The son of Gerrit H. Smith, He studied organ with
Adolph Baumbach in his youth. While a student there he spent two years as the school's chapel organist. He then went to Germany to study at the Stuttgart Conservatory where he was a pupil of Christian Fink. Upon returning to the United States in 1877, he pursued further music studies in New York City with
Samuel Prowse Warren,
William Hall Sherwood, and
Whitney Eugene Thayer. In January 1879, Smith was appointed organist at St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo, New York. In December 1880 he was appointed organist of Lafayette Street Church in Buffalo. He remained there until early May 1881 when he left Buffalo to travel back to Europe to pursue further music studies. He went to Berlin where was a pupil of
Carl August Haupt,
Eduard Rohde,
August Gottfried Ritter, and
Gustav Merkel. He later went to London in 1901 to pursue further studies in music composition with
Hamish MacCunn and
Edward German; after which he spent a month staying in the home of
Edvard Grieg in Norway. He was the MSNY's first president. He wrote the music to the hymn "When Christ Was Born of Mary Free". Smith died in New York City on July 21, 1912. ==References==