As one of America's greatest cultural assets, New Hampshire's MacDowell Colony has hosted some of the twentieth century's most respected musicians. By first presenting a well-informed survey of nineteenth and early twentieth-century artist colonies in the United States, a clear context for the founding of the MacDowell Colony in 1907 is presented. The unique formative pressures, influences, and motivations of the Colony are discussed in depth, offering the reader an informed understanding of its unique tradition of excellence. Subsequent material in this volume chronicles the pioneering work accomplished at the Colony from 1910 through the end of the twentieth century, when the community began to attract the attention of public and charitable endowments. The expanding reputation of the colony is seen to have been accompanied by the perpetuation of high achievement by colony composers decade after decade. Comprehensive appendixes include transcriptions of interviews with Barbara Kolb, Russell Oberlin, Howard Shanet, and many other notable associates of the Colony. These interviews reveal some of the community's most endearing characteristics, and document the profound importance of place and community in the creative process.