Frederick Shepherd Converse (b. Newton, Mass., Jan. 5, 1871; d. Westwood, Mass., June 8, 1940) was an American composer, teacher and administrator. Converse graduated from Harvard College in 1893 where he studied with John Knowles Paine. Converse pursued further advanced studies in piano with Carl Baermann and in composition with George W. Chadwick. In 1896 Converse traveled to Munich where he studied under Josef Rheinberger at the Konigliche Akademie der Tonkunst, graduating in 1898.
Upon his return to the Boston area, Converse became deeply involved in its musical life. From 1900 to 1902 he was an instructor in harmony at the New England Conservatory; from 1903 to 1907 he taught at Harvard College, first as an instructor, later as an assistant professor, resigning in 1907 to devote more time to composition. The years between 1907 and 1914 saw Converse at the height of his career as a composer. Following World War I, Converse returned to the New England Conservatory in 1920 as head of the theory department and in 1931 was appointed dean of the faculty. He resigned in 1938 due to failing health.
Converse was one of the organizers of the Boston Opera Company and served as its first Vice President from 1909-1914. The Pipe of Desire, Converse’s first opera, became the first American work ever to be performed by the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1910. His second opera, The Sacrifice was produced by the Boston Opera Company in 1911. Today, Converse is probably best known for his orchestral works such as Flivver Ten Million, a fantasy for orchestra and the symphonic poem The Mystic Trumpeter (1904) based on the poem of the same name from Walt Whitman’s iconic anthology, Leaves of Grass.
Among the honors bestowed upon Converse during his lifetime were the David Bispham Medal, conferred upon him by the American Opera Society of Chicago for his opera, The Pipe of Desire; and his elections into the National Institute of Arts and Letters (1908) and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1937).
Converse married Emma (Tudor) in 1894, and they had two sons, Frederick S. Jr. and Edmund Winchester 2nd, both of whom died at an early age, and five daughters - Louise, Augusta, Marie, Virginia, and Elizabeth.
Physical description
The Converse Papers consist of two manuscript box containing seventeen folders; includes paper materials and photographs.
Music manuscripts by Frederick Converse have been cataloged individually and can be found by searching our online catalog. Classic catalog
Provenance
The majority of these materials were most likely donated by Converse’s daughter, Virginia Cabot, in the early 1980s. Additional materials in this collection were donated by Converse’s grandson, William H. McElwain, in October 2008. Included in this gift were four photographs (each labeled as such), copies of the article entitled “Converse Banks on Mind’s Ear”, and programs. This gift also included the original 78 recordings and CD transfers of six of Converse’s major compositions, as well as his 1939 Christmas message to his family.
A letter dated May 15, 1919 to Converse from an Emilio Ugalde was a gift to the NEC Archives from the NEC orchestra library in January 1984. This letter originally accompanied Ugalde's piano composition, Preludes, op. 93.
In February 2012, additional materials relating to Converse were donated to the NEC Archives by Fern Meyers, who has been performing Converse's music for many years. Meyers acquired these materials in 2008 from Converse's granddaughter, Diana R. Gay. This package contained news clippings primarily from 1905, 1912, and 1915 dealing with Converse's works "Night" and "Day" and "Ormazd". There is also a photostat of a 1940 Boston Herald article and sketch of Converse by Dwight Shepler with an accompanying letter and envelope. There were already two copies of this article in the collection. In addition there were several issues of the New England Conservatory Bulletin. Other materials included were Boston Symphony Orchestra programs for performances of "Night" and "Day"(1905) and "Ormazd"(1915), and "Ballade for baritone and orchestra"(1906) as well as a William Strong and Herbert Boardman program (1923) and a Converse College program (1939). Finally, there were 4 photographs take at Lake Sunapee and one from "Crossways" (Westwood, MA)
Access
Access to the Converse Papers is by appointment with the Archivist. There are no restrictions pertaining to this collection with the exception of the student records series.
Copyright
Please contact the Archivist regarding copyright restrictions and publication permissions. This collection should be cited as: NECA 19.5. Frederick S. Converse Papers, New England Conservatory Archives. Boston, MA.