Francis Boott (June 24, 1813 in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

– March 1, 1904 in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

) was an American classical music composer of

art songs An art song is a Western vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the collective genre of such song ...

and works for

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

Biography

Boott was born of British parentage. He was educated at Samuel and Sarah Ripley's school in Waltham, where

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

was one of the tutors, and at

Round Hill School The Round Hill School for Boys was a short-lived experimental school in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was founded by George Bancroft and Joseph Cogswell in 1823. Though it failed as a viable venture — it closed in 1834 — it was an early effor ...

, followed by

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

from which he graduated in 1831. In the 1850s, following the death of his wife, Boott took his young daughter Elizabeth (Lizzie) (1846–88) to

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence was a centre of medieval European t ...

, where he studied harmony with Luigi Picchianti. Boott became an honorary professor at the Academy of Fine Arts. He was friends with others in the Anglophone community in Florence, including

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

and

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...

, the Brownings, Isa Blagden and Constance Fenimore Woolson. Francis Boott and his daughter Lizzie Boott lived at the Villa Castellani in the

Bellosguardo Bellosguardo is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. The name "Bellosguardo" is made up of two italian words: the first is " bello" that means "beautiful, pretty"; the second is " sguardo ...

heights. Lizzie became a painter, and married the painter

Frank Duveneck Frank Duveneck (né Decker; October 9, 1848 – January 3, 1919) was an American figure and portrait painter. Early life Duveneck was born in Covington, Kentucky, the son of German immigrant Bernhard Decker. Decker died in a cholera epidemic whe ...

, who went to live with her and her father in the villa. The novelist Henry James visited them there and used the villa as a model for Italian villas in his ''Roderick Hudson'' and ''The Portrait of a Lady''. In 1888 Boott returned to America, and continued to compose music. He died on 1 March 1904 at the age of 90 in

. Boott bequeathed $10,000 to

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 ...

as a prize fund for the best 4-part vocal work written by a Harvard student. In 1960 the amount was increased to $15,246 through capital gains. The prize continues to be awarded by the

Department of Music.

Music

Boott's first six songs appeared in 1846 under the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

of Telford; Upton described them as "quite undistinguished". In 1857 eight songs were published, followed by many individual songs in the following years. Boott composed at least 140 songs during his long life, as well as a handful of duets, choral works, part-songs, and instrumental works. He also composed hymns for church services, many of which were included in the hymnal for

King's Chapel King's Chapel is an American independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed in ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. While his melodies and piano accompaniments are considered "commonplace, with little harmonic interest", his choices of texts were sophisticated, embracing the literary world of his time. In 1857

John Sullivan Dwight John Sullivan Dwight (May 13, 1813 – September 5, 1893) was an American classical music critic, transcendentalist, school director, and minister. He is considered America's first influential music critic. Biography Dwight was born in Boston ...

wrote that his songs are "not strikingly original, but graceful and facile, much to be preferred to the popular sweetish, sentimental type".

Musical compositions

Songs for voice and piano : ''under the pseudonym Telford:'' *''Six Songs'', 1846, G. P. Reed Publishing #The Convict's Lullaby (Henry Kirke White); revised 1874, S. Brainard's Sons, publisher #It is O'er (Mrs. Jameson) #Lass of Northmaven (from ''The Pirate'') #Byron's Farewell (Lord Byron) #Tirana Española; revised 1874, S. Brainard's Sons, publisher #My Home and Thee *The Blind Man's Bride (Ballad) (Caroline Sheridan Norton), G. P. Reed, 1846; revised 1874, S. Brainard's Sons, publisher *Cleveland's Farewell (

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

), G. P. Reed, 1846 : ''under his own name'' *''Florence'', 8 songs,

Oliver Ditson Oliver Ditson (October 20, 1811 – December 21, 1888) was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century. Early life and career Oliver Ditson was born in Bos ...

, 1857 #Sands o' Dee (

Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the workin ...

