Carl K. McKinley (October 9, 1895 – July 24, 1966) was an American composer of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

. Born in

Yarmouth, Maine Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, twelve miles north of the state's largest city, Portland, Maine, Portland. When originally settled in 1636, as North Yarmouth, Maine, North Yarmouth, it was part of the Massachusetts ...

, he spent some time in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

. He studied music at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and was granted a Naumberg Fellowship to study in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for the 1917–1918 school year. There he worked with

Rubin Goldmark Rubin Goldmark (August 15, 1872 – March 6, 1936) was an American composer, pianist, and educator.Perlis, ''New Grove Dictionary of American Music'', v. II, p. 239 Although in his time he was an often-performed American nationalist composer, his ...

Gaston Dethier Gaston Marie Dethier (1875 – 1958) was an American organist, pianist, and composer of Belgian birth. Early life Born in Liège, he was the son of organist Emile Dethier, Emile Jean Joseph Dethier (1849-1933), the brother of violinist Edouar ...

, and

Walter Henry Rothwell Walter Henry Rothwell (22 September 1872 – 13 March 1927) was an English conductor. Biography He was born in London on 22 September 1872 to an English father and an Austrian mother. After initial training from his mother, who had been a ...

. He later played the organ in a church in

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, Connecticut, after which he spent four years playing the instrument in New York's Capitol Theatre. In 1929 he became a member of the faculty of the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

. His students there included

Ivana Marburger Themmen Ivana Marburger Themmen (born April 7, 1935) is an American composer and pianist, whose ''Concerto for Guitar'' was a finalist in the 1982 Kennedy Center Friedheim Composition Competition. Career Themmen was born on April 7, 1935, in New York Cit ...

. McKinley wrote mainly for orchestra, and had pieces performed by the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

. He also composed for organ, for chorus, and for piano, and wrote a handful of songs. He has been described as a "conservative modernist" who acknowledged that his own style borrows something from

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

. He retired from the New England Conservatory in 1963, having reached the post of chairman of theoretical studies. Robert Cogan succeeded him. He died in

Centerville, Massachusetts Centerville is one of the seven villages in the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States, on Cape Cod. Located on the South Side of Barnstable, Centerville is primarily residential, and includes a small business district as well as sev ...

, in 1966, aged 71.

Selected Compositions

* ''Indian Summer Idyl'' for orchestra * ''The Blue Flower'', premiered January 8, 1924, by the New York Philharmonic under Henry Hadley at the Metropolitan Opera House. * ''Masquerade - an American Rhapsody'', premiered 1926 by the New York Philharmonic, performed again in 1930 in New York and Philadelphia. * ''Come, Thou Almighty King'' * ''Scherzo-Fantasia'' for organ, published 1960 by H. W. Gray * ''Ten Hymn Tune Fantasies'' for organ

References

* 1895 births 1966 deaths American male composers American male organists Harvard University alumni New England Conservatory faculty 20th-century American composers People from Yarmouth, Maine 20th-century American organists 20th-century American male musicians {{US-composer-19thC-stub