Arthur William Foote (March 5, 1853 inSalem, Massachusetts – April 8, 1937 inBoston, Massachusetts)[1][2] was an American classicalcomposer, and a member of the "Boston Six." The other five wereGeorge Whitefield Chadwick,Amy Beach,Edward MacDowell,John Knowles Paine, andHoratio Parker.
Foote was appointed organist of theFirst Church in Boston (Unitarian) in 1878, remaining there 32 years. A founder of theAmerican Guild of Organists, he was one of the examiners at the first Guild Fellowship examination. He helped organize the New England chapter of the AGO, and from 1909 to 1912 (when the office was discontinued) he served as National Honorary President of the AGO, succeeding Horatio Parker in that position.[3] He was one of the editors ofHymns of the Church Universal, a Unitarian hymnal published in 1890.[4]
The modern tendency is to view Foote's music as "Romantic" and "European" in the light of the later generation of American composers such asAaron Copland,Roy Harris andWilliam Schuman, all of whom helped to develop a recognizably American sound in classical music. AHarvard graduate and the first noted American classical composer to be trained entirely in the U.S.,[5] in some sense he is to music what American poets were to literature beforeWalt Whitman.
Foote was an early advocate ofBrahms andWagner and promoted performances of their music. Foote was an active music teacher and wrote a number of pedagogical works, includingModern Harmony in Its Theory and Practice (1905), written with Walter R. Spalding. It was republished asHarmony (1969). He also wroteSome Practical Things in Piano-Playing (1909) andModulation and Related Harmonic Questions (1919). He contributed many articles to music journals, including "Then and Now, Thirty Years of Musical Advance in America" inEtude (1913) and "A Bostonian Remembers" inMusical Quarterly (1937).
A good part of Foote's compositions consists ofchamber music and these works are generally among his best. TheChamber Music Journal (2002), discussing Foote's chamber music, has written, "If his name is not entirely unknown, it is fair to say that his music is. This is a shame. Foote's chamber music is first rate, deserving of regular public performance." HisPiano Quintet, Op.38 andPiano Quartet, Op.23, are singled out for special praise. With regard to the Piano Quintet, the author writes, "Each of the movements is a gem. The Scherzo is particularly fine and the rousing finale beyond reproach. I believe that the only reason this work never received the audience it deserved and deserves is because it was written by an American who was 'out of the loop.'" As for the Piano Quartet, the opinion is that "it is as good as any late 19th century piano quartet."
Foote lived inDedham, Massachusetts[6] and was a member of theSociety in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves.[7] His students includedIsabel Stewart North.[8]
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