Gena Branscombe circa 1948.

Composer and conductor Gena Branscombe (1881-1977) was a prominent figure in New York City’s musical life from 1910 till her death. Her passion for composing, performing and being a mentor and leader for American women composers formed the very essence of this remarkable musician. Although she later fell into obscurity, today there is a resurgent interest in her romantic music and inspired life.

Branscombe composed 150 art songs sung by famous singers of her day, and her chamber music and choral works were performed across the country. Her women’s chorus, The Branscombe Choral, gave yearly concerts at the Broadway Tabernacle Church and at Town Hall, sang at the first United Nations and on radio broadcasts, and presented Christmas concerts for commuters at Grand Central and Pennsylvania stations.

Branscombe was married to John Ferguson Tenney and was mother to four daughters. Over one hundred years ago, multi-tasking was part of her daily routine.

In 1940 Branscombe’s dramatic oratorio, Pilgrims of Destiny (above) aired over WNYC with the help of the station's WPA-funded concert orchestra. But this large-scale work had already been played throughout America since its publication in the 1920s. After drifting from public awareness, an April 2019 revival performance at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts brought the work into the 21st century; once again Branscombe’s patriotic work told America’s story through the eyes of the Mayflower’s passengers. 

The work had its roots in 1919, a year of agonizing loss and new life for Branscombe as she nursed her husband and three daughters through the influenza pandemic. Betty, her radiant three year old daughter, succumbed to the illness in January; in June, Gena gave birth to her fourth daughter, Beatrice. 

Branscombe composed Pilgrims of Destiny while dealing with emotions ranging from the depths of mourning to the joy of new life. The oratorio was a family endeavor, with her husband encouraging his wife to return to her emotional outlet – creating music. Tenney served as her editor, typist and research assistant: he combed the Mayflower’s logs for passenger details and studied accounts of the voyage. 

The text of the oratorio follows events on board the Mayflower on November 9 and 10, 1620. A storm swells; sailors boast of their life at sea; a brother and sister sing a tender duet. Children sing while playing games remembered from their homeland. A mournful women’s chorus questions why children and the sick may not survive. Will God hear their pleas? Finally, land is sighted and the work ends with a ringing chorus of thankful jubilation to God. The pilgrims are convinced that their new country shall be a temple filled with brotherhood, faith, and love.

Pilgrims of Destiny received many accolades. The Daughters of the American Revolution recognized the work for its patriotic subject matter, while in 1928 the National League of American Pen Women awarded Pilgrims of Destiny its Best Composition award; and when the 1929 convention of the National Federation of Music Clubs took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, it naturally included  a performance of the oratorio. Later that year the famed Boston music publisher Oliver Ditson published Pilgrims of Destiny for its acclaimed musical excellence and subject matter. This year, the newly edited orchestral and piano/vocal scores will be republished. 

Branscombe conducted Pilgrims of Destiny for the 1940 WNYC broadcast, augmenting her Branscombe Choral with additional singers, soloists and the WNYC Concert Orchestra. It was the work's last performance of the 20th Century. 

My personal connection to the work happened several years ago, when I came across lacquer disc recordings of the broadcast in Branscombe’s collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.  As I listened to the WNYC announcer recount the story and characters of Scene V, he said “Dorothy Bradford, sung by Ellen Repp, cries out in anguish that she will never again see her little son left behind in Holland.” Ellen Repp had been my voice teacher in the early 1980s, long before I knew who Gena Branscombe was. Repp died in 1999, the year I discovered Branscombe’s music. We never had the opportunity to discuss her work with the composer.

For more information on Branscombe's life and work please go to: The Gena Branscombe Project.

The author of this piece may be reached via: Kathleen Shimeta.

The Branscombe Chorale performing March 15, 1949 under the direction of Gena Branscombe and broadcast over WNYC. Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives.