Edward Birge

Edward B. Birge (b. Northampton, Massachusetts, June 12, 1868 – d. Bloomington, Indiana, July 16, 1952) – Educator, administrator, conductor, and composer. Edward Birge grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, and graduated from Brown University in 1891. While at Brown, he directed a student glee club as well as an orchestra. After serving as supervisor of state normal schools in New Haven and New Britain, Connecticut, from 1896 to 1901, he moved to Indianapolis, where he was director of public school music from 1901 to 1921. For a short time, he took a leave of absence and studied composition at Yale University with Horatio Parker, who had taught Charles Ives about ten years earlier. During his long tenure in Indianapolis, he founded and directed the People’s Chorus from 1912 to 1921. From 1921 to 1938, he was a faculty member at Indiana University and remained in Bloomington for the rest of his life. Birge was a member of numerous organizations, including the Music Teachers Association (President, 1923). He also edited many important publications, including Music Educators Journal, Music Hour series, New Music Horizons series, Silver Songs Series, No. 7 (1895), and Part Songs and Choruses for High School (1908). As a composer, he was very practical and wrote works for public school use. Of particular note, he composed Concert Overture, which was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New Haven Orchestra. He also wrote History of Public School Music in the United States (1927).