Dudley Buck

1839 - 1909

Dudley Buck short biography

One of the most important American musicians, Dudley Buck was a prominent composer, organist and conductor. Buck’s family wealth allowed Dudley the best musical education: in Leipzig, Dresden and Paris. Upon his return to America, Buck held the position of organist at Hartford, Chicago and Boston. He later became assistant to conductor Theodore Thomas in New York and assumed the position of organist at Holy Trinity church in Brooklyn. At the same time Buck created a very favorable reputation as a composer of church music. He also composed cantatas, a grand opera Serapis, a comic opera Deseret, a symphonic overture, a symphony and other orchestral, vocal and piano works. Today, Buck is chiefly remembered for his organ composition, 'Concert Variations on the Star-Spangled Banner.'