Mary Carlisle Howe was an American composer and pianist born in Richmond, Va., April 4, 1882. Her father, Calderon Carlisle, was a successful lawyer, and her mother, Kate Carlisle, was a well-educated soprano who led many church choruses.6
The Carlisle family lived in Washington, D.C. for many years, and were active in Washington high society. Musically precocious, Howe displayed an interest in piano performance from a young age, recounting in her autobiography her ability to “read whatever was put before [her], transpose, [and] play by ear…”.7 At the age of 18, she began studying piano performance at the Peabody Conservatory, where she would meet pianist Anne Hull. The two of them formed a professional piano duo in 1912 (the same year Howe was married), and eventually went on to perform with leading orchestras across the United States. After a decade of touring together, Hull accepted a teaching position, while Howe moved on to concentrate on composition.5
Howe returned to Peabody in 1922 to study with Gustav Strube, and was swiftly awarded a diploma.6 She would go on to compose some 236 pieces in her life, and saw success in the orchestra world within the next decade.3 Her first large-scale effort, ‘Chain Gang Song’ for chorus and orchestra, was premiered in 1925 at the Worcester Festival by the New York Philharmonic and was praised for its ‘lack of femininity.’5 That year, she also befriended esteemed composer Amy Beach; under her advice, Howe began to make regular summer stays at the MacDowell colony. She briefly studied with Nadia Boulanger during a stay in Paris in 1933.6
Howe’s orchestra music continued to find success, being programmed by the Little Symphony in New York, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Vienna Symphony.7 Later, after she helped found the National Symphony Orchestra with Hans Kindler, her music was be regularly programmed there.14
Perhaps the most significant part of her oeuvre, though, were Mary Howe’s songs. Over her career, she composed about 115 solo voice pieces, dating from 1901 to 1958. Her solo voice pieces set poems from numerous languages, including English, French, and German.
Howe continued to compose in the last years of her life, and received honorary doctorate’s from several universities.6 She passed away in 1964, at 82 years of age.
