Biographical Note
Florence Beatrice Parr-Gere was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, on April 25, 1875 to Henry Anderson Parr (a dentist) and Florence Parr. The 1881 Canadian census reveals that she was the oldest of four children. As a young adult, Parr-Gere traveled to Europe to study music in the 1890s. She is known to have studied piano for several years with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna, who was the first to recognize her inherent talent in composition, and later with well-known teachers in Paris. After returning to the U.S., she began composition studies in New York with Max Spicker. Soon thereafter, she married James Belden Gere, a New York City physician (1872-1920), on November 26, 1902. Dr. Gere received his license in 1896, and was on the staff at the Presbyterian Hospital, New York City. The couple lived in New York City during the next several decades.
Parr-Gere wrote poems (often used as lyrics for her songs) and began to publish songs and piano works circa 1912. She attended the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau during the summer of 1921 with fellow classmate and composer Aaron Copland. Parr-Gere is known to have been active as a composer during the years 1912-1928. Her songs were interpreted by various well-known singers, including Johanna Gadski and Maggie Teyte. She is known to have composed chamber music and works for full orchestra, including at least one tone-poem. Her works were published by at least five American music publishers: Carl Fischer, G. Schirmer, Inc., Luckhardt and Belder, the Boston Music Company, and C. W. Thompson Company. Other works were published by the firm of J. Hamelle in Paris.
James Gere died in 1920. Florence continued to compose and teach piano pupils at her New York City studio located at No. 15, West 67th Street. During the 1920s and 1930s she submitted several orchestral compositions to local orchestras for performance. Parr-Gere continued her European travels between 1920 and 1938, as indicated by passport records. The latest inscribed photograph in this collection is dated July 1943. There is little biographical information regarding Parr-Gere in existing reference works and she does not appear to have been a member of ASCAP. No date of death has been found for Parr-Gere, although she appears to have been active at least into the mid-1940s.