Musicatlas
Music
Orchestral
- The Death of Virginia, Symphonic Poem op.4 (1894)
- Suite for Grand Orchestra (1896) [one movt. performed by NY Philharmonic]
- The Domain of Hurakan, op.15 (orig. for piano, 1902, arr. 1910)
- Symbolistic Study No.3, op.18, after Whitman: Once I passed through a populous city (1921, orch. from 1905 piano piece)
- Symbolistic Study No.6 ‘Mountain vision’, op.37 for 2 pianos and small orchestra (1938, orch. from 1912 piano piece)
- The Gods of the Mountain, suite, op.52 (1928, from incidental music to play by Lord Dunsany)
- Prelude to a Spiritual Drama, op.76 (1935)
- The Rudolf Gott Symphony, op.95 (1932-4; based on opening and themes by Gott)
Choral
Chamber
- Ballade for violin and piano, op.1 (1898)
- Fugue Fantasy for string quartet, op.44 (1914)
- String Quartet ‘The Hako’ in A major, op.65 (1922)
- Sonata for violin and piano, op.80 (1927 rev. 1935)
- Sonata in G minor for solo violin, op.96 (1934)
- Piano Quintet in E minor, op.103 (1937)
- Suite for flute and piano, op.114 (1949)
- Sonata for cello and piano, op.116 (1950)
Instrumental
- Tone Pictures after Pastels in prose, for piano, op.7 (1895)
- Owasco Memories for piano, op.8 (1899)
- American Indian Melodies for piano, op.11 (1900)
- Symbolistic Study No.1 ‘Towards the Dream’ for piano, op.16 (1901)
- Dawn, Fantasy for piano on two Indian themes, op.12 (1901 - also arr. 1904 for orchestra and for piano & small orchestra)
- Navajo War Dance No.2 for piano, op.29 (1904)
- Symbolistic Study No.2 ‘Perihelion’, op. 17 (1904)
Piano
Songs
Stage works
Life
Farwell trained as an engineer at Massachussetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1893, but was turned towards a musical career by contact with the eccentric Boston-based composer Rudolf Gott. After study in Boston he became a pupil of Humperdinck in Berlin and Guilmant in Paris. Returning to the US, he lectured in music at Cornell University from 1899 to 1901, and founded the Wa-Wan Press, a periodical that ran until 1911, publishing the work of ‘progressive’ American composers who used indigenous materials (cowboy, black and especially Native American Indian). The press was the principal outlet for various ‘Indianist’ composers including Loomis, Cadman, and especially Farwell himself.
From 1910-13 he directed municipal concerts in New York City, including massed performances of choral works, including his own, by up to 1,000 voices. He directed the Settlement Music School in NY from 1915-18 before moving to California, where his private pupils included the young Roy Harris. Acting Head of music department at the University of Berkeley, California, 1918-19, he founded the Santa Barbara Community Chorus, was first holder of the composer’s fellowship of the Music & Art Association of Pasa dena (1921-25), taught theory at Michigan State College (1927-39) and eventually settled in New York. Nicolas Slonimsky noted in ‘Baker’s Biographical Dictionary’ that "Disillusioned about commercial opportunities for American music, including his own, he established in East Lansing, in April 1936, his own lithographic handpress, with which he printed his own music, handling the entire process of reproduction, including the cover designs, by himself".