Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin was born in Edgeworth near Sewickley, Pennsylvania, in the suburb of Pittsburgh on November 25, 1862, and died in New Haven, Connecticut, at the age of 38 on February 17, 1901. He started his musical lessons with local musicians and published his first composition at the age of twelve. In 1878, he attended Western University (now the University of Pittsburgh) but left at the end of his first year in 1879. From 1882 to 1883 he studied piano with B. J. Lang and composition with Stephen A. Emery in Boston, and from 1884 to 1886 he studied piano with Karl Klindworth and theory with Otto Tiersch in Berlin. In December 1886, his professional piano recital debut was enthusiastically received in Pittsburgh. From 1887 until his death in 1901, he worked as a pianist and composer mostly outside of Pittsburgh, living in various places throughout the New England area and in Europe. His compositions mostly consisted of songs and piano works. His best-known works are the songs “The Rosary” and “Mighty Lak’a Rose,” and the piano piece “Narcissus.”