Theodore Ward Chanler (April 29, 1902 – July 27, 1961) was an American composer.

Early life

Chanler was born on April 29, 1902 in Newport, Rhode Island. He was a son of Major

Winthrop Astor Chanler Winthrop Astor Chanler (October 14, 1863 – August 24, 1926) was an American sportsman and soldier who fought in the Spanish–American War and World War I. Chanler, a descendant of many prominent American families including the Dudley–Winthr ...

and Margaret Ward (née Terry) Chanler, an author and musician. Theodore's godfather was President Theodore Roosevelt, who attended his christening in Newport in 1902. Though born in Newport, his family shortly moved to Geneseo, New York where he grew up at the family estate, Sweet Briar Farms. His paternal grandparents were Margaret Astor (née Ward) Chanler (1838–1875), a member of the Astor family, and John Winthrop Chanler (1826–1877), a U.S. Representative from New York. His maternal grandparents were Louisa (née Ward) Crawford Terry and artist Luther Terry (d. 1900). His grandmother was a half-sister of

F. Marion Crawford Francis Marion Crawford (August 2, 1854 – April 9, 1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels, especially those set in Italy, and for his classic weird and fantastical stories. Early life Crawford was born in Bagni di Lucca, in th ...

and a niece of Julia Ward Howe. Chanler studied piano while a youngster in Boston, and then studied piano under Buhling and counterpoint under Goetschius at the

Institute of Musical Art The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most e ...

in New York City. From 1920 to 1923, he studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and between 1924 and 1927 in Europe ( Oxford, then Paris under Nadia Boulanger).

Career

He became a music critic for the ''Boston Herald'' in 1934, and taught in Massachusetts in the 1940s and 1950s. He was also a regular contributor to the American magazine '' Modern Music''. Chanler's best-known works are his songs, which number about 50. He also composed a ballet, an opera (''The Pot of Fat'', 1955), choral pieces, works for chamber ensemble, and piano solo pieces. In 1940, he was awarded the

League of Composers The League of Composers/ International Society for Contemporary Music is a society whose stated mission is "to produce the highest quality performances of new music, to champion American composers in the United States and abroad, and to introduce Am ...

Town Hall Award for his song cycle, "Four Rhymes from Peacock Pie" and, in 1944, was the recipient of a

Guggenheim fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

Teaching career

From 1945 to 1947, he was on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. He also taught at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Personal life

In Paris in 1931, Chanler was married to Maria Sargent (née de Acosta) (1880–1970), the daughter of

Ricardo de Acosta Ricardo de Acosta (July 8, 1837 – August 24, 1907) was a Cuban steamship-line executive and sugar refiner. Early life Ricardo was born on July 8, 1837 in Matanzas, the capital of the Cuban Matanzas Province (although often written that he ...

. She was the sister of

Aida de Acosta Aida de Acosta Root Breckinridge (July 28, 1884 – May 26, 1962) was an American socialite and aviator. She was the first woman to fly a powered aircraft solo. In 1903, while in Paris with her mother, she caught her first glimpse of dirigibles. ...

, Mercedes de Acosta, Rita de Acosta, and Mrs. Frederick Shaw of London. Maria previously was married to Andrew Robeson Sargent, the son of Charles Sprague Sargent. Maria and Andrew had a child together, Ignatius Sargent (1914–1999), who attended the

Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...

and was a member of the class of 1937 at Harvard University. He married Frances Moffat in 1935. Chanler died at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on July 27, 1961.

References

;Notes ;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Chanler, Theodore 1902 births 1961 deaths American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century classical composers Musicians from Newport, Rhode Island Alumni of the University of Oxford American music critics 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Chanler family