Radie Britain facts for kids

Radie Britain (born March 17, 1899, died May 23, 1994) was a talented American musician. She was a pianist, writer, and music teacher. Most importantly, she was a composer who wrote large orchestral pieces called symphonies.

Her Life and Music

Radie Britain was born in Texas, near a town called Silverton. Her parents were Edgar Charles and Katie Britain. She loved music from a young age and studied at Clarendon College in Texas. Later, she went to the American Conservatory in Chicago. There, she studied piano with a teacher named Heniot Levy. She earned her music degree in 1921.

After college, Radie taught music for a year at Clarendon College. She also gave private music lessons in Amarillo. She continued to learn and grow as a musician. In 1922, she studied with an organist named Pietro Yon in Dallas. The next year, in 1923, she traveled to Paris, France, to study with Marcel Dupré. In 1924, she went to Germany, where she studied with Adele Aus der Ohe in Berlin and Albert Noelte in Munich. It was Albert Noelte who encouraged her to become a composer.

Radie Britain showed her own music to the public for the first time in Munich in May 1926. After her sister passed away, she returned to Texas. Later, she taught music at the Girvin Institute of Music and Allied Arts in Chicago. During these years, she wrote many orchestral pieces. Her music often followed the style of German post-romanticism, which means it was grand and emotional.

Awards and Achievements

Radie Britain's hard work paid off. In 1930, her piece called Heroic Poem (written in 1929) won a special award from the Juilliard School. This was a very important prize! For about ten years, many of her works were played by big symphony orchestras. This happened with help from the Federal Music Project, which supported artists.

In 1930, Radie married Leslie Edward Moeller, a businessman from Chicago. They had a daughter named Lerae in 1932. Radie spent the summers of 1935 and 1936 at the famous MacDowell Colony. This is a special place where artists can go to focus on their creative work.

Radie Britain moved to Hollywood, California, in 1939. In 1940, she married Edgardo Simone, who was a sculptor from Italy. She continued her career as a composer and received many awards from different countries. In 1958, she was given an honorary doctorate degree from the Musical Arts Conservatory in Amarillo. This was a high honor for her contributions to music.

After Edgardo Simone passed away in 1949, Radie wrote a book about her life with him. In 1959, she married Theodore Morton, who was a pioneer in aviation. Radie Britain passed away in Palm Desert, California, in 1994. Her important papers and musical works are kept in several places for people to study.

Her Compositions

Radie Britain often used musical ideas from the southwestern United States in her compositions. This means her music sometimes sounded like the landscapes and cultures of that region. Here are some of her orchestral works:

• Angel Chimes
• Brothers of the Clouds (with a male chorus)
• The Builders (with a mixed chorus)
• Cactus Rhapsody
• Chicken in the Rough
• Chipmunks (for woodwind instruments, harp, and percussion)
• Cosmic Mist Symphony
• Cowboy Rhapsody
• Drouth
• The Earth Does Not Wish for Beauty (with a mixed chorus)
• Earth of God (for string orchestra)
• Les Fameux Douze (The Famous Twelve, for a small orchestra)
• Four Sarabandes (for a small orchestra)
• Franciscan Sketches
• San Luis Rey
• Saint Francis of Assisi
• Heroic Poem
• Infant Suite
• In Living Ecstasy (with a solo singer)
• Jewels of Lake Tahoe
• Kambu
• Lament (with a solo violin)
• Little per cent
• Minha Terra
• Mother: A Melody of Love (with a narrator)
• Nisan (with a mixed chorus)