Herbert Elwell

A native of Minneapolis, he was (with Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson) among the first Americans to study in France with Nadia Boulanger.

While in Paris his Quintet for Piano and Strings (1924) garnered more praise than George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which was premiered at the same concert.

He began his studies in music at the University of Minnesota, and went on to work with Ernest Bloch prior to his sojourn in France.

[1] He also attended the American Academy in Rome during which time he composed his most frequently performed work, the ballet The Happy Hypocrite (1925).

He also composed a number of orchestral works which were extolled by such conductors as Artur Rodzinski, Leopold Stokowski, William Steinberg and Howard Hanson.