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Mary
E. Furniss
Furniss
is another composer who does not appear in any secondary sources that I have
been able to find. Her extant correspondence dates from 1920-1932, but the
earliest letter refers to some earlier discussions. Furniss has one piece
listed in the finding aid, “Be Thou Ever Near.” There is also some
correspondence regarding another piece “Be Thou My Guide,” but this may be the
same piece. Furniss lived in Malden and Melrose, Massachusetts. Based on
information in her letters, I estimate that Furniss was born no later than 1883,
but likely somewhat earlier. According to this site, Furniss
was born Mary Elizabeth Hendrick in 1853 in Smithfield, RI. I have not been able
to confirm this elsewhere.
Furniss’s
correspondence more explicitly shows gender constraints that do some other
composers’ letters. The earlier letters are from/to her husband, George W. Furniss.
George was a sales
representative for the Oliver Ditson Company, also of Boston, and
apparently had dealings with the Schmidt Company representatives (Crosby,
Austin, and Emery) through this connection. (George appears in several sources,
including commercial music trade journals and the Congressional record.) When
“Be Thou Ever Near” is first submitted, Austin writes to George rather than
Mary about specific considerations, even though George is in Los Angeles on a
sales tour. As George was away, Mary did answer the letter, but deferred
completely to the publisher’s judgment about alterations, writing, “As Mr. F thinks
an author is not a good judge of his own compositions … I shall appreciate your
favor carrying out any of your careful studied thoughts.”[1]
After
“Be Thou Ever Near” is accepted but while George is still away, Mary sends
Henry Austin a poem that she hopes can be published. This is not explicitly a
submission, but she asks for his opinion about it and for advice on how to
publish it. In a postscript, she adds, “NB: Poetry is not my husband’s forte.”[2]
The subtext of this postscript apparently means to explain why she sent the
poem directly rather than using George as an intermediary, and why she feels
comfortable sending it even though he did not offer any criticism or advice.
After
her song is accepted for publication, Mary gets bolder. In March 1921, she
sends Austin some endorsements of “Be Thou Ever Near.” These include statements
by a church choir director, a singer, and her daughter, who teaches mandolin
and guitar in Worcester. This letter contains no mention of George. In
response, Austin expresses the company’s hope that the number would sell well;
two years later, a receipt for (what I assume are) royalty payments shows that
the low-voice version had sold 250 copies.
For
the most part, business dealings between Furniss and the Company cease after
this, although some letters resume in 1929. Mary writes that George has been
confined to bed for over a year, having been struck by a car. She makes several
requests for company representatives to visit George, as she believes seeing
old acquaintances and hearing talk of business dealings would be beneficial for
his mental state. She appears disappointed to report that nobody from the
Ditson Company ever visited or wrote, despite George’s “over 40 years of
faithful service.”[3]
There is no evidence that Crosby, Austin, or Emery ever visited (one of these
correspondents writes that s/he had no automobile with which to do so), but the
company did respond with letters and holiday greetings, for which Mary
expressed appreciation.
Correspondence:
Box 28, folder 18.
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