Isabel Morse Jones

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Isabel Morse Jones
A white woman's face; she has short dark curly hair, and is wearing glasses; she is smilingand has a dimpled cheek.
Isabel Morse Jones, from a 1939 newspaper column.
Born
Isabel Morse

1892
Cleveland, Ohio
DiedSeptember 4, 1951
Rome
NationalityAmerican
OccupationMusic critic, musician, clubwoman

Isabel Morse Jones (1892 – September 4, 1951) was an American musician, arts patron, and clubwoman. She was the music and dance critic at the Los Angeles Times, from 1925 to 1947.

Early life[]

Isabel Morse was born in 1892 in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Arthur Mason Morse.[1][2] She was raised in Los Angeles, California.[3] She attended Los Angeles High School and the University of California, Los Angeles.[4] She was a descendant of painter and inventor Samuel Morse.[5] By 1915, she was living in Hermosa Beach, California, and hosting musical events at her home.[6]

Career[]

Music and dance[]

Jones taught violin and played violin and cello in the Los Angeles Women's Symphony Orchestra. From 1925 until 1947, she was music and dance critic at the Los Angeles Times.[4] She worked with her friend, society page editor Crete Cage, to built support for a new concert hall for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[7] She admired the modern dance of Martha Graham, but admitted that it wasn't for all dance lovers: "Graham either grips you with the power and truth of her creations or you resent her. There is no middle course."[8] She also wrote about music on the Pacific Coast for the Christian Science Monitor and the magazine Musical America.[4]

Jones lectured on music to community and professional groups,[9] and spoke about music on Los Angeles radio programs.[10] She was a founder of the Los Angeles Bureau of Music, and a founding member of the Los Angeles County Music Commission.[11] She also supported the founding of Henry Cowell's New Music Society in Los Angeles, in 1925.[12]

Hollywood Bowl[]

Jones served a press agent for the Hollywood Bowl, and wrote a history of the venue in 1936.[4] She favorably reviewed Frank Sinatra's Hollywood Bowl concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1943, saying "He is a romantic and a dreamer and a careful dresser and he loves beautiful words and music is his hobby."[13]

Personal life[]

Isabel Morse married Dr. Carroll Welborn Jones in 1923.[14] They had a daughter, Carolyn Mason Jones, who became a noted opera photographer.[15][16] Isabel Morse Jones died while staying with her daughter in Rome in 1951.[17]

References[]

  1. ^ "Obituary for Arthur Mason MORSE". The Los Angeles Times. 1937-09-03. p. 40. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Memorial Tribute Conducted for Arthur Mason Morse". The Los Angeles Times. 1937-09-06. p. 21. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Who's who in music and dance in Southern California. University of California Libraries. Hollywood : Bureau of Musical Research. 1933. pp. 206–207.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ a b c d "Former Times Music Editor Dies in Rome". The Los Angeles Times. 1951-09-06. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Teachers Hear Dr. Aseltine". The Bakersfield Californian. 1943-10-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Society: Hermosa Beach". The Los Angeles Times. 1915-09-26. p. 39. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Swed, Mark (2014-12-19). "Year in Review: Then and now, L.A. women get things done in classical music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  8. ^ Jones, Isabel Morse (March 30, 1946). "Martha Graham's Dance Art Proves Arresting". The Los Angeles Times (Library of Congress). Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  9. ^ Saunders, Mae (1943-10-23). "Folk Music Analyzed in Fine Talk by Isabel Morse Jones". The Bakersfield Californian. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "High Lights". The Los Angeles Times. 1934-12-08. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Musical Program Will Pay Tribute to Isabel Jones". The Los Angeles Times. 1951-10-01. p. 60. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Mead, Rita H. (1982). "Henry Cowell's New Music Society". The Journal of Musicology. 1 (4): 449–463. doi:10.2307/763678. ISSN 0277-9269. JSTOR 763678.
  13. ^ Kaplan, James (2011). Frank: The Voice. Anchor. p. 478. ISBN 978-0-7679-2423-8.
  14. ^ "Engagement Announcement". The Los Angeles Times. 1923-09-02. p. 29. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Schroeder, Mildred (1961-07-04). "She Shutters Over Opera (for Pay)". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Bloomfield, Arthur (1975-10-31). "Photos from 15 Years at the Opera". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 23. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Isabel Jones' Memory Will be Honored". The Los Angeles Times. 1951-10-07. p. 121. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
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