) #Stars of the Summer Night (

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

) #The Night is Clear and Cloudless (

) #Ring Out Wild Bells (

Alfred Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

) #Break, Break, Break, at the Foot of Thy Stones, O Sea (

) #From the Close-shut Window (Lowell) #Battle of the Baltic (Campbell) #I am Weary with Rowing (William Wetmore Story) *''Six Songs'' (

Bret Harte Bret Harte ( , born Francis Brett Hart, August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

, 1870 #The Heathen Chinee #Chiquita #Twenty years #Jim #Flynn of Virginia #Upon the Stanislow *''Our Young Folks'': Six Little Songs, G. D. Russell publisher, 1870 #(Unknown song) #The Rivulet (Lucy Larcom) #Lady Moon (Lord Houghton/Richard Monckton Milnes) #Little Nanny (Lucy Larcom) #Swing Away (Lucy Larcom) #Berrying Song (Lucy Larcom) *''Three Songs'', G. D. Russell publisher, 1870 #Violet (Colonel John Hay), 1825 #We Two (

Jean Ingelow Jean Ingelow (17 March 1820 – 20 July 1897) was an English poet and novelist, who gained sudden fame in 1863. She also wrote several stories for children. Early life Born in Boston, Lincolnshire on 17 March 1820, Jean Ingelow was the daughter ...

), 1840 #The Lighthouse-keeper's Child (Thomas Hood), 1849 *''Two Barcaroles'' (Luigi Catani), Ditson #The Honeymoon, 1884 #A Year After, 1886 : ''other single songs, all published by

unless noted'' *Aftermath (

), 1873 *Ah! When the Fight is Won (Recitative and Air) (from Lowell's ''R.G.S. Memoriae Positum''), 1892 *A Letter (Frederick Locker-Lampson), 1876 *Anacreontic (as sung by Mrs. Wilson Eyre) (

Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centre ...

), 1876 *The Angelus (Frances L. Mace), 1883 *At the Garden Gate ( Frank Dempster Sherman), 1891 *

Ave Maria The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...

, 1873 *After Absence ( Lilla Cabot Perry), 1893 *Aftermath (

) *Baby's Shoes (

Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe ( ; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as new lyrics to an existing song, and the original 1870 pacifist Mothers' Day Proclamation. She w ...

), W. H. Boner & Co., 1870 *Battle of the Baltic (unknown author), 1857 *The Bell Buoy (

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

), 1901 *Bells on the Wind (Mrs. F. M. Ritter), 1880s *Beyond the Smiling and the Weeping (with optional mixed quartet) (Horatius Bonar), 1876 *The Black Friar (unknown author), 1858 *The Bobolink (G. P. Lathrop), 1877 *Bring Me No Cup (On a Motif from Lethe) (unknown author), 1891 *Bring the Bowl which you Boast (unknown author), 1858 *Broken Rhythm: My Oars Keep Time (H. Trusta/Elizabeth Stuart Phelps), 1850s, reissued 1876 *Castibelza (after

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

), 1885 *Changed (from Longfellow's ''Aftermath''), 1873 *Coming (words from ''Marigold Leaves'') (unknown author), 1875 *The Confession (Praed), 1873 *The Cumberland (

), 1863 *The Destruction of the Assyrians (from ''Hebrew Melodies'') (Lord Byron), 1888 *Dormi, Jesu! The Virgin's Cradle-hymn (

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

), 1859 *Douglas, Tender and True (Miss Mulock), 1884 *Echoes (Christopher Pearse Cranch), 1877 *Egyptian Serenade (George William Curtis), 1887 *The First Cricket (William Dean Howells), 1876 *The Fisherman's Song (Rose Terry Cooke), 1870 *Flow On, Sad Stream (William Wetmore Story), 1876 *Garden of Roses (William Wetmore Story), 1863 *Gipsies Song (unknown author), 1857 *Goodbye (Samuel G. Goodrich), 1858 *Guild the Engineer (Ballad) (unknown author), 1873 *Heigh-Ho! (Christopher Pearse Cranch), William A. Pond & Co. publisher, 1870 *Here's a health to King Charles (

William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray ( ; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his Satire, satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel ''Vanity Fair (novel), Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portra ...

