[3][4] A few years later, he left school and was placed under the instruction of his uncle, organist and composer George E. Whiting, who gave him lessons in the organ.

There he studied piano with William Hall Sherwood[1][4][5] and harmony, counterpoint, and composition with George Whitefield Chadwick.

[1][7] There he performed frequently as a concert pianist,[1] as soloist with several American orchestras,[1] gave solo recitals, and played with chamber ensembles.

[5] An early success was his "Floriana: Overheard In the Garden," a setting of Oliver Herford's cycle of poems by that title, which was first performed in New York in 1902.

[3] His main claim to fame during his lifetime was a yearly lecture/recital series on chamber music that continued from 1907 until 1930.

[1][5][7] (He admitted to friend and former student D. G. Mason that he also enjoyed music by impressionists Debussy, Ravel, and Loeffler, which was popular at the time.

[5] In his archival collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are transcriptions for piano of toccatas and suites by Bach and Handel.

[2][7] It was, according to D. G. Mason, "an impassioned plea for the subtle and suggestive as opposed to the brutal sensationalism prevalent in contemporary music",[7] which was exemplified in his opinion by the compositions of Richard Strauss.

[7] He was critical of the contemporary efforts of his fellow composers to create an American style of art music.