Paine was a staunch advocate for the development of American music, and advocated for the creation of a national conservatory of music that would be on par with those in Europe. He was also a founding member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), which was established to protect the rights of American composers.

John Knowles Paine died on April 25, 1906, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He left behind a legacy of great music that continues to inspire composers and musicians to this day. His contributions to American music were immense, and he remains an important figure in the history of American classical music.