of musical story-telling of similar caliber as some of Richard Strauss's pieces, such as the latter's Don Quixote. Chadwick's most important stage work from this period is The Padrone, based on the realistic plight of Italian immigrants in the North End of Boston. It has a distinctive verismo style (realistic action integrated with a lyrical score). Although Chadwick considered this to be one of his finer works, it was not performed until 1995, when it was premiered by the Waterbury Symphony and conductor Leif Bjaland at the Thomaston Opera House. He wrote a number of patriotic songs during World War I, including These to the Front, The Fighting Men, and perhaps his best known, Land of Our Hearts, first performed in the Norfolk Festival in June 1918, featuring a fluid syllabic setting of a poem by John Hall Ingram. The reflective years (1919–1931) By this time, Chadwick was a highly regarded elder musician who was no longer writing as the energetically creative artist. The Anniversary Overture to celebrate his 25th anniversary as the director of New England Conservatory was considered "scholarly" but warm and congenial. His output significantly declined during these years, and he was more of a musical administrator and socialite among the elite Bostonians. He remained well respected until his death in 1931, after which his works became more obscure but nonetheless considered important contributions to the American music repertoire. Music theory In 1897 Chadwick published Harmony, a music theory text. In this work, Chadwick is the first theorist to combine the Roman-numeral analysis of Gottfried Weber with the old figured bass symbols, to create an "absolute" system which shows the chord root and the inversion in a single symbol (e.g. V7, I6). Notes References Yellin, V.F. (1990) Chadwick, Yankee Composer. Washington DC. Chadwick, George W. Harmony. Boston: B. F. Wood, 1897. Thompson, David M. A History of Harmonic Theory in the United States. 1980: Kent State University Press, p. 75-6 External links The Burlesque Opera Tabasco (YouTube playlist) "Dance of the Harem" from the Burlesque Opera Tabasco Sound-bites from George Chadwick's String Quartets 1, 4 and 5 with some biographical information Art of the States: George Whitefield Chadwick List of Works: George Whitefield Chadwick New England Composer Series: George Whitefield Chadwick "Let not your heart be troubled" Boston: A. P. Schmidt, 1887. From Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection "Faith" words by Arthur Macy, music by G.W.