), 1867 *Home (Last Words in a Strange Land) (James Thomas Fields), 1880 *How to Put the Question (Mrs. Caroline Spencer), S. Brainard's Sons publisher, 1870 *If You Love Me (L. Clark), 1890 *I know not if Moonlight (unknown author), 1883 *In Memory of Oliver Wendell Holmes (

Samuel Francis Smith Samuel Francis Smith (October 21, 1808 – November 16, 1895) was an American Baptist minister, journalist, and author. He is best known for having written the lyrics to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" (sung to the tune of "God Save the King"), which ...

), C.W. Thompson & Co. publisher, 1899 *In the Cathedral (Katherine Saunders), Arthur P. Schmidt publisher, 1881 *In the Summer Even (from "Rohan's Ghost" by Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford), 1876 *Into my Heart a Silent Look (

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (; 25 May 1803 – 18 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secr ...

), 1885 *Jenny Kissed Me (

) *King Macbeth (song for baritone) (Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton/Owen Merideth), 1870 *

Kyrie Eleison ', a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of ('' Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, , "Lord, have mercy" derives from a Biblical phrase. Greek , ...

(

), 1857 *Laus Deo (with chorus ad lib) (

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

), 1868 *Leoni

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

, C.W. Thompson & Co. publisher, 1900 *Lethe (with optional 'cello or violin) (M.A. Barr), 1888, reissued 1911 *My Life is like the Summer-Rose (unknown author), 1873 *Love Song (Robert Burns Wilson), 1888 *The Mahogany Tree (unknown author), 1858 *Maria Mater (from ''Memento Rerum Conditor'') *Master Love (Collin Rae-Brown), 1876 *Memories Come O'er Me (William Wetmore Story), Lee & Walker publisher, 1876 *Metempsychosis (J.B., from the ''London World''), 1890 *New Year's Bells (

Alfred Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

), 1881 *The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (Francis William Bourdillon), 1874 *The Nightingale (Lust'ge Vögel in dem Wald), 1889 *Non Partir (And wilt thou go) (A. Casini; English version by Christopher Pearse Cranch), 1869 *Nora Macarty (

Thomas Bailey Aldrich Thomas Bailey Aldrich ( ; November 11, 1836 – March 19, 1907) was an American writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is notable for his long editorship of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', during which he published writers including Charles W. Chesnutt ...

), 1878 *Notturno (Roman Serenade) (unknown author), White-Smith publisher *No More (

Friedrich Rückert Johann Michael Friedrich Rückert (16 May 1788 – 31 January 1866) was a German poet, translation, translator, and professor of Oriental languages. Biography Johann Michael Friedrich Rückert was born 16 May 1788 in Schweinfurt and was the e ...

), 1873 *O Domine Deus (O Lord my God) (prayer of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

), Prüfer publisher, 1874 *O Light at my Window (Christopher Pearse Cranch), William A. Pond & Co. publisher, 1870 *O Long and Lagging Hours of Time (Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford), in ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

'', 1885 *The Old Clock on the Stairs (with optional chorus) (

, 1886 *O Well for the Fisherman's Boy (or Break, Break) (unknown author), 1857 *Poor lone Hannah: As sung by Miss Adelaide Phillips (Lucy Larcom), 1869 *Regrets (C. S. T.), 1876 *Rose Aylmer (

Walter Savage Landor Walter Savage Landor (30 January 177517 September 1864) was an English writer, poet, and activist. His best known works were the prose ''Imaginary Conversations,'' and the poem "Rose Aylmer," but the critical acclaim he received from contempora ...

), 1875 *The Rose upon the Balcony (

), 1866 *The Sailor's Wife (Charles Mackay), 1864 *The Sea Has Its Pearls (Das Meer hat seine Perlen) (after

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

), 1862 *Serenade (Frederick Locker-Lampson), 1869 *Sixty and Six (

Thomas Wentworth Higginson Thomas Wentworth Higginson (December 22, 1823May 9, 1911), who went by the name Wentworth, was an American Unitarianism, Unitarian minister, author, Abolitionism, abolitionist, politician, and soldier. He was active in abolitionism in the United ...

