A Biography of Julia Perry: American Composer
 

Early Life

 

Nineteenth-century American composer Julia Smith Perry has made a name for herself as a dynamic and accomplished woman. She defied the social conventions of her time by devoting much of her life to composing music, writing poetry, reading broadly in literature and philosophy, gardening, and entertaining guests from New York City's intellectual circles in her home on Staten Island. Perry was born into a musical family on October 12, 1849, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her father, Dr John Howard Perry, was a noted physician and musician who composed and performed his own music. Julia's mother, Sarah Augusta Smith Perry, was also a talented musician and an accomplished painter.

 

Julia was the second of four children and the only daughter in the family. At age seven, she began piano lessons and showed a natural aptitude for music. At age fifteen, Perry moved to New York City with her parents. There she began private voice lessons and studied composition under Theodore Eisfeldt.

 

Personal Life

 

In 1868, she moved to New York City to study at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of Music. While in New York, she met and married her husband, William Perry. After graduating from Peabody in 1871, the young couple moved to Vienna, where Julia studied with famous German composers of the time. After living in Vienna for six years, the Perrys moved back to the United States, where Julia continued composing and teaching music. She was very successful as a teacher, and many of her students went on to have successful careers in music. In addition to her own compositions, Julia also edited and published works by other composers. In 1902, she and her husband retired to Boston, where Julia continued to compose until she died in 1912.

 

Despite being a successful composer, Julia Perry's personal life was not always easy. In addition to the challenges of being a woman composer in the late 19th century, she also faced health problems and the death of several loved ones. However, she never stopped composing and creating beautiful music. Her many compositions, including her opera Amelia Earhart, will always stand as a memorial to the life and work of this talented American composer.

 

Career

 

Julia Perry is an American composer who has had a successful career in classical music. She started playing the violin at the age of four and composed her first piece at the age of eleven. After studying at Juilliard and Yale, Perry achieved international recognition for her compositions.

 

However, Perry's career has not been without its challenges. In the early 2000s, she fell into a depression that caused her to abandon her music career for several years. She has also faced criticism for her compositions, which some people have said are not "proper" classical music. Despite these challenges, Perry has continued to compose and perform music. Her compositions have been featured in concerts worldwide, and she has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for music. Julia Perry passed away in 1995, but her music continues to be enjoyed by audiences worldwide. Her compositions are a testament to her talent, creativity, and passion for music.