John Loretz

John M. Loretz Jr. (1840–1908) was a French-born American composer. His compositions include a wide range of patriotic anthems, waltzes, and sacred pieces. He was the son of John B. Loretz, a prominent organist and composer. Life and career John M. Loretz Jr. was born in 1840 in Mulhouse, in the Alsace region of France. He was the son of John B. Loretz, an organist at St. Stephen’s Church in New York City and later at the Clinton Avenue Congregational Church in Brooklyn, who emigrated from France to the United States in 1849. By age 18 John M. was an organist at the Lorraine Cathedral. He moved to the US and joined the Navy. He would later serve again during the Spanish-American War. In 1857 he returned to France to study at the Paris Conservatoire under Antoine Marmontel, Napoléon Henri Reber, Adolphe-François Laurent and others. His early works, such as the “Grecian Bend Waltz” (1858), already showcased his talent for composition. Loretz made his debut as a pianist in 1860 with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Society. He served as an organist for several churches in Brooklyn and worked as a conductor at the Park Theatre in New York and as a bandmaster in the United States Navy. He play