), 1890 *A Song of Long Ago (G. P. Lathrop), 1887 *The Song of the Sea (William Dean Howells), 1872 *Song of the Stromkerl (unknown author), 1868 *A Spanish Cradle Song (unknown author), 1893 *Spring Song (A Bird Sings Sweet and Strong) (George W. Curtis), 1866 *The Stormy Petrel (Samuel G. Goodrich), 1876 *Strike Me a Note (Thomas William Parsons), 1891 *Sunset in Venice (Barcarole with English and Italian words) (Attilio Sarfatti), J. E. Ditson & Co., 1887 *The Sunset Light (Barcarole) (Mary L. Ritter), Arthur P. Schmidt publishing, 1884 *The Swallows (Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer), 1884 *That Joyous Strain (Christopher Pearse Cranch), 1887 *Thou and I (Words Address to her Sister) (Phoebe Cary), 1875 *Thou dost not Remember the Hour (Ballad) (unknown author), S. Brainard's Sons publisher, 1874 *Three Fishers (unknown author), 1868 *Three Friends of Mine (Sonnet) (

), 1882 *Through the Long Days" (Col. John Hay), 1878 *A Toast (

George Santayana George Santayana (born Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) was a Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Born in Spain, Santayana was raised and educated in the Un ...

), C.W. Thompson & Co. publisher, 1893 *Twenty Years Ago (William Wetmore Story), 1882 *Vanished Time (William Wetmore Story), 1877 *Waiting for the Bugle (

), 1889 *Waiting for you Jock (Mrs. Moulton's Concert Song) (from ''Blackwood's Magazine''), 1874 *We Shall Meet No More (unknown author), 1886 *We Two are Bound Together (Wir beide sein verbunden), White-Smith publisher *When Sylvia Sings (Samuel P. Duffield), 1892 *When the Boys Come Home (A Song of '65) (Col. John Hay), 1887 *The Wind Exultant (Winifred Howells), 1888 *Wishing (A Nursery Song), (William Allingham), 1859 *Yon Faithful Star (Serenade) (unknown author), 1873 Vocal duets *The Brooklet (

), 1874 *The Clover-blossoms Kiss Her Feet (duet for mezzo-soprano and tenor or baritone) ( Oscar Laighton), 1882 *Father the Watches of the Night are O'er (duet for equal voices) (Mrs. Ellen Sturgis Hooper), 1889 *In the Dark, in the Dew (song and duet) (Miss Prescott), 1875 *Love (song or duet for mixed voices) (Mrs. J. T. Fields), 1891 *The Rivulet (duet for mezzo-soprano and tenor or baritone) (

), 1882 Large works *''Maria Mater'', soloists, chorus and orchestra *''Mass'', soloists, chorus and orchestra *''Miserere'', a cappella mixed chorus,

, 1888 *''The Song of Zechariah'', cantata *''Te Deum'' (according to the liturgy of the Church of England), soloists, chorus and orchestra, 1884 Shorter choral works and part-songs *Ave Maria, women's voices and piano or organ, 1897 *The Bells of San Blas (Longfellow), quartet for equal voices, 1882 *Carmen tabernarium (Ad usum sodalium die anniversario XX : iterum impressum die anniversario XLV) (Walter Map), men's voices, published 1929 *Good Lives on Earth (unknown author), canon for three voices, unpublished, c.1890Manuscript located at the New York Public Library, OCLC number 649461516 *Here's a health to King Charles! (

), tenor solo and men's chorus, 1867; mixed voices, Ditson, published 1909 *Lead Kindly Light (Rev. Newman), quartet for mixed voices, 1884 *My Harp Has One Unchanging Theme (Deh Senti il Rio), trio for soprano, tenor, and bass, 1893 *A National Anthem (Christopher Pearse Cranch), mixed voices, Ditson, 1881 *Union and Liberty: National Anthem, ( Oliver Wendell Holmes), mixed voices and piano, Ditson, 1894 *Vestis Angelica (

), quartet for mixed voices, 1890 Instrumental works *String quartets

References

Bibliography

*''Recollections of Francis Boott: For His Grandson, F.B.D.'' (Boston, 1912) * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boott, Francis 1813 births 1904 deaths American male classical composers American classical composers Musicians from Boston American people of British descent Harvard College alumni American expatriates in Italy Classical musicians from Massachusetts 19th-century American male musicians