implicity; his nature
turns him to a musical optimism that gives many of his works a
Mozartian cheer. Graciousness is his key.

He was born in Elyria, O., and educated in the public schools of
Cleveland, where he graduated. Prevented by delicate health from a
college education, he has nevertheless, by wide reading, broadened
himself into culture, and is an essayist of much skill. His musical
education began in 1876, at Cincinnati, where his teacher, Otto
Singer, encouraged him to make music his profession. In 1880 he was in
Berlin, where he studied for several years under Kiel, Scharwenka,
Moskowski, and Oscar Raif. He then returned to Cleveland, where he
took up the teaching of organ, piano, voice, and composition.

The most important of Smith's earlier works was a series of five
pieces called "Hommage a Edvard Grieg," which brought warmest
commendation from the Scandinavian master. One of the most striking
characteristics of Smith's genius is his ability to catch the exact
spirit of other composers. He has paid "homage" to Schumann, Chopin,
Schubert, and Grieg, and in all he has achieved remarkable success,
for he has done more than copy their little tricks of expression,
oddities of manner, and pet weaknesses. He has caught the
individuality and the spirit of each man.

In his compositions in Grieg-ton Smith has seized the fascinating
looseness of the Griegorian tonality and its whimsicality. The
"Humoresque" is a bit of titanic merriment; the "Mazurka" is most
deftly built and is full of dance-fire; the "Arietta" is highly
original, and the "Capricietto" shows such ingenious management of
triplets, and has altogether such a crisp, brisk flavor, that it
reminds one of Lamb's rhapsody on roast pig, where he exclaims, "I
tasted _crackling_!" The "Romance," superb in gloom and largeness of
treatment, is worthy of the composer of "The Death of Asra." A later
work, "Caprice Norwegienne," is also a strong brew of Scandinavian
essence.

A "Schumannesque" is written closely on the lines of Schumann's
"Arabesque." A later "Hommage a Schumann" is equally faithful to
another style of the master, and dashes forth with characteristic and
un-naive gaiety and challenging thinness of harmony, occasionally
bursting out into great rare chords, just to show what can be done
when one tries.

The man that could write both this work and the highly faithful
"Hommage a Schubert," and then whirl forth the rich-colored, sensuous
fall