Harriet P. Sawyer

Harriet Priscilla Sawyer Achorn (11 November 1862 - 20 May 1934) was an American composer who wrote mostly songs and some educational pieces for children. She was also known as Hattie, and published most of her music under the name Harriet P. Sawyer.[1][2][3][4][5]

Sawyer was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Harriet Adams Hayes and Melville Sawyer. Little is known about her education, although her obituary stated that “she received her musical training in various European cities.” In 1897, George Whitefield Chadwick dedicated his song “The Rose Leans Over the Pool” to Sawyer. She married Dr. John Warren Achorn in 1907. In 1913, they were living in Boston. She died in North Carolina in 1934.[6][3][7][8]

Sawyer's music was published by Arthur P. Schmidt[9] and G. Schirmer Inc.[10] Her works included:

Chamber
  • Five Pieces for Violin and Piano[11]
  • Happy Jack Tunes for Little Fiddlers[11]
  • Little Soldier Tunes[11]

Vocal
  • “Across the Dreary Sea”[13]
  • “Barcarole” (text by Adolf Licht;  included in Vier Lieder collection)[14]
  • “Ich will meine Seele tauchen” (text by Heinrich Heine; included in Vier Lieder collection)[14]
  • “In meiner Brust da sitzt win Weh” (text by Heinrich Heine; included in Vier Lieder collection)[14]
  • “She Walks in Beauty”[10]
  • “Slumber Song”[13]
  • Thou art the Rest (arranged for solo voice and piano, and for SATB choir)[13]
  • “When Shall We Meet Again?”[13]
  • “Who'll Tell?”[13]
  • “Willie Darling”[15]

References
  1. Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). International encyclopedia of women composers. 2: Sai - Zyb, Appendices (2. ed., revised and enl ed.). New York: Books & Music. p. 619. ISBN 978-0-9617485-1-7.
  2. Stern, Susan (1978). Women composers: a handbook. Metuchen London: the Scarecrow press. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-8108-1138-6.
  3. Achorn, Harriet (22 May 1934). "News and Observer (Raleigh NC)". p. 14.
  4. Hughes, Rupert (1900). Contemporary American Composers: Being a Study of the Music of this Country, Its Present Conditions and Its Future, with Critical Estimates and Biographies of the Principal Living Composers; and an Abundance of Portraits, Fac-simile Musical Autographs, and Compositions. L. C. Page (incorporated). p. 441.
  5. Elson, Arthur (1915). The Book of Musical Knowledge: The History, Technique, and Appreciation of Music, Together with Lives of the Great Composers, for Music-lovers, Students and Teachers. Houghton Mifflin. p. 305.
  6. The Musician. Hatch Music Company. 1913.
  7. "Lyrics from 'Told in the Gate' (Chadwick, George Whitefield) - IMSLP: Free Sheet Music PDF Download". imslp.org. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  8. Achorn, Harriet. "Crawford Family Tree". ancestry.com. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  9. Pendle, Karin; Boyd, Melinda (2005-09-19). Women in Music: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-38463-0.
  10. Stewart-Green, Miriam (1980). Women composers: A checklist of works for the solo voice. A reference publication in women's studies. Boston, Mass: Hall. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-8161-8498-9.
  11. Krohn, Ernst Christopher (1924). A Century of Missouri Music. Priv. print.
  12. The Musical Monitor. Mrs. David Allen Campbell, Publisher. 1915.
  13. "A. P. Schmidt Company Archives: Music 1800-1900; Music Manuscripts; Sawyer, Harriet P. Thou art the rest, for voice and piano". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  14. "Harriet Priscilla Sawyer Song Texts | LiederNet". www.lieder.net. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  15. Laurence, Anya (1978). Women of Notes: 1,000 Women Composers Born Before 1900. New York: Richards Rosen Press Inc. p. 29.
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