Edward Alexander MacDowell (Dec. 18, 1860 - Jan. 23. 1908) was an American pianist and composer. Born in New York City, he took piano lessons from various people as a child, and when he was 17, his mother decided to take him to Paris, where he attended the Paris Conservatory. He studied there for two years, before continuing in Germany a Dr. Hoch's Conservatory in Frankfurt. While he was there, Franz Liszt and Clara Schumann visited the university, and MacDowell played Robert Schumann's Quintet, and later on played his own works for Liszt, who would go on to recommend him for performance and introduce him to major music publishers.  MacDowell would go on to teach at Columbia University, and was their first professor of music.

As a composer, MacDowell wrote predominately works for piano, but also many vocal works, including The Witch, for male chorus.  About a witch who lives in a hut near the sea, MacDowell composed this work for the  Mendelssohn Glee Club under the pseudonym "Edgar Thorn". He employs some witchy phrases such as "hobble gobble" and "fo fum fee", and he stretches meter and note lengths to depict the sea to great effect. It's a fun work with attractive late Romantic harmonies, and tells an entertaining story!

We couldn't find a recording for this work, but we hope that changes soon!