Frederic Hymen Cowen
Encyclopedia
Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen (29 January 1852 – 6 October 1935), was a British
pianist
, conductor
and composer
.
, Jamaica
, the fifth and last child of Frederick Augustus Cohen and Emily Cohen née
Davis. His siblings were Elizabeth Rose Cohen (b. 1843); actress, Henrietta Sophia Cohen (b. 1845); painter, Lionel Jonas Cohen (b. 1847) and Emma Magnay Cohen (b. 1849).
At four years old Frederic was brought to England
, where his father became treasurer to the opera
at Her Majesty's Opera, now Her Majesty's Theatre
, and private secretary to William Humble Ward
, 11th Lord Ward (1817–1885). The family initially lived at 11 Warwick Crescent, London
, in the area known as Little Venice. His first teacher was Henry Russell
, and his first published composition, Minna-waltz, appeared when he was only six years old. He produced his first published operetta
, Garibaldi, at the age of eight. With the help of the Earl of Dudley, he studied the piano with Julius Benedict
, and composition with John Goss. His first public appearance as a pianist was as an accompanist in one of his own early songs sung by Mrs Drayton at a concert in Brighton
in the early 1860s. His first genuine public recital was given on 17 December 1863 at the Bijou Theatre of the old Her Majesty's Opera House, and in the following year he performed Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in D minor at a concert given at Dudley House, Park Lane
, the London home of the Earl of Dudley. At the same venue a year later he premiered his Pianoforte Trio in A major with Joseph Joachim
playing the violin part.
was due to be held that gave its winner three years of tuition at the Leipzig Conservatorium
. Cowen attended the examination and won the prize, but his parents intervened, as they were not prepared to give up control of him, as stipulated by the terms of the prize. Instead, they agreed to send him to the same institution, but as an independent student. Swinnerton Heap was awarded the prize in his place. At Leipzig, overseen by Ernst Friedrich Eduard Richter
, Cowen studied under Moritz Hauptmann
(harmony and counterpoint), Ignaz Moscheles
(piano), Carl Reinecke
(composition) and Ferdinand David
(ensemble work). He also came into contact with Salomon Jadassohn
and Ernst Wenzel, and took some private piano lessons with Louis Plaidy
. Cowen's fellow students and companions in Leipzig included Swinnerton Heap, Johan Svendsen
, Oscar Beringer and Stephen Adams.
, he appeared as a composer for the orchestra in an Overture in D minor played at Alfred Mellon
's Promenade Concerts at Covent Garden
on 8 September 1866. In the following autumn he went to Berlin, where he studied composition under Friedrich Kiel
and Carl Taubert, and took piano lessons from Carl Tausig
, enrolling at the academy created by Julius Stern
, known as the Stern'sches Konservatorium
. A symphony (his first in C minor) and a piano concerto
(in A minor) were given in St. James's Hall on 9 December 1869, and from that moment Cowen began to be recognized as primarily a composer
, his talents as a pianist
being subordinate, although his public appearances were numerous for some time afterwards.
His cantata
, The Rose Maiden, was given at London in 1870, his Second Symphony in F major by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society in 1872, and his first festival work, The Corsair, in 1876 at Birmingham. In that year his opera, Pauline
, was given by the Carl Rosa Opera Company
with moderate success. His most important work, his Symphony
No. 3 in C minor, Scandinavian, which was first performed at St. James's Hall in 1880 and went on to establish itself for a decade as one of the most popular symphonic works in the repertoire, brought him some international recognition. Appearing in 1880, it proved to be the most regularly and widely performed British symphony until the arrival of Elgar's First. In 1884 he conducted five concerts of the Philharmonic Society of London, and in 1888, on the resignation of Arthur Sullivan
, became the regular conductor of that society. His employment there came to an abrupt termination in 1892 when he apologised for any shortcomings in the orchestra's performance of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony before they had rendered it, due to the lack of rehearsal time that he felt he had been given. The directors took umbrage at his remarks and did not renew his contract. In the year of his appointment to the Philharmonic Society, 1888, he went to Melbourne as the conductor of the daily concerts given in connection with the Exhibition there for the unprecedented sum of £5,000. In 1896, Cowen was appointed conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society and of the Hallé Orchestra, succeeding Sir Charles Hallé
. He was ousted from the Hallé after three years in favour of Hans Richter
. In 1899, he was reappointed conductor of the Philharmonic Society of London. He also conducted the Bradford Festival Choral Society
, the Bradford Permanent Orchestra, the Scottish Orchestra (now known as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
) and the Handel Festivals at The Crystal Palace
for some years, as well as being a regular attendee at many British music festivals, both as conductor and composer.
