1856–1931

Introduction

Born: Jan­ua­ry 18, 1856, Brook­lyn, New York.

Died: No­vem­ber 30, 1931, Brook­lyn, New York.

Buried: Green-Wood Ce­me­te­ry, Brook­lyn, New York.

portrait

Biography

John was the son of Will­iam Brew­er and An­na Eli­za Neil, and hus­band of Em­ma Ame­lia Thay­er (mar­ried 1888)

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.

Works

Sources

Music