George Whitefield Chadwick became the first composer of concert music whose works often show the snap, the wit, the independence of the American. During his career, he modernized the New England Conservatory, thus giving American musicians a place to pursue advanced studies in their own country. He taught several generations of American composers, and he was a pioneer in making professional instruction available to women and racial minorities. He composed in almost every medium from chamber music to symphonies and operas. No fewer than three of his concert overtures are named after one of the Muses: Thalia after the muse of comedy, Melpomene after the muse of tragedy, and Euterpe after the muse of music. All his life Chadwick was the friend of artists and Aphrodite and Angel of Death were inspired by works of art.