Cowen’s career, both as composer
and conductor, is now almost forgotten. Although he regarded himself primarily as a symphonist, he was most successful in lighter orchestral pieces when treating fantastic or fairy subjects, where his gifts for graceful melody and colourful orchestration are shown to best advantage. Whether in his cantatas for female voices, his charming Sleeping Beauty, his Water Lily or his pretty overture, The Butterfly's Ball (1901), he succeeds in finding graceful expression for the poetical idea. His dance music, such as is to be found in various orchestral suites, is refined, original and admirably instrumented. Much of his more serious music is commendable rather than inspired and seldom successful in portraying the graver aspects of emotion. Indeed, his choral works, written for the numerous musical festivals around Victorian
and Edwardian Britain, typify the public taste of his time. Of his 300 or so songs, they encompass everything from the popular ballad
to the high art song, the latter of which led him to be described as the 'English Schubert' in 1898. Indeed, the vogue of his semi-sacred songs has been widespread.
Cowen received honorary doctorates from Cambridge and Edinburgh in 1900 and 1910 respectively, and was knighted at St. James's Palace
on 6 July 1911. Cowen married Frederica Gwendoline Richardson at St. Marylebone Registry Office, London, 23 June 1908. She was 30 years his junior and they had no issue. He died on 6 October 1935 and was buried at the Jewish Cemetery, Golders Green
. His wife died at Hove
, Sussex, in 1971.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Early years
Cowen was born Hymen Frederick Cohen at 90 Duke Street, KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, the fifth and last child of Frederick Augustus Cohen and Emily Cohen née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Davis. His siblings were Elizabeth Rose Cohen (b. 1843); actress, Henrietta Sophia Cohen (b. 1845); painter, Lionel Jonas Cohen (b. 1847) and Emma Magnay Cohen (b. 1849).
At four years old Frederic was brought to England
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...
, where his father became treasurer to the 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...
at Her Majesty's Opera, now Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
, and private secretary to William Humble Ward
William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley
William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley , known as The Lord Ward from 1835 to 1860, was a British landowner and benefactor.-Background and education:...
, 11th Lord Ward (1817–1885). The family initially lived at 11 Warwick Crescent, 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...
, in the area known as Little Venice. His first teacher was Henry Russell
Henry Russell (musician)
Henry Russell was an English pianist, baritone singer and composer, born into a distinguished Jewish family.-Biography:...
, and his first published composition, Minna-waltz, appeared when he was only six years old. He produced his first published operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
, Garibaldi, at the age of eight. With the help of the Earl of Dudley, he studied the piano with Julius Benedict
Julius Benedict
Sir Julius Benedict was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career.-Life:...
, and composition with John Goss. His first public appearance as a pianist was as an accompanist in one of his own early songs sung by Mrs Drayton at a concert in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
in the early 1860s. His first genuine public recital was given on 17 December 1863 at the Bijou Theatre of the old Her Majesty's Opera House, and in the following year he performed Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in D minor at a concert given at Dudley House, Park Lane
Park Lane (road)
Park Lane is a major road in the City of Westminster, in Central London.-History:Originally a country lane running north-south along what is now the eastern boundary of Hyde Park, it became a fashionable residential address from the eighteenth century onwards, offering both views across Hyde Park...
