Grace W. Root

Grace Worcester Root (25 April 1869 – 15 July 1898) was an American actress and composer who died from chloroform poisoning.{{Cite book |last=Cohen |first=Aaron I. |title=International Encyclopedia of Women Composers |date=1987 |publisher=Books & Music|isbn=978-0-9617485-0-0 |pages=599 |language=en}} She published her music under the name Grace W. Root.{{Cite web |last=Root |first=Grace Worcester |title=Maine, U.S. Death Record |url=https://www.ancestry.com/offers/join?dbid=1962&gsfn&gsln&h=759217&sub=2550866976735232&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Fdiscoveryui-content%2Fview%2F759217%3A1962 |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=ancestry.com}}

Root was born in Boston to a musical family. Her mother was Mary Olive Woodman and her father was George Frederick Root, who was well known for his Civil War songs. Her older brother Frederic Woodman Root was also a composer.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JRtMAQAAMAAJ&dq=grace+w+root+composer&pg=RA19-PA22 |title=Musical Courier: A Weekly Journal Devoted to Music and the Music Trades |date=1895 |publisher=Musical Courier Company |language=en}}

Little is known about Root's education. She appeared as an actress with a company run by the Frohman Brothers, and died from chloroform poisoning in Portland, Maine, when she was 29 years old.{{Cite web |title=The Indianapolis News 18 Jul 1898, page Page 2 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/40153491/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |via=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

Root's music was published by Summy Birchard.{{Cite book |last=Stewart-Green |first=Miriam |title=Women composers: A checklist of works for the solo voice |date=1980 |publisher=Hall |isbn=978-0-8161-8498-9 |series=A reference publication in women's studies |location=Boston, Mass |pages=61}} Her songs{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E-k6AQAAMAAJ&dq=grace+w+root+composer&pg=RA6-PA9 |title=Musical Courier and Review of Recorded Music |date=1919 |language=en}} included:

• "A Sunset Song" (text by Sidney Lanier){{Cite web |title=Evening song {{!}} Look off, dear Love, across the sallow sands {{!}} LiederNet |url=https://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=21080 |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=lieder.net}}
• "For Thee"{{Cite book |last=Laurence |first=Anya |title=Women of Notes: 1,000 Women Composers Born Before 1900 |publisher=Richards Rosen Press Inc. |year=1978 |page=28}}
• "The Spell of the Waltz"