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

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

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, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

who commissioned works by members of

Les Six "Les Six" () is a name given to a group of six composers, five of them French and one Swiss, who lived and worked in Montparnasse. The name has its origins in two 1920 articles by critic Henri Collet in '' Comœdia'' (see Bibliography). Their mu ...

and other French composers, and American composers such as

Ned Rorem Ned Miller Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and a writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was considered the leading American of his time writing i ...

Virgil Thomson Virgil Thomson (November 25, 1896 – September 30, 1989) was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. He has been described as a modernist, a neoromantic, a neoclassic ...

. Claire Brook, and

Marc Blitzstein Marcus Samuel Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and Libretto, librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-Trade union, union musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'', directed by Orson Welles, ...

, among others.

Biography

She earned an A.B. degree from

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...

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 acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...

and

Harold Clurman Harold Edgar Clurman (September 18, 1901 – September 9, 1980) was an American theatre director and drama critic. In 2003, he was named one of the most influential figures in U.S. theater by PBS.

, and with the

Provincetown Players The Provincetown Players was a collective of artists, people and writers, intellectuals, and amateur theater enthusiasts. Under the leadership of the husband and wife team of George Cram “Jig” Cook and Susan Glaspell from Iowa, the Players p ...

, an avant-garde theater. Her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

credits include ''Come of Age'', with

Judith Anderson Dame Frances Margaret Anderson (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film, and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...

, and ''

L'Aiglon ''L'Aiglon'' is a play in six acts by Edmond Rostand based on the life of Napoleon II, who was the son of Emperor Napoleon I and his second wife, Empress Marie Louise. The title of the play comes from a nickname for Napoleon II, the French ...

'', with

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

. She married William C. Esty, founder of the William Esty Advertising Agency 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, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by its n ...

. If Mrs. Esty's talent as a singer was not perhaps perfect (

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 and 1969 she commissioned musical compositions from many French composers including

Germaine Tailleferre Germaine Tailleferre (; born Marcelle Germaine Taillefesse; 19 April 18927 November 1983) was a French composer and the only female member of the group of composers known as ''Les Six''. Biography Marcelle Germaine Taillefesse was born at Saint- ...

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

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

Henri Sauguet Henri-Pierre Sauguet-Poupard (18 May 1901 – 22 June 1989) was a French composer. Born in Bordeaux, he adopted his mother's maiden name as part of his professional pseudonym. His output includes operas, ballets, four symphonies (1945, 1949, ...

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. 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 Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

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 most commonly refers to: * Louise (given name) Louise or Luise may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Songs * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 * "Louise", by The Yardbirds from the album '' Five Live Yardbirds'', 1964 * "Louis ...

** Composed: Undated * Berkeley, Lennox, Sir, 1903– ** Automne ** Text:

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

** Composed: August 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Berkeley, Lennox, Sir, 1903– ** Five Poems by W. H. Auden ** Text:

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry is noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, ...

** Composed: 1958 ** Soprano and piano * Bowles, Paul, 1910– ** Roman Suite ** Text:

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

** 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 Maurice Carême (; 12 May 1899 – 13 January 1978) was a Belgian francophone poet, best known for his simple writing style and children's poetry. His work was part of the literature event in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics. ...

** 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 publisher (popular music), 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 (for ...

, 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 ...

** Composed: 1966–1967 ** Soprano and piano * Jones, Charles, 1910– ** Anima ** Text:

William Langland William Langland (; ; ) is the presumed author of a work of Middle English alliterative verse generally known as ''Piers Plowman'', an allegory with a complex variety of religious themes. The poem translated the language and concepts of the cl ...

** 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 '' La Pléiade''. He notably wrote the manifesto of the group: '' Défense et illustration de la langue française'', which aimed at promoting French as a ...

Marie de France Marie de France (floruit, fl. 1160–1215) was a poet, likely born in 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 of Kin ...

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,

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 s ...

Pierre de Ronsard Pierre de Ronsard (; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet known in his generation as a "Prince des poètes, prince of poets". His works include ''Les Amours de Cassandre'' (1552)'','' ''Les Hymnes'' (1555-1556)'', Les Disco ...

, Maurice Sceve, and

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine ( ; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolism (movement), Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' ...

** 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's Daughter ** Text:

Robert Hillyer Robert Silliman Hillyer (June 3, 1895 – December 24, 1961) was an American poet and professor of English literature. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1934. Early life Hillyer was born in East Orange, New Jersey ...

** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Porter, Quincy, 1897–1966 ** Seven Songs of Love ** Text:

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...

** Composed: Undated ** Soprano and piano * Poulenc, Francis, 1899–1963 ** Le Travail du Peintre ** Text:

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

** 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. He was influenced by the writers of the late 15th century and paved the way for the Pléiade, and is undoubtedly the most important poet at the court of Fr ...

** Composed: 1963 ** Soprano and piano * Rorem, Ned 1923– ** Poulenc ** Text:

Frank O'Hara Francis Russell "Frank" O'Hara (March 27, 1926 – July 25, 1966) was an American writer, poet, and art critic. A curator at the Museum of Modern Art, O'Hara became prominent in New York City's art world. O'Hara is regarded as a leading figure i ...

** 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:

** 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 ** Text:

** 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 (; 19 July 1919 – 25 August 1997) was a Swiss-born French novelist and playwright associated with the nouveau roman movement. Life and work Robert Pinget was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1919. After completing his law studie ...

** Composed: 1959 ** Soprano and piano ** Published by Musik Fabrik, France * Thomson, Virgil, 1896– ** Songs for Alice Esty ** Text:

Kenneth Koch Kenneth Koch ( ; February 27, 1925 – July 6, 2002) was an American poet, playwright, and professor, active from the 1950s until his death at age 77.) He was a prominent poet of the New York School of poetry. This was a loose group of poets inc ...

** Composed: 1959 ** Soprano and piano * Thomson, Virgil, 1896– ** Two by

Marianne Moore Marianne Craig Moore (November 15, 1887 – February 5, 1972) was an American Modernism, modernist poet, critic, translator, and editor. Her poetry is noted for its formal innovation, precise diction, irony, and wit. In 1968 Nobel Prize in Li ...

** 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