Alice Swanson Esty

Alice Theresa Hildagard Swanson Esty (November 8, 1904 – July 21, 2000) was an American actress, soprano and arts patron who commissioned works by members of Les Six and other French composers, and American composers such as Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomson. Claire Brook, and Marc Blitzstein, among others.

Biography

She earned a degree from Bates College in 1925. ), her importance as an arts patron is certainly notable.

Esty lived in Paris frequently in the 1950s and the 1960s and between 1955 and 1969 she commissioned musical compositions from many French composers including Germaine Tailleferre, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Henri Sauguet and others which she performed in her Town Hall and Carnegie Recital Hall concerts. In addition, she also commissioned Poulenc's Sonata for Two Pianos for the American piano duo Gold and Fizdale. In 1963, she commissioned works by French and American composers for a special memorial concert for the recently deceased Francis Poulenc, which she performed in Carnegie Recital Hall.

A $1 million donation from Esty created the Alice Swanson Esty Professor of Music position at Bates College. She received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the college in 1984.

In 1994 and 1995, Mrs. Esty donated the manuscripts for many of her commissioned works to the Library of Bates College where they are located today. Esty died of cancer in New York.

Partial list of works commissioned by Alice Esty Arrieu, Claude, 1903– Le Sable du Sablier: Melodies pour chant et piano Text: Louise de Vilmorin Composed: Undated Berkeley, Lennox, Sir, 1903– Automne Text: Guillaume Apollinaire Composed: August 1963 Soprano and piano Berkeley, Lennox, Sir, 1903– Five Poems by W. H. Auden Text: W. H. Auden Composed: 1958 Soprano and piano Bowles, Paul, 1910– Roman Suite Text: Tennessee Williams Composed: 1960 Soprano and piano Bucht, Gunnar, 1927– Sex Arstidssanger Text: Gunnar Bjorling Composed: 1965 Mezzo-soprano and piano Delannoy, Marcel La Voix du Silence Text: Maurice Carême Composed: 1958 Soprano and piano Dutilleux, Henri, 1916– San Francisco Night Text: Paul Gibson Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano published by Éditions Alphonse Leduc, Paris Goehr, Alexander, 1932– Warngedichte, op. 22 Text: Erich Fried Composed: 1966–1967 Soprano and piano Jones, Charles, 1910– Anima Text: William Langland Composed: 1967–1968 Soprano, viola, and piano Martin, Frank, 1890–1974 Dedicace Text: Robert du la Haye Composed: 1945 Soprano and piano Milhaud, Darius, 1892–1974 L'Amour Chante Text: Joachim du Bellay, Marie de France, Alfred de Musset, Louise Labe, Arthur Rimbaud, Pierre de Ronsard, Maurice Sceve, and Paul Verlaine Composed: 1964 Soprano and piano Milhaud, Darius, 1892–1974 Preparatif a la Mort en Allegorique Maritime Text: grippa d'Aubigne Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano Pinkham, Daniel The Song of Jeptha's Daughter Text: Robert Hillyer Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano Porter, Quincy, 1897–1966 Seven Songs of Love Text: Robert Graves Composed: Undated Soprano and piano Poulenc, Francis, 1899–1963 Le Travail du Peintre Text: Paul Éluard Composed: Undated Soprano and piano Rieti, Vittorio, 1898– Plus ne Suis Text: Clément Marot Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano Rorem, Ned 1923– Poulenc Text: Frank O'Hara Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano Rorem, Ned 1923– A Journey Text: Andrew Glaze Composed: 1976 Soprano and piano Rosenthal, Manuel Le Jour d'un Mort Text: Paul Gibson Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano Sauguet, Henri Celui Qui Dort Text: Paul Éluard Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano Sauget, Henri Les Images (from Vie de Campagnes) Text: [no information available] Composed: Undated Soprano and piano Sauguet, Henri Vie des Campagnes Text: Jean Follain Composed: 1961 Soprano and piano Tailleferre, Germaine, 1892–1983 L'Adieu du Cavalier Text: Guillaume Apollinaire Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano Published by Musik Fabrik, France Tailleferre, Germaine, 1892–1983 Pancarte pour une Porte D'Entree Text: Robert Pinget Composed: 1959 Soprano and piano Published by Musik Fabrik, France Thomson, Virgil, 1896– Songs for Alice Esty Text: Kenneth Koch Composed: 1959 Soprano and piano Thomson, Virgil, 1896– Two by Marianne Moore Text: Marianne Moore Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano Weber, Ben, 1916– A Bird Came Down the Walk, op. 57 Text: Emily Dickinson Composed: 1963 Soprano and piano