Louise Harrison Snodgrass
1890-1945

Louise Snodgrass was born in Cincinnati, and except for brief stays in New York and Minneapolis, she lived here all of her life. After having graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1910, where she studied piano with Frederic Shailer Evans, she went on to New York, continuing her studies in piano with Joseph Lhevinne. Returning to Cincinnati, she took up the study of composition with Frank Van Der Stucken , former conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She later continued her composition studies under Sidney Durst at the College of Music of Cincinnati. She began to compose rather late in life--at the age of 34. In the beginning, she composed mainly to provide material on various subjects for her young daughter to sing.

Although known primarily as a composer of songs, she also wrote instrumental music, mainly for small chamber ensembles. Much of her music was published, and many prominent singers of the day programmed her songs. It was reported that Lawrence Tibbett sang her song, London Girl , more than 100 times during his career as a recitalist.

She was well-known as a pianist also, having appeared numerous times with major orchestras, and as an accompanist for well-known artists, including Marie Rappold, Alma Gluck, and Efrem Zimbalist. She taught piano at the College of Music, The Minneapolis School of Music, and the Cincinnati Conservatory, as well as in her private studios in Cincinnati and New York.