About
Pulitzer Prize winner for 1944's Symphony No. 4. He directed the Eastman School of Music for 40 years. He was known for such original works as "Symphonic Rhapsody," "Two Yuletide Pieces," and the "Scandinavian Suite," a celebration of his Lutheran and Scandinavian ancestry.
Before Fame
He earned a BA degree in music from Northwestern in 1916, studying with Peter Lutkin, a church music expert, and pianist and composer Arne Oldberg. His first nationally recognized work was "The California Forest Play" from 1920.
Trivia
His best-known composition was Symphony No. 2, the 'Romantic,' which was premiered by Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on November 28, 1930, as part of its 50th-anniversary celebration.
Family Life
He was born in Wahoo to Swedish immigrant parents. He married Elizabeth Nelson in 1946.
Associated With
His 1935 composition "Three Songs from Drum Taps" was based on the poem by Walt Whitman.
