Arthur Foote was a prominent composer and member of the Boston Six, a group of composers who were the first to write "classical" music in America. He studied composition and music history at Harvard University with John Knowles Paine, earning the first master's degree in music ever granted by an American university. Foote served as an organist and pianist, later teaching privately and at the New England Conservatory, and was active in various music associations. He married Kate Grant Knowlton and had one daughter, who convinced him to write his autobiography. Foote's Night Piece for Flute and Strings is his most recorded work, but he also composed a range of other works that have been or are available as recordings. The only full-length biography of Arthur Foote was written by Nicholas E. Tawa, with other short biographical essays available in various publications.
