Alice Theresa Hildagard Swanson Esty (November 8, 1904 – July 21, 2000) was an American actress, soprano and arts

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

who commissioned works by members of Les Six and other French composers, and American composers such as Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomson. Claire Brook, and Marc Blitzstein, among others.

Biography

She earned an A.B. degree from

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the Campus of Bates College, campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of th ...

in 1925. She then moved to New York City to study singing and acting. She was hired as an actress with the Group Theater, which was directed by

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 193 ...

and Harold Clurman, and with the Provincetown Players, an avant-garde theater. Her Broadway credits include ''Come of Age'', with Judith Anderson, and '' L'Aiglon'', with Ethel Barrymore. She married William C. Esty, founder of the

William Esty Advertising Agency William Cole Esty (March 6, 1895 – January 1954) was an American advertising executive and founder of William Esty Co.Staff report (January 22, 1954). "William Cole Esty, an Ad Executive". ''The New York Times''. After working at J. Walter T ...

in the 1930s. Esty continued her interest in the arts, and she began to commission works by many noted composers, poets, and visual artists. In the late 1950s and early 1960s she spent considerable time in Paris, where she befriended many important composers and artists. Between 1955 and 1969 she regularly commissioned musical compositions, and then performed them in major recital halls, including The Town Hall and

Carnegie Recital Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. If Mrs. Esty's talent as a singer was not perhaps perfect ( Ned Rorem referred to her as "a soprano of style and means if not especially of temperament..."Ned Rorem "Yesterday is Not Today: the American Art Song 1930-1960 a personal survey" in New World Records no. 80243), her importance as an arts patron is certainly notable. Esty lived in Paris frequently in the 1950s and the 1960s and between 1955-1969 she commissioned musical compositions from many French composers including Germaine Tailleferre, Darius Milhaud,

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kn ...

, Henri Sauguet and others which she performed in her Town Hall and Carnegie Recital Hall concerts. In addition, she also commissioned Poulenc's Sonata for Two Pianos for the American piano duo

Gold and Fizdale Arthur Gold (6 February 19173 January 1990) and Robert Fizdale (12 April 19206 December 1995) were an American two-piano ensemble; they were also authors and television cooking show hosts. Gold and Fizdale met during their student years at the ...

. In 1963, she commissioned works by French and American composers for a special memorial concert for the recently deceased Francis Poulenc, which she performed in Carnegie Recital Hall. In 1994 and 1995, Mrs. Esty donated the manuscripts for many of her commissioned works to the Library of Bates College where they are located today. Esty died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

in New York. The Esty Professorship of Music at Bates was endowed by her.

Partial list of works commissioned by Alice Esty

** Arrieu, Claude, 1903- ** Le Sable du Sablier: Melodies pour chant et piano ** Text:

Louise de Vilmorin Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan o ...

** Composed: Undated * Berkeley, Lennox, Sir, 1903- ** Automne ** Text: Guillaume Apollinaire ** Composed: August 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Berkeley, Lennox, Sir, 1903- ** Five Poems by W. H. Auden ** Text: W. H. Auden ** Composed: 1958 ** Soprano and piano * Bowles, Paul, 1910- ** Roman Suite ** Text: Tennessee Williams ** Composed: 1960 ** Soprano and piano * Bucht, Gunnar, 1927- ** Sex Arstidssanger ** Text: Gunnar Bjorling ** Composed: 1965 ** Mezzo-soprano and piano * Delannoy, Marcel ** La Voix du Silence ** Text: Maurice Carême ** Composed: 1958 ** Soprano and piano * Dutilleux, Henri, 1916- ** San Francisco Night ** Text: Paul Gibson ** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano ** published by

Éditions Alphonse Leduc The Éditions Alphonse Leduc company is a prominent French music publishing house specializing in classical music. It was created in Paris in 1841. Since January 2014, Leduc is part of the Wise Music Group (formerly the Music Sales Group). Hi ...

, Paris * Goehr, Alexander, 1932- ** Warngedichte, op. 22 ** Text:

Erich Fried Erich Fried (6 May 1921 – 22 November 1988) was an Austrian-born poet, writer, and translator. He initially became known to a broader public in both Germany and Austria for his political poetry, and later for his love poems. As a writer, he m ...

