Autographed 7" x 9" Hoover of Los Angeles mounted sepia photograph,which he dedicates as follows, To Miss Prouty and the musical children of Riverside County......

Charles Wakefield Cadman (1881-1946) hailed from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.  He studied composition, theory and counterpoint with Emil Paur, Luigi v. Kunits and Anna Pricilla Risher.  He met Nelle Richmond Eberhart in a railway office where she was also working.  A poet, she was looking to test her hand in writing lyrics and a partnership and collaboration occured, where  she exclusively wrote lyrics for Cadman's 200 songs and the libretti for his 5 operas.  The partnership ended at her death in 1944.

Cadman became interested in Native American music in 1908 while music critic of the Pittsburgh Dispatch.  Legendary soprano Lillian Nordica programmed his "Four American Indian Songs" op. 45 in her concerts in 1909 which put him on the map as a composer nationally.  He spent considerablem time on reservations recording Pawnee, Iroquois, Omaha and Osage tribes songs.  He moved to Los Angeles in the 1920's when he along with conductor Alfred Hertz helped create the Hollywood Bowl concerts. Starting in 1929 he began to write film scores, he werote 4 between 1920 (silent) to 1930 and his work became the example to follow in the early years of the talkies.  His Native American opera Shanewis received 8 performances in 1918 and 1919 at The Metrpolitan Opera.  He wrote 5 operas and 6 operettas in all.  He wrote over 200 songs, his 1906 "At Dawning" was performed and still sometimes is dusted off for concerts by opera singers looking for important American songs of yesteryear.  Welsh tenor Stuart Burrows recorded the song, as well as bsritone, Thomas Hampson.  It was a great favorite of Golden Age soprano Mary Garden at her recitals.

An uncommon autograph.

Harmonie Autographs and Music, Inc.

Music Antiquarian and Appraiser

New York, New York

All items guaranteed authentic