Constance Cochnower Virtue (6 January 1905 – 21 February 1992) was an American composer and organist who developed a
musical notation
Musical notation is any system used to visually represent music. Systems of notation generally represent the elements of a piece of music that are considered important for its performance in the context of a given musical tradition. The proce ...
system called the ''Virtue Notagraph''.
Life and career
Virtue was born in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, Ohio, to Robert and Edith Rankin Cochnower. She married Navy doctor Clark W. Virtue and they had two children, Christie and Robert.
Virtue received a B.M. from the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
in 1927, and a master's degree in sacred music from the
Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...
in New York in 1945. She gave private piano and organ lessons and taught at
Grossmont College
Grossmont College is a public community college in El Cajon, California. Its name originated with the silent film actor and producer William J. Gross, who was enticed by Ed Fletcher to invest in the purchase of land, part of which was called Gro ...
from 1961 to 1963. She also served as the organist/music director at several churches in New York and California. In 1968, she toured as the pianist with an opera program for Alaska Music Trails.
Virtue developed the ''Notagraph'', which has a seven-line staff, in 1933 as a new system of musical notation. She trademarked the ''Notagraph'' and published two books about it: ''Design for a Modern Notation'' (1945) and ''Music without Accidents'' (1975).
Virtue was a member of
Mu Phi Epsilon
Mu Phi Epsilon () is a co-ed international professional music fraternity. It was established as a music sorority in 1903 at the Metropolitan College of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. has over 75,000 members in 227 collegiate chapters and 113 alumni ...
and the
American Guild of Organists
The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is an international organization of academic, church, and concert organists in the US, headquartered in New York City with its administrative offices in the Interchurch Center. Founded as a professional educa ...
. Her papers are archived at the
University of California San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
Center for Research in Computing and the Arts. Her music was published by H.W. Gray and
G. Schirmer, Inc.
Works
Virtue's compositions include:
Chamber
*F''airy Tale for a Sleepy Child'' (cello)
*''For Spring Returning'' (violin)
*''Romanza'' (violin, cello and piano)
*''String Quartet in G''
Orchestra
*Mystic Sonnet: To a Tree in Bloom (also arranged for piano)
Theater
*Queen of Camelot (musical)
*What Gift to the King? (Christmas music drama)
Vocal
*"Farragut March Song"
*"I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes"
*"Love is Like a Rose" (text by
Christina Georgina Rossetti
Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English writer of romanticism, romantic, devotional and children's poems, including "Goblin Market" and "Remember". She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well k ...
)
*''Six Songs from the Chronology of Love''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virtue, Constance Cochnower
American women classical composers
1905 births
1992 deaths
Musical notation
20th-century American classical composers
20th-century American women composers
20th-century American organists
Musicians from Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati alumni
Union Theological Seminary alumni