"It looks out over the whispering treetops,
And faces the setting sun,"
which glints on the bark roof, now covered with a thick shower of
fragrant brown pine needles, giving the appearance of a pre-designed
thatch.
Within, the personality of the absent composer lingers perceptibly,
and the two names--"Edward--Marian-1899"--written in his bold
chirography in the damp cement, when the cabin hearth was laid before
the open fireplace, tell a touching story of a union so real as to
make no plan complete, no realization of a long-cherished hope
perfect, that did not openly include his wife.
These two were married in New York in 1884. A gifted South Carolina
aunt, who went to New York after the war and soon made her way to the
front rank of metropolitan teachers, gave to Marian Nevins, a
country-bred girl of York State, the only musical training she ever
had until she went abroad in 1880 to pursue her studies. Edward
MacDowell was at that time in high favor with his masters, Heymann and
Raff, at the Frankfort Conservatory, and she became his pupil. Her
industry and ambition aroused his interest in the development of her
talent, and he put her through a long season of severe drill and
study, imparting to her all his original methods and personal ideals,
as well as those acquired from his masters.
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