The American composer George Whitefield Chadwick studied in Leipzig with Jadassohn and in Munich with Rheinberger, returning to Boston in 1880 where he later became director of the New England Conservatory, a position he held from 1897 until 1930. As a composer he developed a freer style than his German conservatory background would have suggested. Nevertheless his music became largely neglected, as various modern trends came to the fore.

Orchestral Music

As a student in Leipzig Whitefield won success with his Rip van Winkle overture. Other concert overtures include three devoted to the Muses: Thalia, Euterpe and Melpomene. In Europe he travelled for a time with a group of young American painters, and his interest in the visual arts continued. It is reflected in his symphonic fantasia Aphrodite, inspired by a classical sculpture, and The Angel of Death, inspired by a funeral bas-relief.