Carpenter, John Alden, 1876–1951, American composer, b. Park Ridge, Ill.; pupil of J. K. Paine at Harvard and of Elgar. His music, refined and skillfully written, influenced by French impressionism, often conveys the spirit and the scenes of American life in such works as the orchestral suite Adventures in a Perambulator (1914) and the ballets Krazy Kat (Chicago, 1921) and Skyscrapers (New York, 1926). A Spanish flavor and jazz, frequently elements in his music, are both found in Patterns (1932) for orchestra. Other important works are his ballet The Birthday of the Infanta (Chicago, 1919), a violin concerto (1937), a concertino for piano and orchestra (1915), songs, symphonies, and chamber music.
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