Thornton Wilder—A Musical Memoir

Abstract In this article, composer/musician Mabel Daniels reminisces on her long friendship with Thornton Wilder. She recounts their memorable meetings at the MacDowell Colony, Boston, New York, and Williamstown between 1924 and 1962, quotes from Wilder’s letters, postcards, and telegrams, focusing on the ever-present undercurrent of music in Wilder’s life and writing. Her portrait of Wilder is a testimony to his “genius for friendship” and deep love of music. She gives examples of how Wilder’s “profound knowledge of music” influenced his writing style and contributed to his novels The Woman of Andros, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and Heaven’s My Destination. The article provides intimate glimpses of Wilder’s passions for music, literature, and theater. It was originally published in the May 1964 issue of the Radcliffe Quarterly and is reprinted by permission of the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. The editors of the Wilder Journal have added parenthetical references and several explanatory Notes.