Clara Edwards (composer) facts for kids

Clara Edwards (born April 17, 1880 – died January 17, 1974) was an American singer, pianist, and composer. She wrote many beautiful art songs. She also sometimes used the name Bernard Haigh.

Her Life Story

Clara Gerlich was born in Decoria Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota. She studied music at the Mankato State Normal School and the Cosmopolitan School of Music in Chicago. Before finishing her degree, she married a doctor named John Milton Edwards.

The couple moved to Vienna, where Clara continued her music studies. She also had a daughter there. In Europe, she trained to become a singer. She performed concerts in both the United States and Europe. In 1914, she moved to New York City. Sadly, her husband died two years later. This left her as a single mother in New York with no regular income.

To earn money, Clara Edwards began writing music in the 1920s. She joined a group called the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1925. Around the same time, she performed in Vaudeville shows. In 1934, she started her own group called the Chautauqua Concert Company. She often worked with a lyricist named Jack Lawrence. But she also wrote the words for many of her own songs.

Her Music

Clara Edwards wrote over 100 musical pieces. More than 60 of her songs were published. Some of her songs were sacred, meaning they were for religious use. She also arranged some of her songs for choirs to sing. Besides songs, she composed music for solo piano. She even wrote music for children's puppet shows and animated movies! Her songs have been recorded and used in films and cartoons.

Her songs quickly became popular with music publishers. Many famous singers performed them. These included the soprano Lily Pons and baritones John Charles Thomas and Ezio Pinza. Her songs became even more successful when they were played on the popular radio show The Bell Telephone Hour. People loved her songs for their "tasteful and truly lovely melodies." They are considered some of the best "ballad style concert songs." Her music successfully mixed the styles of art songs and popular ballads.

Perhaps her most famous song was "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair." Jack Lawrence wrote the words for this song. It was first published in 1930 and became a big hit ten years later. Two of her other well-known songs are "By the Bend of the River" and "Into the Night." "Into the Night" is often used by voice teachers to help students practice. It is also found in many song collections. Clara Edwards passed away in New York City.