Cale Young Rice (December 7, 1872 – January 24, 1943) was an American poet and dramatist. He was professor of English at Cumberland University. His opera, Yolanda of Cyprus, was widely received.
Cale Young Rice | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Cale Young Rice | |
| Born | December 7, 1872 |
| Died | January 24, 1943 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | poet and dramatist |
| Spouse | Alice Hegan Rice |
Life and career edit
Rice was born in Dixon, Kentucky, to Laban Marchbanks Rice, a Confederate veteran and tobacco merchant, and his wife Martha Lacy. He was a younger brother of Laban Lacy Rice, a noted educator, author, and president of Cumberland University. Cale Rice grew up in Evansville, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky. He was educated at Cumberland University where he was a member of the Theta chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and at Harvard (A.B., 1895; A.M., 1896).[1]
On December 18, 1902, Rice was married to the popular author Alice Hegan Rice; they worked together on several books. The marriage was childless. In 1910, they built a house at 1444 St. James Court, where they lived for 40 years.[2][3]
Cale Rice's poems were collected and published in a single volume, The best poetic work of Cale Young Rice, by his brother, Laban Lacy Rice (1870–1973).[4]
His birthplace in Dixon is designated by Kentucky State Historical Marker 1508, which reads:
Birthplace of Rice brothers, Cale Young, 1872–1943, noted poet and author; Laban Lacy, 1870–1973, well-known educator and author. Lacy published The Best Poetic Works of Cale Young Rice after Cale's death. Included in famous collection is poem, "The Mystic." Cale married Alice Hegan, also a distinguished Kentucky writer. Home overlooks Memorial Garden.[5]
Rice adapted his play Yolanda of Cyprus into an opera libretto for Clarence Loomis; the resulting work was premiered on September 25, 1929, in London, Ontario, under the baton of Isaac Van Grove, and featured Charles Kullman. The production was directed by Vladimir Rosing.[6] The opera later received the Bispham Memorial Medal Award.[7]
Death edit
Rice committed suicide by gunshot during the night of January 24, 1943, at his home in Louisville a year after his wife's death due to his sorrow at losing her.[2][1]
Works edit
Verse edit
- From Dusk to Dusk (1898)
- With Omar (1900)
- Song Surf (1900)
- Nirvana Days (1908)
- Many Gods (1910)
- At the World's Heart (1914)
Plays edit
- Charles di Tocca (1903)
- Yolanda of Cyprus (1906)[8]
- A Night in Avignon (1907)
- The Immortal Lure (1911)
- Porzia (1913)
Collection edit
- Collected Plays and Poems (two volumes, 1915)
Other works edit
- Youth's Way. New York, The Century Co., 1923.
- A New Approach to Philosophy. Lebanon, Tenn: The Cumberland University Press, 1943.
References edit
- ^ a b "Cale Y. Rice Is Found Dead". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. 25 Jan 1943. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
- ^ a b Harrison, Lowell H.; Klotter, James C. (1997). A new history of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. p. 324. ISBN 9780813120089. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
- ^ Kleber, John E. (1992). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813128838. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
- ^ Rice, Laban Lacy (1943). The best poetic work of Cale Young Rice. Lebanon, Tenn.: Cumberland University Press. OCLC 2665467.
- ^ "Search For Markers". explorekyhistory.ky.gov. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ Margaret Ross Griffel; Adrienne Fried Block (1999). Operas in English: A Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-25310-2.
- ^ Ken Wlaschin (2006). Encyclopedia of American Opera. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2109-1.
- ^ "PLAYS AND LYRICS. The Collected Poems of Cale Young Rice--His Tragedies "Yolanda of Cyprus" and "David."". The New York Times. New York, New York. August 11, 1906. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
External links edit
- Works by Cale Young Rice at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Cale Young Rice at Internet Archive
- Works by Cale Young Rice at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Cale Young Rice at Find a Grave
- Guide to the Cale Young Rice papers, 1927–1939 housed at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center
- Rice family page
- Rice family home on Dixon, KY site
