Quick Facts
Biography
Eleanor Everest Freer (born 14 May 1864, d. 13 Dec 1942) was an American composer and philanthropist.
Life
Eleanor Everest was born in Philadelphia, the daughter of Cornelius Everest and Ellen Amelia (Clark) Everest, and studied singing in Paris with Mathilde Marchesi and composition with Benjamin Godard. She taught music in Philadelphia and New York City, and married Chicago doctor Archibald Freer in 1893. The couple had one daughter and moved to Chicago in 1899, where Eleanor Freer studied music theory with Bernard Ziehn.
Freer was the founder of the Opera in Our Language Foundation (OOLF) in 1921 and the American Opera Society of Chicago (AOSC). She died in Chicago in 1942.
Works
Freer composed eleven opera and more than 150 songs, many of which were published in collections. Selected works include:
- A Book of Songs, op. 4 (9 songs)
- Five Songs to Spring
- Four Songs
- Six Songs to Nature
- Sonnets from the Portuguese (44 songs)
- The Brownings Go to Italy
- Massimiliano, or The Court Jester, Romantic Opera in One Act
- The Legend of the Piper opera