Introduction

Biography

John was the son of Wil­ham Brew­er and An­na Eli­za Neil. He mar­ried twice, to Em­ma Ame­lia Thay­er (1888), and Cor­ne­lia Kouwen­ho­ven Ives.

Remembered as a com­pos­er, teach­er and or­gan­ist, he lived in Brook­lyn all his life.

Beginning at age 15, he played the or­gan at a num­ber of Brook­lyn church­es, in­clud­ing the La­fay­ette Ave­nue Church (1881–1931).

He con­duct­ed ma­ny or­ches­tras and glee clubs, and helped found the Brook­lyn Apol­lo Club in 1878, be­com­ing its con­duc­tor in 1903.

He helped found the Am­eri­can Guild of Org­an­ists, and be­longed to the New York State Mu­sic Teach­ers’ As­so­cia­tion.

In 1899, he be­came a pro­fess­or of mu­sic at Adel­phi Col­lege, Gar­den Ci­ty, New York.

Works

• Songs of the Year, with Fred­er­ic Red­dall (New York: May­nard, Mer­rill, 1894)