Prelude in A-flat

Arthur William Foote (March 5, 1853 in Salem, Massachusetts – April 8, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American classical composer, and a member of the "Boston Six." The other five were George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine, and Horatio Parker.

Foote was appointed organist of the First Church in Boston (Unitarian) in 1878, remaining there 32 years. A founder of the American 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 was one of the editors of Hymns of the Church Universal, a Unitarian hymnal published in 1890.

The modern tendency is to view Foote's music as "Romantic" and "European" in light of the later generation of American composers, all of whom helped to develop a recognizably American sound in classical music. A Harvard graduate and the first noted American classical composer to be trained entirely in the U.S., in some sense he is to music what American poets were to literature before Walt Whitman.

A good part of Foote's compositions consists of chamber music and these works are generally among his best. He wrote a relatively small number of organ works, but they are fine and solid pieces, showing creativity and skill. These include some small works as well as some large virtuoso pieces.

Over the next few days and weeks, I'll be uploading some things by Foote, and this small prelude serves as an "advertisement" for some of what's coming.

"Prelude" (in A-flat) was published in 1893 by White-Smith Music Publishing Co. It makes use of phrases that are "A Response from the Liturgy of the Greek Church." (I believe it is a "Kyrie eleison".

It's quite fussy if you follow all of Foote's markings (I tried to), but the outcome is quite nice.

The next uploads will be on the Peterborough Hill, which suit the music well.

The score is attached below, as well as photos of Foote and of First Unitarian Church, Boston.