Mary Mageau
Mary Jane Mageau (4 September 1934 – 9 January 2020) was an American-born writer, harpsichordist and composer who had lived and worked in Australia since 1974. In 1974 she accepted an Australian guest lectureship and there married architect Kenneth White, becoming an Australian citizen and resident of Queensland. She was particularly prominent in lobbying for opportunities for women composers.
Also recorded as Mary Jane Mageau · Mary (Jane) Mageau
Mary Mageau
- Born
- 1934 · Milwaukee.
- Died
- 2020 · Queensland.
- Nationality
- Australia
- Occupation
- writer · harpsichordist · composer · musicologist · music educator
- Education
- University of Michigan · DePaul University
- Languages
- English
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
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Works
Works
Selected works include: • Triple Concerto for piano trio and orchestra • Better Way for treble choir with piano • Ragtime Remembered for quintet (2001) • She Is a Cat for soprano and piano (2000) • Ragtime Remembered for solo piano (2000) • Contrasts in Continuum for unaccompanied viola (1968) • Statement and Variations for viola solo (1979) • Calls from the Heartland for violin with piano (1995) • Preludes for Patricia, 4 Short Pieces for 2 violas or solo viola with prerecorded tape (1996) • Moonlight Reflected on Water for unaccompanied piano (1984) Her music has been recorded and issued on CD, including the Vienna Modern Masters Music From Six Continents CD Series. Mageau is the author of two spiritual books; Insights: for an awakening humanity and A little book of living spiritually, published by Boolarong Press and poetry published in the United States by Red Moon Press, the MET Press, and in Australian and Canadian literary magazines.
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Places
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Milwaukee.
Birth place
Queensland.
Death place
Honors and awards
Australian composer and pianist Larry Sitsky noted when reviewing her works, that Elite Syncopations, from Ragtime for Piano, was "a most attractive piece" and that when playing the work "the boundaries between Mageau and Joplin almost disappeared in my mind, and a rather satisfying whole emerged." Sitsky described her later works as more elegant and refined. Mageau herself wrote of her artistic practice, "Through my music I always seek to communicate something fresh, new and expressive to the performer/s and listening public. Music must communicate - it must say something of meaning that will engage each listener in a satisfying artistic journey". Mageau died in Queensland at the age of 85.
• Silver Medal, Louis Moreau Gottschalk International Composer's Competition • Alienor Harpsichord Concerto Competition for Composers, 1994 • ASCAP Standard Award, granted annually since 1981 • Commendation, Vienna Modern Masters First Recording Awards, 1990
Documentary record
Mary Mageau appears in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a composer (born 4 September 1934). The birth of Mary Mageau is recorded on 4 September 1934 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Mary Mageau, revision 1284010891 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hair, Graham. Mageau, Mary. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press.
- 2.LePage, Jane Weiner. Women composers, conductors, and musicians of the twentieth century. 1988.
- 3.Sadie, Julie Anne. The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers. W. W. Norton & Company. 1994. 9780393034875.
- 4.Praeger. Australian piano music of the twentieth century. 2005. 978-0-313-32286-0.
- 5.Mary Mageau : Represented Artist Profile : Australian Music Centre. www.australianmusiccentre.com.au.
- 6.Boolarong Press. Insights : for an awakening humanity. 2004. 978-0-646-33268-0.
- 7.Boolarong Press. A little book of living spiritually. 2005. 978-1-921054-36-5.
- 8.Mary Mageau : Represented Artist.
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 September 2026.
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