Sara Emerson Farwell (b.1923) is the fourth child and second daughter of noted American composer Arthur Farwell (1872 – 1952). Arthur graduated from MIT in the class of 1893 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. In his career as a composer and educator he was an important contributor to the development of a uniquely American 20th century classical music idiom.
Arthur Farwell (1872-1952), graduated from MIT in 1893 with a degree in electrical engineering. His Bachelors degree thesis was titled Experiments on the least number of vibrations necessary to determine pitch. Reflecting on his engineering training, he said “not that I loved electricity less, but I loved music more”. After MIT he studied with composers George Chadwick and Edward MacDowell, and became nationally recognized for his music, work as a music journalist and advocacy for American composers through his Wa Wan Press. Farwell composed orchestral, piano, vocal and chamber music as well as operatic and other theatrical works.