Joseph Redding

This article is about the lawyer, composer and librettist. For the United States Army Major General, see Joseph A. Redding.

Joseph Redding
1895 sketch of Redding published in
The San Francisco Examiner
Born(1859-09-13)September 13, 1859
Sacramento, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 21, 1932(1932-11-21) (aged 73)
San Francisco, U.S.
EducationHarvard Law School
Occupations
AwardsLegion of Honour

Joseph Deighn Redding (September 13, 1859 – November 21, 1932) was an American composer, librettist, lyricist, lawyer, and civil servant. He is best known for arguing the United States Supreme Court legal case United States v. Kagama and for his contributions to American opera which include writing the libretto to Victor Herbert's Natoma (1911) and composing the score to Fay Yen Fah (1925). The latter work was the first grand opera composed by an American to have its premiere in Europe, an achievement for which Redding was awarded the Legion of Honour by the government of France.[1]

Redding was also a songwriter and a composer of works for the piano. He was both composer and lyricist for the popular song "Song to Hawaii" (also known as "Aloha to Hawaii") which was recorded by numerous artists in the 1910s and 1920s.[2] He was a prominent figure in the civic life of San Francisco during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played an instrumental role in the founding of the San Francisco Symphony in 1911 and served on the governing board of the symphony during its early years.[3] He served terms as president of the San Francisco Arts Administration and San Francisco's Bohemian Club, and also served a term as commissioner of the California Department of Fish and Game. A talented chess polymath, he was an amateur chess player who won several games against recognized chess masters, including Johannes Zukertort and George H. D. Gossip.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference AHD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Miller, pp. 32–36
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference chess was invoked but never defined (see the help page).