Reginald De Koven(1859-1920)
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Composer ("Oh, Promise Me") and author, educated at St. John's College
in Oxford, England. He also studied with Lebert, Pruckner, Vannucini,
von Suppe, Genee, and Delibes. He earned an honorary Mus. D. at Racine
College. He first worked in a brokerage firm, and also owned a
dry-cleaning business in 1882, becoming a music critic for the Chicago
Evening Post in 1889 and Harper's Weekly from 1895-1897, and the New
York World between 1898 and 1900 and again between 1907 and 1912. He
organized and conducted the Washington, D.C. Symphony Orchestra between
1902 and 1904, and was a member of the National Institute of Arts and
Letters, and also ASCAP since 1929. He wrote the Broadway stage scores
for "The Begum", "Robin Hood", "The Knickerbockers", "The Algerian",
"The Fencing Master", "Rob Roy", "The Highwayman", "Papa's Wife", "The
Little Duchess", "Maid Marian", "Red Feather", "Happyland", and "The
Beauty Spot". His chief musical collaborator was Harry B. Smith, and
his other popular-song compositions include "Brown October Ale",
"Sweetheart, My Own Sweetheart", "The Spinning Song", "Little Boy
Blue", "My Home Is Where the Heather Blooms", "Come, Lads of the
Highlands", "Dearest Heart of My Heart", "Do You Remember Love?",
"Moonlight Song", Gypsy Song", and "Hammock Love".
