George Whitefield Chadwick

George Whitefield Chadwick (November 13, 1854–April 4, 1931) was an American composer.

Chadwick was born in Lowell, Massachusetts and died in Boston. Along with Horatio Parker and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what can be called the New England School of American composers of the late 19th century—the generation before Ives.

Chadwick developed an independent, self-reliant character early in his life. He was a high-school dropout and picked up most of his education on his own direction. Like others of his generation, he went to Europe to seek a musical education, but instead of heading straight to Germany (the usual destination) he spent some time with a group of vagabond artists in France. Later he went to Munich to study with Josef Rheinberger. Back in the United States he had a successful career as a composer and conductor. In 1897 he became dean of the New England Conservatory of Music.

Of all composers of his generation in the United States, Chadwick shows perhaps the most innovative tendencies. He used some native material in his compositions (for instance, African-American melodies in his Symphony No. 2, years before Dvorak made his famous suggestion to American composers to do just that). Stylistically, he shows influence not only of the Germanic composers he studied in Munich, but of Caribbean idioms and American folk music.

His works included several operas, three symphonies, five string quartets, tone poems, incidental music, songs and choral anthems.