Isabel Morse Jones

Isabel Morse Jones (1892 – September 4, 1951) was an American musician, arts patron, and clubwoman. She was the music and dance critic at the Los Angeles Times, from 1925 to 1947.

Isabel Morse Jones
Isabel Morse Jones, from a 1939 newspaper column.
Born
Isabel Morse

1892
Cleveland, Ohio
DiedSeptember 4, 1951
Rome
NationalityAmerican
OccupationMusic critic, musician, clubwoman

Early life

Isabel Morse was born in 1892 in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Arthur Mason Morse.[1][2] She was raised in Los Angeles, California.[3] She attended Los Angeles High School and the University of California, Los Angeles.[4] She was a descendant of painter and inventor Samuel Morse.[5] By 1915, she was living in Hermosa Beach, California, and hosting musical events at her home.[6]

Career

Music and dance

Jones taught violin and played violin and cello in the Los Angeles Women's Symphony Orchestra. From 1925 until 1947, she was music and dance critic at the Los Angeles Times.[4] She worked with her friend, society page editor Crete Cage, to built support for a new concert hall for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[7] She admired the modern dance of Martha Graham, but admitted that it wasn't for all dance lovers: "Graham either grips you with the power and truth of her creations or you resent her. There is no middle course."[8] She also wrote about music on the Pacific Coast for the Christian Science Monitor and the magazine Musical America.[4]

Jones lectured on music to community and professional groups,[9] and spoke about music on Los Angeles radio programs.[10] She was a founder of the Los Angeles Bureau of Music, and a founding member of the Los Angeles County Music Commission.[11] She also supported the founding of Henry Cowell's New Music Society in Los Angeles, in 1925.[12]

Hollywood Bowl

Jones served a press agent for the Hollywood Bowl, and wrote a history of the venue in 1936.[4] She favorably reviewed Frank Sinatra's Hollywood Bowl concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1943, saying "He is a romantic and a dreamer and a careful dresser and he loves beautiful words and music is his hobby."[13]

Personal life

Isabel Morse married Dr. Carroll Welborn Jones in 1923.[14] They had a daughter, Carolyn Mason Jones, who became a noted opera photographer.[15][16] Isabel Morse Jones died while staying with her daughter in Rome in 1951.[17]

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References
  1. "Obituary for Arthur Mason MORSE". The Los Angeles Times. 1937-09-03. p. 40. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Memorial Tribute Conducted for Arthur Mason Morse". The Los Angeles Times. 1937-09-06. p. 21. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Who's who in music and dance in Southern California. University of California Libraries. Hollywood : Bureau of Musical Research. 1933. pp. 206–207.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. "Former Times Music Editor Dies in Rome". The Los Angeles Times. 1951-09-06. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Teachers Hear Dr. Aseltine". The Bakersfield Californian. 1943-10-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Society: Hermosa Beach". The Los Angeles Times. 1915-09-26. p. 39. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Swed, Mark (2014-12-19). "Year in Review: Then and now, L.A. women get things done in classical music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  8. Jones, Isabel Morse (March 30, 1946). "Martha Graham's Dance Art Proves Arresting". The Los Angeles Times (Library of Congress). Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  9. Saunders, Mae (1943-10-23). "Folk Music Analyzed in Fine Talk by Isabel Morse Jones". The Bakersfield Californian. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "High Lights". The Los Angeles Times. 1934-12-08. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Musical Program Will Pay Tribute to Isabel Jones". The Los Angeles Times. 1951-10-01. p. 60. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Mead, Rita H. (1982). "Henry Cowell's New Music Society". The Journal of Musicology. 1 (4): 449–463. doi:10.2307/763678. ISSN 0277-9269. JSTOR 763678.
  13. Kaplan, James (2011). Frank: The Voice. Anchor. p. 478. ISBN 978-0-7679-2423-8.
  14. "Engagement Announcement". The Los Angeles Times. 1923-09-02. p. 29. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Schroeder, Mildred (1961-07-04). "She Shutters Over Opera (for Pay)". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Bloomfield, Arthur (1975-10-31). "Photos from 15 Years at the Opera". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 23. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Isabel Jones' Memory Will be Honored". The Los Angeles Times. 1951-10-07. p. 121. Retrieved 2020-04-25 – via Newspapers.com.
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