Anne Mathilde Bilbro was an American composer and music educator.

Early life and career

A native of

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee ( ) is a city in Macon County, Alabama, Macon County, Alabama, United States. General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, laid out the city and founded it in 1833. It became the county seat in the same y ...

,"Women's Hall of Fame Will Honor Composer, Artist"
''The Birmingham News''. July 24, 1983. p. 5. Retrieved May 13, 2025. "A composer and an artist will be installed this fall in the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame, a state agency located at Judson College, Marion. Plaques honoring Anne Mathilde Bilbro (1870 1958) and Clara Weaver Parrish (1861-1925) will join those recognizing Helen Keller, Julia Tutwiler, Lurleen Wallace, Tallulah Bankhead and others. Born in Tuskegee, Miss Bilbro graduated from the Alabama Conference Female College (now Huntingdon College) at 17, and taught music in Gadsden, New York, St. Petersburg and Birmingham. She has been called Alabama's most prolific composer, with over 600 works published." who spent the lion's share of years 20 through 49 in Gadsden,Dalrymple, Dolly (July 23, 1920)
"Mathilde Bilbro"
''Birmingham Post-Herald''. p. 8. Retrieved May 13, 2025. "Miss Bilbro, who is the only daughter of Judge J. A. Bilbro of Gadsden, has been a visitor to Birmingham for the week ..For the past year Miss Bilbro has lived in New York, the demand for her and writings being so great that she found it necessary to make her residence there ..'Although I was born in Tuskegee, my home has been in Gadsden for many years, my father removing there some years ago to continue the practice of law.' Miss Bilbro said, 'but before I even went to Gadsden I wrote songs, scribbled verses. I suppose I inherit the gift, for my father loves rhymes and makes them, too." and the remainder divided primarily between

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, and

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, Bilbro was the only daughter of five children born to Francina A. "Franke" (née Mason) and Judge James Andrew Bilbro. She attended the Alabama Conference Female College, graduating in 1887, and later studied music in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and New York. Bilbro published over 600 works, primarily in the field of

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

. Her compositions included piano pieces, pianologues, song stories, piano duets and trios, and complete collections of piano music. Her teaching methods were recognized for their novelty in the context of children's piano instruction. Bilbro operated a music studio in

Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statist ...

, from the 1890s to 1900s, and conducted master classes in multiple states. Beyond her work in music, she wrote short stories, a novel, articles for ''The Etude'', and the "Legend of Noccalula," a text associated with Noccalula Falls in Alabama. In her later years, Bilbro experienced hearing loss but continued to engage with music. In 1926, ''

The Etude ''The Etude'' was an American print magazine dedicated to music founded by Theodore Presser (1848–1925) at Lynchburg, Virginia, and first published in October 1883. Presser, who had also founded the Music Teachers National Association, moved ...

'' included Bilbro in its sesquicentennial edition celebrating "150 years of American music," alongside other prominent composers of the time.

Death and legacy

On December 2, 1958, Bilbro, whose health had been failing for well over a year, died in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

.Stewart, Mrs. Frank R. (September 18, 1957)
"Scene Here 'n' There"
''The Cherokee County Herald''. p. 4. "Miss Mathilde Bilbro, one of Alabama's noblest women and finest composers, told me some of her secrets of teaching piano yesterday. I visited her in the Masonic Home Hospital in Montgomery. Miss Tilly, as they call her, has a lovely well-modulated voice and she continues to use it to further the cause of her beloved music, even though she is quite weak from illness. ..She has had hundreds and hundreds of pupils, all of whom adore her. Friends of Miss Bilbro wish for her, good health and very soon." In 1983, together with artist

Clara Weaver Parrish Clara Minter Parrish ( Weaver; March 16, 1861 – November 11, 1925) was an American artist from Alabama. Although she produced a large amount of work in a wide array of media, she is best known for her paintings and stained glass window designs ...

, Bilbro was named to the

Alabama Women's Hall of Fame The Alabama Women's Hall of Fame honors the achievements of women associated with the U.S. state of Alabama. Established in 1970, the first women were inducted the following year. The Hall of Fame was originally located on the campus of Judson Co ...

Early life and career

Death and legacy

References

Further reading