Irene Britton Smith facts for kids

Irene Britton Smith (born December 22, 1907 – died February 15, 1999) was an American composer and teacher. She created classical music and helped children learn to read.

Her Life and Music

Early Years and Education

Irene Britton Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 22, 1907. She was the youngest of four children. Her family had African-American, Crow, and Cherokee roots. Irene went to Ferron and Doolittle Grammar Schools. She also attended Wendell Phillips High School.

Irene loved music and wanted to study it at Northwestern University. However, her family could not afford it. Instead, she went to Chicago Normal School from 1924 to 1926. There, she trained to become a teacher.

A Career in Teaching

In 1930, Irene started teaching young students in Chicago public schools. She married Herbert E. Smith on August 8, 1931. He passed away on December 28, 1975.

Irene was a big supporter of a special way to teach reading. It was called the phono-visual method. In 1960, Chicago University Press published her book about it. The book was titled Methods and Materials for Teaching Word Perception in Kindergarten Through Grade Three.

She retired from teaching in June 1978. After that, she became a guide for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She visited elementary schools to share her love of music. In 1994, Smith moved to Montgomery Place Retirement Home in Chicago. She passed away in Chicago on February 15, 1999.

Her Musical Journey

From a young age, Irene studied music. She took piano lessons with V. Emanuel Johnson. She also learned to play the violin. From 1930 to 1931, she played violin in the Harrison Farrell Orchestra. This was an orchestra made up of all Black musicians.

From 1932 to 1943, she studied music part-time. She attended the American Conservatory of Music. There, she learned music theory with Stella Roberts. She also studied how to compose music with Leo Sowerby. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1943.

Irene took a break from teaching from 1946 to 1947. She went to the Juilliard School of Music to study composition. Her teacher there was Vittorio Giannini. In the summer of 1948, she studied composition at the Eastman School of Music with Wayne Barlow. The next summer, she studied with Irving Fine at the Tanglewood Music Festival.

In 1956, Irene earned her Master of Music degree from DePaul University. She studied composition with Leon Stein. In the summer of 1958, she traveled to France. She studied composition with the famous teacher Nadia Boulanger at the Fontainebleau Summer School.

Irene stopped composing new music in 1962. However, her musical pieces continued to be performed. People enjoyed her works throughout her life.

Her Musical Works

Here are some of the musical pieces Irene Britton Smith created:

Violin

• Reminiscence for violin and piano, 1941
• Sonata for Violin and Piano, 1947

Piano

• Invention in Two Voices, 1940
• Passacaglia and Fugue in C-sharp Minor, 1940
• Nocturne, 1945
• Variations on a Theme by MacDowell, 1947
• Two Short Preludes for Piano, 1953
• Fugue in A Flat Major, date unknown
• Prelude, date unknown
• Preludes I and II (arranged from Béla Bartók), date unknown

Instrumental Ensemble

• Fugue in G minor, for violin, viola, and cello, 1938

Orchestra

• Sinfonietta, 1956
• Autumnal Reverie, date unknown
• Sonata No. III (arranged from Edvard Grieg), date unknown
• Three Fantastic Dances (arranged from Dmitri Shostakovich), date unknown
• Untitled-Variations on a Theme, date unknown

Solo Voice

• Dream Cycle for soprano and piano (songs with words by Paul Laurence Dunbar) 1947
• “Let Us Break Bread Together” for baritone/soprano/mezzo (a spiritual), 1948
• “Trees of the Night” for soprano and piano, 1954
• “The Angel Roll the Stone Away” for voice and piano (a spiritual, not finished), date unknown
• “Psalm 121” for voice and piano (not finished), date unknown

Vocal Ensemble

• “Born Free” for two voices (a spiritual), date unknown
• “Let Us Break Bread Together” for mezzo, soprano, and baritone (a spiritual), date unknown
• “Not a Word” for solo voice and four male voices (a spiritual), date unknown
• “Panis Angelicus” for three voices, date unknown
• “Psalm 25” for three female voices, date unknown
• “Swing Low” and “Were You There” for three female voices (combined spirituals), date unknown

Chorus

• “God Is Our Refuge/Psalm 46” for SATB choir, solo baritone, and piano, 1940
• “Fairest Lord Jesus” for SA choir and organ, 1945
• “Born Anew” for SATB choir, solo baritone, and organ, 1952
• “Good Morning” for unison voices and piano, date unknown
• “It’s Me, O Lord” for SSA choir (a spiritual), date unknown
• “Psalm 130” for SATB choir and organ, date unknown
• “The Story of Crosspatch” for SATB choir, date unknown