Emma Louise Ashford

Emma Louise Ashford (born Emma Louise Hindle) was born in Newark, Delaware,[3] the only child of English parents. She received her first musical training at an early age from her father, James Hindle, who was a singing teacher.[4] At eight years old she was admitted to her local Episcopal Church choir as an alto. She came to be known as "the best sight reader in the choir."[5] From the choir director she also received instruction on piano and organ. In 1864, at age fourteen, her family moved to Ballard Vale, Massachusetts. Here she met and became acquainted with composer James Ramsey Murray (famous for his music to the Christmas carol Away in a Manger).[6]

The following year her family moved to Connecticut, where she took the organist position at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Seymour, Connecticut. At that time she also studied piano with a Mrs. Street, and pipe organ with Dr. Anderson of St. Paul's Church, New Haven, CT.[5]

At one of her family's musical evenings, Hindle, now age seventeen, met John Ashford (1837–1930), a young engineer and amateur singer who had recently relocated to Connecticut from Bath, England. They married in 1867,[7] and eventually moved to Chicago, Illinois. Mrs. Ashford was chosen out of twenty-eight applicants to fill the solo alto position at St. John's Episcopal Church, whose director was the renowned Dudley Buck.[5][4] She also became the church's organist and harmony teacher. Emma considered the year she spent under the guidance of Professor Buck to be most significant and influential for her musical development.[8]

In 1884, the Ashfords moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where John Ashford had been appointed the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds at Vanderbilt University.[2] Here he founded the Vanderbilt Glee Club.[9] living at 2105 Dixie Place.[8]

Together the Ahfords lead the choirs of some of the largest churches in Nashville. She also put more energy into composing her own music. She had, from the time of her youth, studied harmony and counterpoint with a number of teachers, most notably Henri Weber and Dr. R. H. Peters, Mus.D., who noted her "deep and clear insight into things musical" and was impressed with her "intense musical temperament."[6]

In Nashville Emma began to be noticed as a composer. The university's dean, Herbert Tolman (1865–1923) said of her: "Of the women of our town, some have distinguished themselves in literature and some in art, but in the field of musical composition there is one name par excellence. It is the name of Mrs Emma L. Ashford."[8]

For many years Emma and John could be found directing the music at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Ohabai Sholom Jewish Temple and for several years Emma filled the place of organist at various churches, including the First Baptist, Tulip Street (Methodist), and Christ Church (Episcopal).[5][10]

All the while, Emma was also pursuing her own studies in harmony, counterpoint, canon and fugue with Christian Heinrich Weber (b.1812–d?), co-leader of the Nashville Academy of Music,[11] and Dr R.H. Peters, Director of Music at Converse College. Spartanburg.[12] Peters would later remark: Her work was excellent in every respect, and showed unmistakably that behind it all there existed brains as well as intense musical temperament and appreciation. For Mrs. Ashford’s ability in matters musical I entertain a respect that borders on the profound.[8] In 1894, 1897 and 1904 Emma made study trips to Europe.[8]

Emma Ashford is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.[1]

in 1894 Emma Ashford was appointed an editor for two periodicals published by the Lorenz Publishing Company - The Choir Leader (associate editor, and eventually editor), and The Organist — A Bimonthly Journal Devoted to the Pipe Organ and the Reed Organ (Editor).[13] Many of her anthems were published in The Choir Leader, a long-running monthly magazine for small-to-medium size church choirs. Over the years many of Ashford's organ works appeared in The Organist,[14] as well as in the numerous collections Ashford prepared for Lorenz Publishing Company. Some of these collections contained music exclusively by Ashford; others featured music from a wide range of classic and contemporary organ composers, in addition to pieces written by Ashford specifically for each collection.

In 1890 some of Ashford's vocal music - songs, quartets and trios - was published by the John Church Company. In 1893, renowned music publisher, compiler and editor E. O. Excell began publishing Ashford's anthems, including 17 in Excell's Anthems, Volume IV (1893) and 4 more in Excell's Anthems, Volume V (1896).[15] These publications also included anthems from more than 20 other American composers. She made three trips abroad, in 1894,[16] 1897, and in 1904, studying in England with the leading masters of the time. While abroad in 1894 she spent a large part of her time studying ecclesiastical music.[17] In 1896 Ashford began publishing with Lorenz Publishing Company, and in 1902 she signed an exclusive contract to publish all her music with Lorenz.[6]

Ashford composed over 600 works, including 21 cantatas, over 250 anthems, vocal music for solo, duet, trio and quartet of voices, song cycles, and works for organ and piano.[3] Among her works written specifically for Vanderbilt University, the most acclaimed was Vanderbilt Ode, written in 1901 for Vanderbilt's 25th birthday celebration.[2][10]

• E.L. Ashford Melody in B-flat: allegretto ma non troppo’ (1898) for organ, performed by Andrew Pink (2022).[54]
• 'Emma Louise Ashford'. Discography of American Historical Recordings. (Online resource, accessed 24 May 2022).