by Writtenword06 » Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:09 pm
Incidentally, regarding Edward Betts Manning, I have a good bio for you all. I assembled this from records obtained from Oberlin as well as Columbia University, as well as some personal papers. I am his great-great-nephew:
Mr. Manning was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, the son of Edward and Sarah Betts Manning. He was graduated from Collegiate School at St. John, N.B. in 1889, becoming second violinist of the Mozart String Quartet in the 1890s. He came to New York to study music at Columbia University under the late Edward Alexander MacDowell and under Henry Schradieck in Brooklyn.
He won a Mosenthal Fellowship at Columbia and continued his musical studies in Berlin under Engelbert Humperdinck and under Paul Antonin Vidal in Paris for two years. Upon his return to the United States he taught music from 1897 to 1904, then became an instructor in music - Ear Training and Dictation - at Oberlin College Ohio, from 1905 to 1907, while playing piano for silent movies. He kept warm feelings for Oberlin, and steered several of his student toward Oberlin. From 1908 to 1911, he was supervisor of musical instruction in New York City's public schools, and from 1914 to 1919 he was an instructor in music at Columbia University. In his later years Mr. Manning was an instructor in English at The Tutoring School, 74 East Fifty-fifth Street.
Manning's work ranged from orchestra to chamber music, songs and piano pieces. His best known compositions are: Piano Trio, Opus 11; The Tryst, Mezzo Soprano; the Opera, "Rip Van Winkle"; and the songs "Break, Break, Break" and "Now High, Now Low". Mr Manning's music had been published by Breitkopf and Hartel (Opus 4), Ditson Company (Opus 7) and Boosey and Company ("Limericks") and had been performed in this country and abroad. His opera, "Rip Van Winkle" was produced in 1919 in New York. "The Tryst" (Mezzo Soprano) was performed at Oberlin in 1907. He was also a member of the Authors' and Composers' Society of France.
His private performances earned him colorful reviews. His nephew, Laurence E Manning, writes: "Uncle Ned's new Hungarian Dances have been privately played several times during the last month and with universal applause. This rising young genius would go a lot farther if he punned less..."
Edward Betts Manning was listed in "Who's Who in America".
Edward lived at 501 West 122nd Street from before 7/11/1936 until his death in 1948. He also kept a summer home in Litchfield, Connecticut.
Edward was a regular at family gatherings. His nephew, Laurence Edward Manning, describes an amusing scene involving Edward and his brother, Charles M. Manning on January 3, 1927:
"After an hour's song and piano Mr. Edward B. asked Mr. Charles
M. 'Is there any of the old stuff you particularly remember and
want to hear, old man?'"
"After a few minutes' careful thought Mr. Charles M. emitted a
blast of pipe smoke and enunciated 'No,' again relapsing into
silence."
Edward B. Manning, seventy-four, composer and former supervisor of music in the New York City public schools system, died 3/8/1948 at his home, 501 West 122nd Street, New York, after a heart attack.
, right Hex? 
ok stop! 
Dude! you'll Die!!! 