Louise Robyn

Margaret Louise Robyn (23 April 1878 - 10 June 1949) was an American composer, music educator, and pianist who taught for many years at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, serving as director for at least one year. Her piano pedagogy methods and books are still in use today. She published and taught as Louise Robyn.^[1][2]

Robyn was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Mary Ann O'Reilly and William Robyn, a merchant.^[3][4] Little is known about her education. She began working at the American Conservatory of Music in 1901,^[5] where she taught advanced piano and teacher training. She also chaired the children's department and in 1937 served as Director of the conservatory.^[3] Her students included Marie Christine Bergersen,^[6] Storm Bull,^[7] Jack Fascinato,^[8] Irwin Fischer,^[7] Robert Fizdale,^[7] Marion Roberts,^[9] and Ruth Crawford Seeger.^[10] In 1939, Music Clubs Magazine reported at least one Louise Robyn Club in Detroit, Michigan.^[11]

Robyn collaborated on some publications with Howard Hanks, Louise Johnson, Mildred Ross, and Florence White Williams. She produced many works, all for piano or early childhood music education, which were published by Clayton F. Summy Co., Lyon & Healy, Inc., Oliver Ditson, Robyn Teaching Service, Theodore Presser Company, and Winthrop Rogers Ltd., ^[12] and include:

• Broken Chord and Arpeggio Chart: with Walking and Mountain Climbing Exercises^[12]

• Child Christ: Storied Scenes from the Childhood of Christ^[12]

• Chord Crafters: Introducing the Eight Fundamental Chord Attacks^[12]

• How to Teach the Piano to the Beginner^[13]

• Keyboard Town^[1]

• Let’s Play Leap Frog^[14]

• Peter Pan Picture Suite (with illustrations)^[15]

• Rhythmic Exercises as an Approach to the Piano^[12]

• Robyn-Gurlitt Album^[16]

• Robyn-Hanks Harmony Books #1 and 2 (with Howard Hanks)^[12]

• Robyn Rote-cards (with Florence White Williams)^[12]

• Short Etudes with Ornaments for Piano^[12]

• The Ornament Family: Preparation for Playing the Bach Ornaments^[12]

• Teaching Musical Notation with Picture Symbols^[12]

• Technic Tale (3 volumes)^[1]

References

1. Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). International Encyclopedia of Women Composers. Books & Music (USA). p. 590. ISBN 978-0-9617485-0-0.
2. "Louise Robyn". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
3. "Margaret Robyn Obituary". Chicago Tribune. 17 Dec 1937. p. 28.
4. "1910 Census - Louise Robyn". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
5. "History of American Conservatory of Music". americanconservatory.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
6. Dees, Pamela Y. (2002-02-28). A Guide to Piano Music by Women Composers: Volume One, Composers Born Before 1900. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-313-01703-2.
7. University, Judith Tick Professor of Music Northeastern (1997-08-18). Ruth Crawford Seeger : A Composer's Search for American Music: A Composer's Search for American Music. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-802299-2.
8. "Jack Fascinato | Composer, Music Department, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
9. "The mysterious life and death of a brilliant young pianist". Classic FM. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
10. Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian, eds. (1995). The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers (First American ed., [Nachdr.] ed.). New York: Norton. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-393-03487-5.
11. Music Clubs Magazine. National Federation of Music Clubs. 1939.
12. "Louise Robyn". worldcat.org. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
13. High School Life. Fond du Lac High School. 1922.
14. Nedyo Nedev (2012-05-16). Let's play leap-frog - Louise Robyn. Retrieved 2024-08-06 – via YouTube.
15. The Pacific Coast Musician. Colby and Pryibil. 1928.
16. Wier, Albert E., ed. (1938). The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians. New York: The Macmillan Companuy. p. 1561.

External links

• Listen to Let’s Play Leap Frog by Louise Robyn