Cornelia Townsend (born 11 August 1851) [1] was an American song composer who published most of her music under the name Kate Vanderpoel. [2] [3]
Cornelia Townsend (born 11 August 1851) [1] was an American song composer who published most of her music under the name Kate Vanderpoel. [2] [3]
Townsend was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Horace Gilbert and Eliza Ann Thornton Townsend, one of nine children. Her siblings included her twin brother George who built the Kansas City, Clay County & St. Joseph Railway, and her brother Edward, a writer, journalist, and U.S. Congressman. [4] She studied with Achille Errani in New York. [5] In 1891 she moved to Chicago, Illinois and lived on Calumet Ave. [6] [7] By 1912 she lived in Milwaukee (as did her sister Anna); several of her publications have ended up in Milwaukee Public Library's Historical Sheet Music Collection. [8] [9] [10]
In 1896, the Republican National Committee sponsored the publication of 20,000 copies of three of Townsend's self-published songs: "Flag Song", "That Man from O-Hi-O" about President William McKinley, and "On To Victory". [5] [11] [12] [13]
Her music was published by S. Brainard Sons, Orpheus Publishing Company, Clayton F. Summy Company, and herself. [14] [15] [16] She took a particular interest in the frontispiece design of her published music, going so far as to commission a cover for her Florimella Waltz from J. C. Lyndecker. [5] [17] Several of her songs were transcribed for organ, some made it into Clarence Eddy's repertoire. [5] Several of her compositions were also transcribed and recorded for some of the earliest player pianos and organs for the Aeolian Company, [18] Wilcox & White Company, [19] and Melvin Clark Piano Company [20]
Her works include:
By 1901, Florimella Waltz, Philomella Waltz, Golden Poppies, La Miniature, and Supplication were all recorded for Aeolian piano rolls. [18] Several years later, these same five works were available for Wilcox & White and Melvin Clark reproducing pianos and organs. [19] [20]
Scores by Vanderpoel at the New York Public Library Digital Collections
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