** Composed: 1966-1967 ** Soprano and piano * Jones, Charles, 1910- ** Anima ** Text: William Langland ** Composed: 1967-1968 ** Soprano, viola, and piano * Martin, Frank, 1890–1974 ** Dedicace ** Text: Robert du la Haye ** Composed: 1945 ** Soprano and piano * Milhaud, Darius, 1892–1974 ** L'Amour Chante ** Text:

Joachim du Bellay Joachim du Bellay (; – 1 January 1560) was a French poet, critic, and a founder of the Pléiade. He notably wrote the manifesto of the group: '' Défense et illustration de la langue française'', which aimed at promoting French as an ...

Marie de France Marie de France (fl. 1160 to 1215) was a poet, possibly born in what is now France, who lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an unknown court, but she and her work were almost certainly known at the royal court o ...

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

Louise Labe Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he sta ...

Pierre de Ronsard Pierre de Ronsard (; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet or, as his own generation in France called him, a " prince of poets". Early life Pierre de Ronsard was born at the Manoir de la Possonnière, in the village of ...

, Maurice Sceve, and Paul Verlaine ** Composed: 1964 ** Soprano and piano * Milhaud, Darius, 1892–1974 ** Preparatif a la Mort en Allegorique Maritime ** Text: grippa d'Aubigne ** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Pinkham, Daniel ** The Song of

Jeptha Jephthah (pronounced ; he, יִפְתָּח, ''Yīftāḥ''), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, ...

's Daughter ** Text: Robert Hillyer ** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Porter, Quincy, 1897–1966 ** Seven Songs of Love ** Text: Robert Graves ** Composed: Undated ** Soprano and piano * Poulenc, Francis, 1899–1963 ** Le Travail du Peintre ** Text: Paul Éluard ** Composed: Undated ** Soprano and piano * Rieti, Vittorio, 1898- ** Plus ne Suis ** Text:

Clément Marot Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544) was a French Renaissance poet. Biography Youth Marot was born at Cahors, the capital of the province of Quercy, some time during the winter of 1496–1497. His father, Jean Marot (c ...

** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Rorem, Ned 1923- ** Poulenc ** Text: Frank O'Hara ** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Rorem, Ned 1923- ** A Journey ** Text:

Andrew Glaze Andrew Glaze (April 21, 1920 – February 7, 2016) was an American poet, playwright and novelist. Much of Glaze's poetry reflects his coming of age in the American South, and his eventual return there. He also lived and wrote in New York City fo ...

** Composed: 1976 ** Soprano and piano * Rosenthal, Manuel ** Le Jour d'un Mort ** Text: Paul Gibson ** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Sauguet, Henri ** Celui Qui Dort ** Text: Paul Éluard ** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Sauget, Henri ** Les Images (from Vie de Campagnes) ** Text: o information available** Composed: Undated ** Soprano and piano * Sauguet, Henri ** Vie des Campagnes ** Text:

Jean Follain Jean Follain (29 August 1903 – 10 March 1971) was a French writer, poet and corporate lawyer. In the early days of his career he was a member of the "Sagesse" group.

** Composed: 1961 ** Soprano and piano * Tailleferre, Germaine, 1892–1983 **

L'Adieu du Cavalier "L'adieu du cavalier" (in English "The Knight's Farewell", subtitled "in Memoriam Francis Poulenc) is a song for voice and piano written by Germaine Tailleferre in 1963 on a poem of the same title by Guillaume Apollinaire. The work was published ...

** Text: Guillaume Apollinaire ** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano ** Published by Musik Fabrik, France * Tailleferre, Germaine, 1892–1983 ** Pancarte pour une Porte D'Entree ** Text:

Robert Pinget Robert Pinget (Geneva, July 19, 1919 – August 25, 1997, Tours) was an avant-garde French writer, born in Switzerland, who wrote several novels and other prose pieces that drew comparison to Beckett and other major Modernist writers. He was al ...

** Composed: 1959 ** Soprano and piano ** Published by Musik Fabrik, France * Thomson, Virgil, 1896- ** Songs for Alice Esty ** Text: Kenneth Koch ** Composed: 1959 ** Soprano and piano * Thomson, Virgil, 1896- ** Two by Marianne Moore ** Text: Marianne Moore ** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Weber, Ben, 1916- ** A Bird Came Down the Walk, op. 57 ** Text:

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano

References

External links

The Alice Esty Papers at Bates College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esty, Alice 1904 births 2000 deaths Philanthropists from New York (state) American sopranos American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses Bates College alumni Singers from New York City Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American philanthropists