Preston Ware Orem
Encyclopedia
Preston Ware Orem was an American
composer, pianist, and writer on music. He is frequently grouped with other composers as part of the Indianist movement
in American music.
Born in Philadelphia
, Orem received his secondary education at the Eastburn Academy, and did his undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania
, where he received his degree in music. He studied organ
and music theory
with Hugh Archibald Clarke
, and was instructed in piano
by Charles H. Jarvis. From 1889 until 1895 he served as the organist of St. Paul's Procathedral in Los Angeles
; after this he returned home, teaching for one year at the Philadelphia Conservatory
. From 1896 until 1905 he taught at the Combs Conservatory of Music. In 1900 Orem began a long association with Theodore Presser, serving as a music critic and editor for the publisher while conducting the Presser Choral Society. From 1901 until 1910 he again worked as an organist, this time at the Walnut Street Presbyterian Church. Orem also wrote theory books, including 1919's Harmony Book for Beginners, and compiled nine books of musical exercises. It is for these that he is chiefly remembered.
As a composer, Orem was less interested than many of his contemporaries in the Indianist movement; still, as it was in fashion, it seems to have held a certain fascination for him. He is numbered among its members mainly because of his American Indian Rhapsody, his most popular work. Originally written for piano, but later scored for full orchestra
, it contains reference to the music of the Cheyenne
, Kiowa
, Sioux
, Chippewa, Pueblo
, and Cree
tribes, and is based on themes recorded and suggested by Thurlow Lieurance
. The Rhapsody has been described as
Orem composed other works as well, including a piano quartet, a quintet, large numbers of songs, some works for piano, and numerous transcriptions and arrangements; among the latter is a movement from one of Johann Sebastian Bach
's solo cello
suites, arranged for organ. Orem died in Philadelphia in 1938.
A handful of Orem's piano works have been recorded by Naxos Records
for release on the Marco Polo label, as part of a series documenting the work of Indianist composers. In addition, the piano version of the American Indian Rhapsody may be found on a New World Records
release of American romantic piano music.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer, pianist, and writer on music. He is frequently grouped with other composers as part of the Indianist movement
Indianist movement
The Indianist movement was a movement in American classical music that flourished from the 1880s until the 1920s. It was based on attempts to synthesize American Indian musical ideas with some of the basic principles of Western music...
in American music.
Born in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Orem received his secondary education at the Eastburn Academy, and did his undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where he received his degree in music. He studied organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
with Hugh Archibald Clarke
Hugh Archibald Clarke
Hugh Archibald Clarke is a Canadian composer, organist, and teacher. He was born in Toronto, Canada on August 15, 1839, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 16, 1927, at the age of 88 .-Early Life:...
, and was instructed in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
by Charles H. Jarvis. From 1889 until 1895 he served as the organist of St. Paul's Procathedral in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
; after this he returned home, teaching for one year at the Philadelphia Conservatory
University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
The University of the Arts is one of the United States' oldest universities dedicated to the arts. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia...
. From 1896 until 1905 he taught at the Combs Conservatory of Music. In 1900 Orem began a long association with Theodore Presser, serving as a music critic and editor for the publisher while conducting the Presser Choral Society. From 1901 until 1910 he again worked as an organist, this time at the Walnut Street Presbyterian Church. Orem also wrote theory books, including 1919's Harmony Book for Beginners, and compiled nine books of musical exercises. It is for these that he is chiefly remembered.
As a composer, Orem was less interested than many of his contemporaries in the Indianist movement; still, as it was in fashion, it seems to have held a certain fascination for him. He is numbered among its members mainly because of his American Indian Rhapsody, his most popular work. Originally written for piano, but later scored for full orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, it contains reference to the music of the Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
, Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
, Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, Chippewa, Pueblo
Pueblo
Pueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
, and Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
tribes, and is based on themes recorded and suggested by Thurlow Lieurance
Thurlow Lieurance
Thurlow Weed Lieurance was an American composer, known primarily for his song "By the Waters of Minnetonka". He is frequently classed with a number of his contemporaries, including Charles Wakefield Cadman, Arthur Nevin, Charles Sanford Skilton, Preston Ware Orem, and Arthur Farwell, as a member...
. The Rhapsody has been described as
very much a period piece, stylistically conventional and eclectic, post-RomanticRomantic musicRomantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
and neo-Lisztian in its mannerisms and pretentiousness, its plethora of trillTrillTrill may refer to:* Trill , a type of musical ornament* Trill consonant, a type of sound used in some languages*Trill, a type of bird food-Fiction:* Trill , two symbiotic races of aliens in the fictional Star Trek universe...
s, arpeggioArpeggioAn arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
s, broken chords, and repeated octaveOctaveIn music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s (often thunderous), and its bravura display of virtuosity, with indications ranging from molto maestosoMaestosoMaestoso is an Italian musical term and is used to direct performers to play a certain passage of music in a stately, dignified and majestic fashion or, it is used to describe music as such. The term is commonly used in relatively slow pieces; however, there are numerous examples - such as the...
to allegretto scherzando, from andante affetuoso to allegro con brioCon BrioCon brio is a musical direction, meaning "with spirit" or "with vigor".Con Brio can also refer to:*Con Brio , a popular San Francisco-based band*Con Brio, Inc., a defunct synthesizer manufacturer*Con Brio Records, a defunct record label...
, from amabile to feroce (the savage!). It is probably the most far-out Indianist composition ever written.
Orem composed other works as well, including a piano quartet, a quintet, large numbers of songs, some works for piano, and numerous transcriptions and arrangements; among the latter is a movement from one of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's solo cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
suites, arranged for organ. Orem died in Philadelphia in 1938.
A handful of Orem's piano works have been recorded by Naxos Records
Naxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
for release on the Marco Polo label, as part of a series documenting the work of Indianist composers. In addition, the piano version of the American Indian Rhapsody may be found on a New World Records
New World Records
New World Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in American music. The label was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to produce a 100 disc anthology covering 200 years of American music....
release of American romantic piano music.