Irene Marie Giblin (August 12, 1888 – May 12, 1974), also known as Irene Giblin O'Brien, was an American pianist and composer of

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

. She published a total of ten pieces between 1905 and 1911. Her song "Chicken Chowder" of 1905 was her biggest success.

Early life

Irene M. Giblin was born to Richard T. Giblin, a printer, and Nora Reardon Giblin in 1888, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. She was the eldest of six children.Edwards, Bill
"Irene Mary Giblin O'Brien
RagPiano.com.

Music

Giblin was a popular young woman in the Irish-American community in St. Louis. She worked at music stores Grand Leader and Stix, Baer and Fuller, playing the piano for several hours a day to convince the customers to buy the latest scores. Giblin published a total of ten

songs over a period of six years, from 1905 to 1911. Among them, "Sleepy Lou" and "The Aviator Rag" were popular sellers. However, it was her first rag, "Chicken Chowder" (1905) that was her most successful. She published her last rag in 1911, "The Dixie Rag".

Personal life

Giblin married Edward Patrick O'Brien, an accountant for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company, in 1908. They had two sons: Richard in 1911 and Edward Jr. in 1915. Her husband died in 1958; Irene Giblin O'Brien died in 1974, at the age of 85 years, in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2018, the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California, United States. As of 2024, it had more than 440 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada ...

marked the 150th birthday of

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...

, along with the 130th birthdays of

May Aufderheide May Frances Aufderheide Kaufman (May 21, 1888 – September 1, 1972) was an American composer of ragtime music. She was probably the best known among female ragtime composers. She received training in art music and visited Europe on a grand tou ...

and Irene Giblin, with a special concert of their works.

List of compositions

245px, "''Pickaninny Rag''", 1908 1905 * Quit, You're Kidding * Chicken Chowder – Characteristic Two-Step 1906 * Sleepy Lou – A Raggy Two-Step * Soap Suds – March Two-Step Characteristic 1908 * Black Feather – Two-Step * Pickaninny Rag 1910 * The Aviator Rag * Columbia Rag * Ketchup Rag 1911 * The Dixie Rag

References

External links

MIDI of Giblin's compositions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giblin, Irene M. 1888 births 1974 deaths American composers Musicians from St. Louis