Sir Edward German was an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician and composer of
WelshWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
descent, best remembered for his extensive output of
incidental musicIncidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for the stage and as a successor to
Arthur SullivanSir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
in the field of English
comic operaComic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
.
As a youth, German played the violin and led the town orchestra, also beginning to compose music. While performing and teaching violin at the
Royal Academy of MusicThe Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, German began to build a career as a composer in the mid-1880s, writing serious music as well as light opera. In 1888, he became music director of
Globe TheatreThe Globe was a Victorian theatre built in 1868 and demolished in 1902. It was the third of five London theatres to bear the name. It was also known at various times as the Royal Globe Theatre or Globe Theatre Royal. Its repertoire consisted mainly of comedies and musical shows...
in London, also providing popular
incidental musicIncidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for many of its productions and those of other London theatres, including
Richard III (1889),
Henry VIII (1892) and
Nell Gwynn (1900). He also wrote symphonies, orchestral suites, symphonic poems and other works. He also wrote a considerable body of songs and piano music, as well as symphonic suites and other concert music, of which his
Welsh Rhapsody (1904) is perhaps best known.
German was engaged to finish
The Emerald IsleThe Emerald Isle; or, The Caves of Carrig-Cleena, is a two-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and Edward German, and a libretto by Basil Hood. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 27 April 1901, closing on 9 November 1901 after a run of 205 performances...
after the death of Arthur Sullivan in 1900, the success of which led to more
comic operaComic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s, including German's popular
Merrie EnglandMerrie England is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood. The patriotic story concerns love and rivalries at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who is portrayed as jealous of the affection of Sir Walter Raleigh for Bessie Throckmorton. Its sunny depiction of...
(1902) and
Tom JonesTom Jones is a comic opera in three acts by Edward German founded upon Henry Fielding's 1749 novel, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, with a libretto by Robert Courtneidge and Alexander M. Thompson and lyrics by Charles H. Taylor....
(1907). He also wrote the
Just So Song BookJust So Songs is a collection of twelve poems from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories set to music by Sir Edward German in 1903. It consists of musical settings for voice and piano of "When the Cabin port holes", "The Camel's Hump", "This Uninhabited Island", "I keep six honest serving men", "I am...
in 1903 to
Rudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
's texts and continued to write orchestral music. German wrote little new music of his own after 1912 but continued to conduct until 1928, the year in which he was knighted.
Life and career
German was born
German Edward Jones in
Whitchurch, ShropshireWhitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
, England, the second of five children. He was the older of two sons of John David Jones, a liquor merchant, brewer, church organist and lay preacher at the local Congregational Chapel, and Elizabeth (Betsy) Cox (d. 1901), a teacher of Bible classes for young women. His parents called him Jim. He began to study piano and organ with his father at the age of five. At the age of six, he formed a boys' concert band to perform locally, teaching himself the violin, composition, and music arrangement in the process. He later sang
altoAlto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
in the church choir and participated in family entertainments above his uncle's grocery shop, often playing piano duets and performing comic sketches with his elder sister Ruth, who died when he was 15. He also wrote comic poems. His younger sisters were Mabel and Rachel.
In his mid-teens, German's parents attempted to apprentice him to a shipbuilding firm, as they believed their son had an aptitude for engineering. His studies at a boarding-school in Chester had been delayed by a serious illness, however, and so he was turned away for being too old to begin an apprenticeship. In his teens he formed a second band, a quintette, including himself on the violin, his sister on the pianoforte or the bass and three friends of the family, for which German prepared the orchestrations. He also led the town orchestra, did some amateur acting and sang comic songs in local village halls.
The Royal Academy
At the age of 18, following private study with Cecil Walter Hay of
ShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, the conductor of the Whithurch choral society, German entered the
Royal Academy of MusicThe Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, where he eventually changed his name to J. E. German (and later simply Edward German) to avoid confusion with another student named Edward Jones. He continued his studies of violin and organ, also beginning a more formal study of composition under
Ebenezer ProutEbenezer Prout , was an English musical theorist, writer, teacher and composer, whose instruction, afterwards embodied in a series of standard works, underpinned the work of many British musicians of succeeding generations....
. Many of German's student works were played at Academy concerts.
In 1884, the Academy appointed German a sub-professor of the violin. During his time as an instructor, he was well regarded and won several medals and prizes such as the Tubbs Bow for his skill with the violin. In 1885, he won the Charles Lucas Medal for his
Te Deum for soloists, choir and organ, leading him to change his focus from violin to composition. He soon wrote a light opera,
The Two Poets (for four soloists and piano) in 1886, which was produced at the Academy and then performed at
St. George's HallSt. George’s Hall may refer to:*St George's Hall, Bradford*St. George's Hall, Liverpool*St. George's Hall, Reading*One of the state rooms at Windsor Castle*St George's Hall and Apollo Room of the Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg...
. In 1887, his first symphony, in E Minor, was also performed at the Academy. In 1890 he conducted a revised version of this symphony at
the Crystal PalaceThe Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
, and
The Two Poets toured successfully in England.
During his time at the Royal Academy, German taught at Wimbledon School and played the violin in theatre orchestras, including the
Savoy TheatreThe Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
. He visited Germany in 1886 and 1888–89 and was impressed by its opera, particularly at
Bayreuth. He also became engaged to Ethel Mary Boyce (1863–1936) from
ChertseyChertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
,
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, who was also a promising composition student at the Academy. She won the Lady Goldsmid scholarship in 1885, the Sterndale Bennett Prize in 1886 and the Charles Lucas Medal in 1889. Though the engagement was broken off, they remained friends. German never married.
Plays and orchestral music
After leaving the Academy, German continued to teach at Wimbledon School, while also playing the violin in orchestras at various London theatres, including the
Savoy TheatreThe Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
. In 1888, with an introduction by conductor
Alberto RandeggerAlberto Randegger was an Italian-born composer, conductor and singing teacher, best known for promoting opera and new works of British music in England during the Victorian era and for his widely-used textbook on singing technique.-Life and career:Randegger was born in Trieste, Italy, the son of...
to theatre manager
Richard MansfieldRichard Mansfield was an English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas and for his portrayal of the dual title roles in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
, German was appointed conductor and Musical Director of the
Globe TheatreThe Globe was a Victorian theatre built in 1868 and demolished in 1902. It was the third of five London theatres to bear the name. It was also known at various times as the Royal Globe Theatre or Globe Theatre Royal. Its repertoire consisted mainly of comedies and musical shows...
in London. Here, he improved the orchestra and began providing
incidental musicIncidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for the theatre's lavish productions, starting with
Richard IIIRichard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
in 1889. This music was well received (
The TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
called for a concert suite to be arranged), and the overture soon became popular in concert halls. This eventually led to other incidental music commissions that gained success. In 1892, German composed music for a production of
Henry IrvingSir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
's version of
Henry VIIIThe Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
at the Lyceum Theatre, London, where he incorporated elements of traditional old English dance. Within a year, sheet music of the dance numbers from the play's score had already sold 30,000 copies. German was by then in high demand to write music for plays, and his commissions included
Henry Arthur JonesHenry Arthur Jones was an English dramatist.-Biography:Jones was born at Granborough, Buckinghamshire to Silvanus Jones, a farmer. He began to earn his living early, his spare time being given to literary pursuits...
's
The Tempter in 1893,
Johnston Forbes-RobertsonSir Johnston Forbes-Robertson was an English actor and theatre manager. He was considered the finest Hamlet of the nineteenth century and one of the finest actors of his time, despite his dislike of the job and his lifelong belief that he was temperamentally unsuited to acting.-Early life:Born in...
's
Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
at the Lyceum in 1895,
Herbert Beerbohm TreeSir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
's productions of
As You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
(1896) and
Much Ado about NothingMuch Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
(1898), and
Anthony HopeSir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope , was an English novelist and playwright. Although he was a prolific writer, especially of adventure novels, he is remembered best for only two books: The Prisoner of Zenda and its sequel Rupert of Hentzau...
's
English Nell (later known as
Nell Gwynn) in 1900, starring
Marie TempestDame Marie Tempest DBE was an English singer and actress known as the "queen of her profession".Tempest became the most famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. Later, she became a leading comic actress and toured widely in North America and elsewhere...
.
At the same time, German was writing music for the concert hall, sometimes adapting music from his theatrical scores. His
Gypsy Suite met with success similar to that of his overture to
Richard III and his popular
Henry VIII and
Nell Gwynn dances. All were written in "a distinctive, if limited, 'olde English' manner, a species of musical mock Tudor with which German came to be particularly associated". He also wrote a number of successful drawing-room songs and solo piano pieces during this time. The success of German's theatrical and concert hall music led to his receiving commissions from orchestral music festivals, including his second symphony for the
NorwichNorwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
Festival in 1893. The young critic,
George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
, complained that German's symphonies were limited by the composer's indulgence in a theatricality out of place in symphonic writing. German was thin skinned, and after receiving this criticism, he wrote no more symphonies. German tried to avoid this charge in the future by characterising his large-scale four movement works as "symphonic suites". Successful orchestral works included suites for the
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
Festival in 1895 and
The Seasons for Norwich in 1899, and a symphonic poem,
Hamlet, at
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in 1897, conducted by
Hans RichterHans Richter was an Austrian orchestral and operatic conductor.-Biography:Richter was born in Raab , Kingdom of Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire. His mother was opera-singer Jozsefa Csazenszky. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory...
. He had planned a violin concerto for the 1901 Leeds Festival, but this was never completed, as German instead turned to light opera. In 1902, he produced a Rhapsody on March Themes for the Brighton Festival.
Comic operas
Though German had little experience with opera or choral music,
Richard D'Oyly CarteRichard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
invited him to finish
Arthur SullivanSir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
's
The Emerald IsleThe Emerald Isle; or, The Caves of Carrig-Cleena, is a two-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and Edward German, and a libretto by Basil Hood. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 27 April 1901, closing on 9 November 1901 after a run of 205 performances...
for the
Savoy TheatreThe Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
after Sullivan's death in 1900. He accepted, giving up his violin concerto commission for the Leeds Festival to meet the deadlines. The success of his score for the opera (which was performed into the 1920s) opened up a new career for him. His next comic opera, in 1902, was
Merrie EnglandMerrie England is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood. The patriotic story concerns love and rivalries at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who is portrayed as jealous of the affection of Sir Walter Raleigh for Bessie Throckmorton. Its sunny depiction of...
, with
Basil HoodBasil Willett Charles Hood was a British librettist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including The Merry Widow. He embarked on a career in the British army, writing theatrical pieces in his spare...
, the librettist for
The Emerald Isle. This was perhaps German's greatest success, and its dance music was popular separately. Indeed, it was revived frequently, becoming a light opera standard in Britain, and several of its songs, including "The English Rose", "O Peaceful England" and "The Yeomen of England" were popular until the middle of the twentieth century.
Merrie England has been so frequently performed by amateur groups in England that it probably has been performed more often than any other British opera or operetta written in the twentieth century.
After this, German and Hood collaborated again in 1903 to write
A Princess of KensingtonA Princess of Kensington is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood, produced by William Greet. The first performance was at the Savoy Theatre, London, on 22 January 1903 and ran for 115 performances....
. This opera was unsuccessful, although it toured briefly and had a New York production. German turned to other endeavours, composing music to
Rudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
texts, including the twelve songs in the
Just So Song BookJust So Songs is a collection of twelve poems from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories set to music by Sir Edward German in 1903. It consists of musical settings for voice and piano of "When the Cabin port holes", "The Camel's Hump", "This Uninhabited Island", "I keep six honest serving men", "I am...
in 1903. He also received a steady flow of orchestral commissions, leading to works such as his
Welsh Rhapsody for the Cardiff Festival in 1904, featuring as its climax "Men of Harlech".
German returned to writing comic operas, achieving another success with
Tom JonesTom Jones is a comic opera in three acts by Edward German founded upon Henry Fielding's 1749 novel, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, with a libretto by Robert Courtneidge and Alexander M. Thompson and lyrics by Charles H. Taylor....
for the
Apollo TheatreThe Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
in 1907, produced by
Robert CourtneidgeRobert Courtneidge was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light opera Tom Jones and the producer of The Arcadians...
for the
FieldingHenry Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones....
bicentenary. The score is one of German's finest works and received a production in New York (with German conducting), was performed for decades and spawned separate performances of its dance music. He next collaborated with
W. S. GilbertSir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
on his final (and unsuccessful) opera,
Fallen FairiesFallen Fairies; or, The Wicked World, is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Edward German. Premiering at London's Savoy Theatre on December 15, 1909, it failed miserably, closing after just 50 performances...
, at the Savoy in 1909. With German's agreement, Gilbert cast his protégée,
Nancy McIntoshNancy McIntosh was an American-born singer and actress who performed mostly on the London stage. Her father was a member of the notorious South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which had been blamed in connection with the 1889 Johnstown Flood that resulted in the loss of over 2,200 lives in...
, as the Fairy Queen, Selene. Critics found her performance weak. Shortly after the opening, acting at the request of the syndicate he had gathered, producer C. H. Workman replaced McIntosh with
Amy EvansAmy Evans was a Welsh soprano and actress known for her performances in oratorio, recitals, and opera. She also made some music recordings beginning in 1906. In 1910, she played the leading role of Selene in W. S. Gilbert's last opera, Fallen Fairies and sang at the Royal Opera House the same...
and asked for restoration of a song that Gilbert had cut during rehearsals. Gilbert was outraged and threatened to sue, demanding that German join him. This placed German in a distressing position, and the composer, habitually preferring to avoid legal battles, declined. In maintaining the Savoy tradition of comic opera, German was composing a style of piece for which public taste had dwindled as fashions in
musical theatreEdwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
had changed with the new century.
Later years
In the wake of the failure of
Fallen Fairies and his unhappy experience with it, German effectively ended his career as a composer of new works, only returning to composition on a few rare occasions, including a
marchThe Coronation March is a piece for full orchestra composed by Edward German in 1911 upon invitation for the coronation ceremonies of King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary...
and hymn for the coronation of
King George VGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in 1911, his
Theme and Six Diversions in 1919, and his final major work, the Othello-inspired tone poem
The Willow Song in 1922. In 1912, actor-manager Sir
Herbert Beerbohm TreeSir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
proposed another collaboration between Hood and German to provide a musical production based on the life of Sir Francis Drake, but German declined the commission saying that its Elizabethan setting would merely result in his covering ground already explored in
Merrie England. He also, on occasion, wrote new part-songs and vocal solos, and in 1911 he became the first composer to write music for a British film. He was commissioned for 50 guineas to write 16 bars of music for the coronation scene in a
Henry VIIIHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
motion picture.
After this, German ceased composing new works regularly. Correspondence shows that he felt uncomfortable with changing musical styles, such as
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and modernist classical music. He regretted, as had Sullivan before him, that his popularity stemmed mostly from his comic operas. However, German was a perfectionist and continually revised his works and produced new arrangements for publication, and he recorded some of them and encouraged their production and broadcast on the radio.
German lived, from 1886 in Hall Road,
Maida ValeMaida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, near
Lord's cricket groundLord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
where he was an avid enthusiast of that game. He lived a quiet life, enjoying walking, cycling and fishing, though he often attended the theatre. He developed a strong friendship with
Sir Edward ElgarSir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
. German was injured in a road accident during
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but he continued to be a highly sought-after conductor, accepting many conducting engagements until he suffered an eye condition that left him blind in his right eye in 1928. He was the first British conductor invited by
Dan GodfreySir Dan Godfrey was a British music conductor and member of a musical dynasty that included his father Dan Godfrey...
to conduct his own music at
BournemouthBournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
. Beginning in 1916, he was also one of the first composers to conduct his own music for recording, producing full recordings of
Merrie England and
Theme and Six Diversions.
German was knighted in 1928, when the respect in which he was held by fellow-musicians was shown by the number of eminent musicians who attended the celebratory dinner, including Elgar,
Sir Alexander MackenzieAlexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...
,
Sir Hugh AllenSir Hugh Percy Allen was an English musician, academic and administrator. He was a leading influence on British musical life in the first half of the 20th century.-Early years:...
,
Sir Landon RonaldSir Landon Ronald was an English conductor, composer, pianist, singing teacher and administrator...
and Lord Berners. In 1934 German received the
Royal Philharmonic SocietyThe Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
's highest honour, its gold medal, presented by
Sir Thomas BeechamSir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...
at an RPS concert. He was made an Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians in 1936, and he was a leader of the Performing Rights Society, fighting for composers' rights to fair compensation for the performance of their works.
German lived long enough to witness the beginning of a decline in the popularity of his orchestral works. A note found after his death bears this poignant message: "I die a disappointed man because my serious orchestral works have not been recognised". However, his best-known orchestral pieces are still occasionally performed, and his light operas
Merrie England and
Tom Jones continue to receive productions, at least by amateur companies, and professional recordings, including a 2009 Naxos recording of
Tom Jones.
German died of
prostate cancerProstate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
at his home in Maida Vale, London, at the age of 74, and was cremated. His ashes are interred in the
Whitchurch, ShropshireWhitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
cemetery.
Analysis
The music scholar
David Russell HulmeDavid Russell Hulme is a Welsh conductor and musicologist known for his research and publications on the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, the Victorian era composer who, with Sir W. S...
wrote of German that French influences are clearly apparent in his music "and there are even occasional reminders of Tchaikovsky but paradoxically he was, like Elgar, a stylistic cosmopolitan who wrote music that is quintessentially English". Hulme also observes that though he is seen as Sullivan's successor, German's music is quite different in style, and his lyric ballads especially show "a romantic warmth that struck a new note in British operetta".
The Times, too, noted that German was so frequently spoken of as Sullivan's successor that his contemporaries failed to notice that he was "an artist of genius" in his own right.
Many of German's colleagues in the musical establishment did, however, find his work to be of the highest quality, including Elgar and Sir John Barbirolli. A recording of his
Richard III,
Theme and Six Diversions and
The Seasons was released by Naxos in 1994. Hulme writes that, "German's orchestral music certainly does not deserve the neglect it has suffered, for it still has much to offer modern audiences. Beautifully crafted, colourful and vital, its pleasing and distinctive personality is still capable of inspiring the kind of affectionate regard it once so readily kindled".
Edward German Festival
The first Edward German Festival was held in 2006 in German's birthplace, Whitchurch, Shropshire, England. Events included performances by festival patron and cellist,
Julian Lloyd WebberJulian Lloyd Webber is a British solo cellist who has been described as the "doyen of British cellists".-Early life:Julian Lloyd Webber is the second son of the composer William Lloyd Webber and his wife Jean Johnstone . He is the younger brother of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber...
and a concert version of German's best-known work,
Merrie England. Another festival was held 23 to 28 April 2009, sponsored by the Friends of Whitchurch Heritage. The programme included a concert version of
Tom Jones (for which a new recording was released by Naxos in 2009) and a school adaptation of
Merrie England. Other events featured clarinettist Emma Johnson, German scholar
David Russell HulmeDavid Russell Hulme is a Welsh conductor and musicologist known for his research and publications on the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, the Victorian era composer who, with Sir W. S...
and the Hallé Orchestra.
Operas
- The Two Poets (1886), later revised as The Rival Poets
The Rival Poets, or the Love Charm is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by W. H. Scott. The opera was first performed under the title The Two Poets at the Royal Academy of Music in London in July 1886.-Background:...
(1901)
- The Emerald Isle
The Emerald Isle; or, The Caves of Carrig-Cleena, is a two-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and Edward German, and a libretto by Basil Hood. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 27 April 1901, closing on 9 November 1901 after a run of 205 performances...
(1901; completion of the opera left unfinished by SullivanSir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
at his death)
- Merrie England
Merrie England is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood. The patriotic story concerns love and rivalries at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who is portrayed as jealous of the affection of Sir Walter Raleigh for Bessie Throckmorton. Its sunny depiction of...
(1902)
- A Princess of Kensington
A Princess of Kensington is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood, produced by William Greet. The first performance was at the Savoy Theatre, London, on 22 January 1903 and ran for 115 performances....
(1903)
- Tom Jones
Tom Jones is a comic opera in three acts by Edward German founded upon Henry Fielding's 1749 novel, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, with a libretto by Robert Courtneidge and Alexander M. Thompson and lyrics by Charles H. Taylor....
(1907)
- Fallen Fairies
Fallen Fairies; or, The Wicked World, is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Edward German. Premiering at London's Savoy Theatre on December 15, 1909, it failed miserably, closing after just 50 performances...
(1909)
Incidental music to plays
- Richard III (1889)
- Henry VIII (1892)
- The Tempter (1893)
- Romeo and Juliet (1893)
- Michael and his Lost Angel (1896)
- As You Like It (1896)
- Much Ado about Nothing (1898)
- English Nell (1900), later known as Nell Gwyn
- The Conqueror (1905)
Orchestral works
- The Guitar (1883)
- Bolero (1883)
- Symphony No 1 in E minor (1887)
- March Solennelle (1891)
- On German Airs (1891)
- Gipsy Suite (1892)
- Symphony No 2 ("Norwich") in A minor (1893)
- Symphonic Suite in D minor ("Leeds") (1895)
- In Commemoration (1897)
- Hamlet (1897)
- The Seasons (1899)
- Welsh Rhapsody (1904)
- Coronation March and Hymn
The Coronation March is a piece for full orchestra composed by Edward German in 1911 upon invitation for the coronation ceremonies of King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary...
(1911)
- The Irish Guards (1918)
- Theme and Six Diversions (1919)
- The Willow Song (1922)
- Cloverley Suite (1934)
Choral works and part songs
- Te Deum in F (1885)
- The Chase (1886)
- Antigone (c 1887)
- O Lovely May (1894)
- Who is Sylvia? (1894)
- Banks of the Bann (1899)
- Just So Songs
Just So Songs is a collection of twelve poems from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories set to music by Sir Edward German in 1903. It consists of musical settings for voice and piano of "When the Cabin port holes", "The Camel's Hump", "This Uninhabited Island", "I keep six honest serving men", "I am...
(originally written for solo voice in 1903, part-song arrangements by the composer from 1916–1933)
- Canada Patriotic Hymn (1904)
- O Peaceful Night (1904)
- Introit: Bread of Heaven (1908)
- Grace: Non Nobis Domine (1911)
- Pure as the Air (1911)
- The Three Knights (1911)
- Beauteous Morn (1912)
- In Praise of Neptune (1912)
- My Bonnie Lass (1912)
- Sleeping (1912)
- Sweet Day So Cool (1912)
- Morning Hymn (1912)
- Intercessory Hymn: Father Omnipotent (1915)
- London Town (1920)
- Rolling Down to Rio
Songs for solo voice
- All Friends Around the Wrekin: A Song of Shropshire
- Big Steamers
Big Steamers is a poem by Rudyard Kipling, first published in 1911 as one of his twenty-three poems written specially for C. R. L. Fletcher's "A School History of England". It appears in the last chapter of the book...
- Be Well Assured (from The Fringes of the Fleet
The Fringes of the Fleet is a booklet written in 1916 by Rudyard Kipling . The booklet contains essays and poems that Kipling wrote about nautical subjects in World War I....
)
- Have You News of My Boy Jack? (1916)
- Charming Chloe
- Cupid at the Ferry
- Love the Pedlar
- Sea Lullaby
- Heigh Ho
- Bird of Blue
- Glorious Devon
- Who'll Buy My Lavender?
- Recompense
Piano works
- Suite for Pianoforte: "Impromptu", "Valse Caprice", "Bourrée", "Elegy", "Mazurka", "Tarantella" (1889)
- Four Pianoforte Duets (1890)
- Graceful Dance in F (1891)
- Polish Dance (1891)
- Valse in A Flat (1891)
- Album Leaf (1892)
- Intermezzo in A Minor (1892)
- Valsette pour Piano (1892)
- Minuet in G (1893)
- Second Impromptu (1894)
- Concert Study in A Flat (1894)
- Gipsy Suite: Four Characteristic Dances -duet- (1895)
- Melody in E Flat (1895)
- Suite for Four Hands (1896)
- "Columbine" Air de Ballet (1898)
- Abendlied "Evensong" (1900)
- Melody in E. "The Queen's Carol" (1905)
Violin works
- Nocturne (1882)
- Chanson d'Amour (1880s)
- Barcarolle (1880s)
- Album Leaf (1880s)
- Sprites' Dance (1880s)
- Bolero (1883)
- Scotch Sketch for 2 Violins and Pianoforte (1890)
- Moto Perpetuo Pour Violin Accompagnement de Piano (1890)
- Souvenir for Violin and Pianoforte (1896)
- Song without Words (1898)
- Three Sketches: "Valsette", "Souvenir", "Bolero" (1897)
Woodwind works, chamber music and organ works
- Saltarelle (for woodwinds) (1889)
- Pastorale and Bourrée (for woodwinds) (1891)
- Suite: Three Pieces (for woodwinds) (1892)
- Andante and Tarantella (for woodwinds) (1892)
- Romance (for woodwinds) (1892)
- Intermezzo (for woodwinds) (1894)
- Early One Morning (for woodwinds) (1900)
- Trio in D for Violin, Violincello, and Pianoforte (c. 1883)
- Serenade (for chamber ensemble) (1890's)
- Andante in B Flat (for organ) (1880s)
External links
- Edward German at the IBDB database
- The Edward German Discography
- Detailed biographical sketch
- Sir Edward German Music Festival 2009
- "Edward German. A Biographical Sketch", The Musical Times, Vol. 45, No. 731, 1 January 1904, pp. 20–24
- Hulme, David Russell
David Russell Hulme is a Welsh conductor and musicologist known for his research and publications on the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, the Victorian era composer who, with Sir W. S...
. "Orpheus With His Lute: Sources of Edward German's Music for the Victorian and Edwardian Drama", Brio, Autumn/Winter 2000.