Smith Newell Penfield

Who was Smith Newell Penfield?

Smith Newell Penfield was an American composer.

Penfield studied at Oberlin College and in New York, and later in Leipzig with Ignaz Moscheles, Carl Reinecke, Ernst Richter, and Moritz Hauptmann. Back in the United States, he worked as a music teacher in Rochester and founded a Mozart Club and a Conservatory in Savannah. In 1885, he became President of the Music Teachers National Association.

His compositions included a setting of Psalm 18, an overture, a string quartet, pieces for organ and for piano, choral works, and songs.