Grace W. Mabee

Grace W. Mabee
A white woman with dark hair
Grace W. Mabee, from a 1926 newspaper
BornSeptember 6, 1872
Woodhull, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 6, 1965 (aged 88)
Fairfield, Vermont, U.S.
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, clubwoman

Grace E. Widney Mabee (September 6, 1872 – February 6, 1965) was an American singer, composer, editor, and clubwoman, based in Los Angeles. She organized arts events, held office in the National Federation of Music Clubs and the National Film Music Council, and edited several publications.

Early life and education

Mabee was born in Woodhull, Illinois, the daughter of John Alexander Widney and Sarah Anne Gillette Widney. She graduated from Knox College, and studied voice with Jean de Reszke in Paris.[1][2]

Career

Mabee, a singer and choir director,[3] was known for leading large-scale musical events in Los Angeles. In 1922, she directed the De Lara Opera Company and the Wa-Wan Club in singing Spanish and English-language carols at the Plaza de los Angeles, as part of a city-wide Christmas singing festival led by Antonette Ruth Sabel.[4] In 1927, she proposed a "program of Indian ceremonials", including dances, music, and an exposition of traditional crafts, as events at the Hollywood Bowl.[5]

Mabee organized a "choral pageant" of twelve costumed choirs at the Hollywood Bowl, to welcome international visitors to Los Angeles for the 1932 Summer Olympics.[6] In 1933, she was Southern California chair of the National Radio Audition, a singing competition.[7] She chaired an annual competition known as the Southern California Festival of Allied Arts, beginning in 1934.[8][9] The event was meant to resemble European arts festivals such as the Welsh eisteddfod.[10]

Mabee was very active in women's clubwork.[11][12] She was second vice president of the National Federation of Music Clubs,[13][14] national chair for church music,[15][16] and editor of their monthly publication Music in Religious Education.[17][18] She was also the music chair of the California Federation of Women's Clubs.[12][19] She was founder and president of the Wa-Wan Club, an organization to encourage and support American composers, artists, and dramatists who worked with Native American themes. She co-edited the National Film Music Council's publication Film Music Notes with Constance Purdy, and gave talks on film music.[1][20]

Publications

  • "Christmas Morn" (1922, song; music by Elinor Remick Warren)[21]
  • Hymns of Service (1924, a hymnal; editor)
  • "Work and Purposes of the National Film Music Council" (1945)

Personal life

Widney married Canadian-born dentist William Ernest Mabee in 1897. They had three children, Ruth, William, and Marian. Her husband died in 1930.[22] In 1938, she was in a car accident on Sunset Boulevard; the actor driving the other car was charged with drunk driving.[23] She moved to Connecticut during World War II, to live with her daughter's family.[24] She died in 1965, at the age of 92, in Fairfield, Vermont.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b "Mrs. Mabee to Speak at Teachers College". Hartford Courant. 1948-05-16. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Artist Happy Despite Lost Opera Career; Grace Widney Mabee Tells How She Refused Opportunity". The Los Angeles Times. 1938-12-11. p. 68. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Recital Proves Pleasing to Audience; Arthur Blakeley and Mrs. Grace W. Mabee Heard at Recital". Pasadena Star. 1912-04-03. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Entire City to Ring with Song; Remarkable Singing Festival Planned for Saturday". The Los Angeles Times. 1922-12-20. p. 36. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Mrs. Grace W. Mabee Will Speak Tonight in Claremont". Progress-Bulletin. 1927-08-11. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Price, Gertrude M. (1932-07-19). "Brilliant Choral Pageant Olympic Event Aug. 2; Prominent Leader in Music Clubs Plans Program". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  7. ^ "Audition Chairman for 1933 is Named; Mrs. Grace Mabee Heads Regional Contest". Pasadena Star-News. 1932-05-09. p. 12. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Vocalists in the Southern California Festival of Allied Arts" (1935 photograph), Eyre Powell Chamber of Commerce Collection, TESSA: Digital Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library.
  9. ^ "Olympics of the Arts". Arizona Daily Star. 1935-03-03. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Cage, Crete (1936-04-05). "Festival of Allied Arts Committee Anticipates New Registration Record". The Los Angeles Times. p. 68. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  11. ^ "Mrs. Mabee Presides at Supper Fete". Los Angeles Evening Express. 1931-07-09. p. 12. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b McClintock, Ruth (1926-03-26). "Mrs. G. W. Mabee, Riverside, Meets Music Director". Los Angeles Evening Express. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Federation's 3 Aims Cited by President". The San Francisco Examiner. 1931-06-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Mrs. Grace W. Mabee to Make Talk Here Today". The Charlotte Observer. 1930-04-14. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Music Week to be Celebrated by Baptist Church". Corsicana Daily Sun. 1927-10-05. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Honor Mrs. Mabee". The Charlotte Observer. 1930-04-13. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Magazine Editor". The San Francisco Examiner. 1931-06-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "First Number of Church Music Bulletin Off Press". The Atlanta Journal. 1927-12-18. p. 73. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Price, Gertrude M. (1933-09-09). "Clubs Sponsor Revival of Music and Art Industry". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Business Women Hear Address by Grace W. Mabee". The Long Beach Sun. 1940-02-06. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Christmas morn: anthem for unison chorus: with alto ad libitum, New York: Harold Flammer, Inc., 1922, archived from the original on 2024-07-09, retrieved 2025-07-21
  22. ^ "Mabee". The Los Angeles Times. 1930-09-13. p. 12. Retrieved 2025-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Actor Held for Trial on Charge of Driving Car When Drunk". Daily News. 1938-07-12. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "100 Attend Lawn Party for Church". The Daily Item. 1951-08-10. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Mrs. Mabee Last Rites Wednesday". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1965-02-11. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-07-22 – via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.