Harvey Worthington Loomis

Who was Harvey Worthington Loomis?

Harvey Worthington Loomis was an American composer. He is remembered today for his associations with the Indianist movement and the Wa-Wan Press.

Loomis was born in Brooklyn, New York, and in his youth won a scholarship of three years' study at the National Conservatory. There he studied with Antonín Dvořák, and quickly became a favored pupil of the Bohemian composer. He gained his greatest fame from the collection Lyrics of the Red Man, settings of American Indian songs rescored for piano. Loomis also composed works for children; also in his catalog may be found numerous stage works, including comic operas and pantomimes; sonatas for violin and for piano; and incidental music to numerous stage plays. Little of his music has been committed to disc, although some of the Lyrics may be found on a recording of Indianist piano music released by Naxos Records on the Marco Polo label.

Loomis died on Christmas Day, 1930.