The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-10-07
MUSICAL WORLD
MOURNS At BIER
OF DUDLEY BUCK
Composer of International Fame
Lies Dead at Sons West
Orange Home.

MuSiClanS Or prominence from all
parts Of the country are expected to be
present at the funeral of Dudley Buck,
the composer of international fame,
which will be held at 2:15 o'clock on
Saturday afternoon in Grace Episcopal
Church, Orange, with the rector, the
Rev. Charles 7. Walkley, in charge.
The interment will be private and at
the convenience OF the family. DIR.
Buck died yesterday afternoon at the
home of his son, Dudley Buck, jr., In
NoIthleid road, West Orange, after a
two weeks illness with heart disease.
Dudley Buck was born In Hartford,
Conn, in 1889, and on March 10 last he
celebrated his SEVENTEEN birthday an
niversary in Dresden, where he INT his
wife then, as the composer said at the
time, were Just resting"
He Is survived by his widow, who
was Miss Mary e. Van Wagner, and to
whom he was married in 1866 In Hart
ford; two sons, DR.. Edward T. Buck, OF
indianapolis, and Dudley Buck, jr.,
who has a studio in Carnegie Hall,
Manhattan. and one daughter, Mrs.
Francis Blossom, of So Haywood ave-
nue.. Orange.
His father vas a shipping merchant
and had planned a similar career for
his soh One day the boy Dudley Dor
rowed from one of his fathers clerks a
work on Thorough Bass" and then
on a happy day soon after a youthful
schoolfellow lent him a flute. There Is
q legend that the boy musicians
thoughtfulness for others ran to the
extreme of doing his first practise on
the flute high up on the branch of a
cherry tree. so hat his first false notes
would not annoy the family as much
as they annoyed himself. Evidently he
progressed rapidly. for on his twelfth
birthday he gotta flute of his own as a
present. Later he got a melodeon, upor
which he practised the masses of Mo-
Fart and Haydn Inc Handel's cho-
ruses.
BECOMES an OrRanist.
The piano that came to him when he
was 16 drove from the boys head any
last thoughts he may have had of ship
ping and accounts. A music teacher
in Hartford named Babcock took Dud-
ley in scharge then to give him his
first lessons. About this time he en-
tered Trinity College. Hartford. and
soon afterward took up his duties as
organist of st. Johns Episcopal
Church, Hartford. 1t was evident to
his parents by this time that the
youths life work was music, and they
determined that his training should
be of the best. Wherefore he was
taken out of Trinity in his junior year
and sent to the Leipzig Conservatory
when 10 years old. Here he met as
fellow students Sir Arthur Sullivan,
Carl Rosa, John Francis Barnett. S. r.
Mills, Madeline Schiller-after whom
he ami his daughter-and others
who later became famous. Z
After his three years Of German
training Mr.. Buck studied for a year
in Paris. He returned to the United
States in 1862, and, after the death of
his parents he went to Chicago as or
ganist, composer and teacher. Later
Mr.. Buck went to Boston as o~rganist
of st. Paui's Church there, and later
of Boston's Music Hall, the highest
honor a Boston musician at that time
could attain.
While he was adding to his reputation
in Boston he attracted the attention OF
the late Theodore Thomas. who was
then conducting the concerts In the
Central Park Garden in this city. Mr.
Thomas, In 1876, invited Mr.. Buck to
become his assistant conductor, which
the young composer accepted, but not
until he had first gone to Cincinnati
as organist Of the May Festival.
His Centennial Cantata.
Mr.. Bucks fame became international
when he was invited to compose the
Cantata for the opening of the CEN
tennial exposition. He took Sidney
Laniers poem, 1.-THE Centennial Medi-
tation of Columbia n set it to mu-
sic, and upon the opening of the ex-
position, Mr.. Thomas mounted1the plat
form before a chorus of 800 and an or
chestra of $50 in the centennial inaugu-
ration. in May, 1876, I'M conducted the
work. The public, and, what was more
important, the musicians and critics,
praised the cantata highly and Bucks
fame was established. Cincin-
natl wanted Mr.. Buck to take per-
manent charge of her new music hall
in 1878, but he previously had decided
to accept a call from Holy Trinity
Church, Brooklyn, to become the or
ganist and musical director. He took
charge of the music in Plymouth
Church, Brooklyn, in May, 1902, after
a service OF twenty-five. years in Holy
Trinity. Since then he had divided his
time between Europe and America,
the ''playtime,- as he called it.
Mr.. Buck wrote several books on
music. Among them are: "A, Diction-
ary of Musical Terms THE In1u-
ence of the Organ in History" Forty
sixth Psalm" Legend of Don Munio."
Golden Legend" and the "Marmion
Symphonic Overture" Among his lat
ter works are: THE Voyage of Co
lumbus.' THE Light of ASIA" "The