The American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) is rather unknown in Germany although he had his artistic roots there for he was trained as a pianist in Paris, Stuttgart, Wiesbaden and Frankfurt. After returning to his home country, he worked as a teacher while also being the director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.for eight years. During that time (1896), he wrote 'Woodland Sketches' Op. 51 which is among his best known compositions for piano, particularly the opening piece of these musical landscape paintings: 'To a wild rose', a simple, yet expressively harmonized melody full of grace and peace.