De Lamarter, Eric

De Lamarter, Eric , American organist, conductor, music critic, teacher, and composer; b. Lansing, Mich., Feb. 18,1880; d. Orlando, Fla., May 17, 1953. He studied organ with Fairclough in St. Paul, Middelschulte in Chicago, and Guilmant and Widor in Paris (1901–02), and was a graduate of Albion Coll. in Mich. (1900). He then held several organ positions in Chicago, notably with the Fourth Presbyterian Church (1914–36). He was music critic for the Chicago Inter-Ocean (1901–14), the Chicago Record- Herald (1905–08), and the Chicago Tribune (1909–10); he also taught at Olivet Coll. (1904–05), Chicago Musical Coll. (1909–10), Univ. of Mo., Ohio State Univ., and the Univ. of Tex. He was asst. conductor of the Chicago Sym. Orch. and conductor of the Chicago Civic Orch. (1918–36).

Works

DRAMATIC The Betrothal incidental music (N.Y., Nov. 19, 1918); ballet music. ORCH. : 4 syms.: No. 1 (1913; Chicago, Jan. 23,1914), No. 2 (Philadelphia, June 5, 1925), No. 3 (1931; Chicago, Feb. 16,1933), and No. 4 (1932); The Faun, overture (Chicago, Nov. 18, 1913); Serenade (1915); Masquerade, overture (1916); Fable of the Hapless Folktune (Chicago, April 6, 1917); 2 organ concertos: No. 1 (Chicago, April 2, 1920) and No. 2 (Chicago, Feb. 24, 1922); Weaver of Tales for Organ and Chamber Orch. (1926); The Black Orchid, suite from The Dance of Life, ballet (Chicago, Feb. 27,1931); Serenade near Taos (N.Y., Jan. 11, 1938); The Giddy Puritan, overture (original title, They, Too, Went t’Toum, 1921; NBC, June 6, 1938); Huckleberry Finn, overture (1948); Ol’ Kaintuck, overture (1948); Cluny, dialogue for Viola and Orch. (1949). OTHER: Chamber music; organ WORKS; songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire