Francis Hueffer
Encyclopedia
Francis Hueffer, born Franz Hüffer (22 May 1845 – 19 January 1889), was a German
-English
writer on music, music critic, and librettist.
, Germany on 22 May 1845. He studied modern philology
and music in London
, Paris
, Berlin
, and Leipzig
. He earned a Ph.D.
from the University of Göttingen in 1869 for a critical edition of the works of Guillem de Cabestant, a 12th-century troubadour
.
He moved to London in 1869 as a writer on music, and from 1878 worked as music critic for The Times
, succeeding James William Davison. He wrote a number of books on music, especially on music history and biography, edited the Great Musicians series for Novello & Co, and translated the correspondence of Richard Wagner
and Franz Liszt
to English. He also wrote the libretti
for several English opera
s: Alexander Mackenzie's Colomba and The Troubadour, and Frederic Hymen Cowen
's Sleeping Beauty.
Hueffer's wife, Catherine (1850–1927), was the daughter of painter Ford Madox Brown
and Emma Hill. Their sons, Ford Madox Hueffer--better known as Ford Madox Ford--and Oliver Madox Hueffer
were writers.
He died on 19 January 1889.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
writer on music, music critic, and librettist.
Biography
Hueffer was born in MünsterMünster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, Germany on 22 May 1845. He studied modern philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and music in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. He earned a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Göttingen in 1869 for a critical edition of the works of Guillem de Cabestant, a 12th-century troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
.
He moved to London in 1869 as a writer on music, and from 1878 worked as music critic for The Times
The Times
The 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...
, succeeding James William Davison. He wrote a number of books on music, especially on music history and biography, edited the Great Musicians series for Novello & Co, and translated the correspondence of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
to English. He also wrote the libretti
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for several English opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s: Alexander Mackenzie's Colomba and The Troubadour, and Frederic Hymen Cowen
Frederic Hymen Cowen
Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen , was a British pianist, conductor and composer.-Early years:Cowen was born Hymen Frederick Cohen at 90 Duke Street, Kingston, Jamaica, the fifth and last child of Frederick Augustus Cohen and Emily Cohen née Davis. His siblings were Elizabeth Rose Cohen ; actress,...
's Sleeping Beauty.
Hueffer's wife, Catherine (1850–1927), was the daughter of painter Ford Madox Brown
Ford Madox Brown
Ford Madox Brown was an English painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his most notable painting was Work...
and Emma Hill. Their sons, Ford Madox Hueffer--better known as Ford Madox Ford--and Oliver Madox Hueffer
Oliver Madox Hueffer
Oliver Madox Hueffer , was an author, playwright, and war correspondent.-Biography:He was born in 1877 to Francis Hueffer, and his brother was Ford Madox Hueffer. Ford Madox Brown was his grandfather.-References:...
were writers.
He died on 19 January 1889.
Selected writings
- Richard Wagner and the Music of the Future (1874) (Google Books)
- The Troubadours: A History of Provençal Life and Literature in the Middle Ages (1878) (Google Books)
- Musical Studies, a collection of his articles from The Times and Fortnightly ReviewFortnightly ReviewFortnightly Review was one of the most important and influential magazines in nineteenth-century England. It was founded in 1865 by Anthony Trollope, Frederic Harrison, Edward Spencer Beesly, and six others with an investment of £9,000; the first edition appeared on 15 May 1865...
(1880) (Google Books) - Wagner, in the Great Musicians series (1881) (Google Books)
- Italian and Other Studies (1883) (Google Books)
- Half a Century of Music in England (1889; 2nd ed. 1898) (Google Books)
- Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt (1889; as translator) (Project Gutenberg: vol. 1; vol. 2)