Mildred Couper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mildred Couper
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Mildred Couper, from a 1933 publication.
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Mildred Cooper
December 10, 1887 |
| Died | August 9, 1974 |
| Nationality | British, American |
| Occupation | Musician, composer |
Mildred Couper (born December 10, 1887 – died August 9, 1974) was a talented musician and composer. She was also a skilled pianist. Mildred Couper was one of the first American musicians to try out quarter-tone music. She lived and worked in Santa Barbara, California.
Early Life and Musical Training
Mildred Cooper was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her father was from England, and her mother was born in Argentina. Her mother's parents were American.
Mildred started her serious music studies at the Williams Conservatory in Argentina. She then traveled to Italy, Germany, and France to continue her training. In France, she studied piano with Moritz Moszkowski. She also learned composition from the famous teacher Nadia Boulanger.
Career and Quarter-Tone Music
Mildred Couper taught piano for nine years. She worked at the David Mannes Music School in New York.
In 1927, she moved to California with her children. She set up a music studio in Santa Barbara. There, she began her interesting experiments with two pianos. She tuned one piano a quarter tone higher than the other. This meant she could create 176 different sounds instead of the usual 88. This expanded the range of notes and made the harmonies sound very unique.
Her first major work using this new style was a ballet called Xanadu (1930). This ballet was performed as part of a play by Eugene O'Neill called Marco Millions. It was shown at the Lobero Theatre. Mildred Couper also wrote music for other plays at the Lobero. She even created a dance-opera called And on Earth Peace. The story for this opera was written by Malcolm Thurburn.
Personal Life
Mildred Cooper married Richard Hamilton Couper in 1910. He was an American artist living abroad. They had two children, Clive (born 1913) and Rosalind (born 1915). Both children were born in Rome, Italy.
When World War I began, the Couper family moved to New York City. Sadly, Mildred's husband passed away soon after. He died during the widespread influenza pandemic of 1918.
Mildred Couper lived to be 86 years old. She passed away in Santa Barbara, California, in 1974. Her personal papers and musical notes are kept at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
See also
In Spanish: Mildred Couper para niños