, the London home of the Earl of Dudley. At the same venue a year later he premiered his Pianoforte Trio in A major with Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
playing the violin part.
Musical education
By the Autumn of 1865 it was the judgment of his instructors, Julius Benedict and John Goss, that they could do little more to further his musical education and recommended that he study in Germany. By coincidence the second competition for the Mendelssohn ScholarshipMendelssohn Scholarship
The Mendelssohn Scholarship refers to two scholarships awarded in Germany and in the United Kingdom. Both commemorate the composer, Felix Mendelssohn, and are awarded to promising young musicians to enable them to continue their development.-History:...
was due to be held that gave its winner three years of tuition at the Leipzig Conservatorium
Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig is a public university in Leipzig . Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatory of Music, it is the oldest university school of music in Germany....
. Cowen attended the examination and won the prize, but his parents intervened, as they were not prepared to give up control of him, as stipulated by the terms of the prize. Instead, they agreed to send him to the same institution, but as an independent student. Swinnerton Heap was awarded the prize in his place. At Leipzig, overseen by Ernst Friedrich Eduard Richter
Ernst Friedrich Eduard Richter
Ernst Friedrich Eduard Richter , was a German musical theorist, born at Großschönau, Saxony.He first studied music at Zittau, and afterwards at Leipzig, where be attained so high a reputation that in 1843 he was appointed professor of harmony and counterpoint at the conservatorium of music, then...
, Cowen studied under Moritz Hauptmann
Moritz Hauptmann
Moritz Hauptmann , was a German music theorist, teacher and composer.Hauptmann was born in Dresden, and studied violin under Scholz, piano under Franz Lanska, composition under Grosse and Francesco Morlacchi,...
(harmony and counterpoint), Ignaz Moscheles
Ignaz Moscheles
Ignaz Moscheles was a Bohemian composer and piano virtuoso, whose career after his early years was based initially in London, and later at Leipzig, where he succeeded his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as head of the Conservatoire.-Sources:Much of what we know about Moscheles's life...
(piano), Carl Reinecke
Carl Reinecke
Carl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke was a German composer, conductor, and pianist.-Biography:Reinecke was born in Altona, Hamburg, Germany; until 1864 the town was under Danish rule. He studied with his father, Johann Peter Rudolph Reinecke, a music teacher...
(composition) and Ferdinand David
Ferdinand David (musician)
Ferdinand David was a German virtuoso violinist and composer.Born in the same house in Hamburg where Felix Mendelssohn had been born the previous year, David was raised Jewish but later converted to Christianity...
(ensemble work). He also came into contact with Salomon Jadassohn
Salomon Jadassohn
Salomon Jadassohn was a German composer and a renowned teacher of piano and composition at the Leipzig Conservatory.-Life:...
and Ernst Wenzel, and took some private piano lessons with Louis Plaidy
Louis Plaidy
Louis Plaidy was a celebrated German piano pedagogue and compiler of books of technical music studies....
. Cowen's fellow students and companions in Leipzig included Swinnerton Heap, Johan Svendsen
Johan Svendsen
Johan Severin Svendsen was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania , Norway, he lived most his life in Copenhagen, Denmark....
, Oscar Beringer and Stephen Adams.
Career
Returning home on the outbreak of the Austro-Prussian WarAustro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
, he appeared as a composer for the orchestra in an Overture in D minor played at Alfred Mellon
Alfred Mellon
Alfred Mellon was an English violinist, conductor and composer.Mellon was born in Birmingham. He played the violin in the opera and other orchestras, and afterwards became leader of the ballet at the Royal Italian Opera, Covent Garden...
's Promenade Concerts at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
on 8 September 1866. In the following autumn he went to Berlin, where he studied composition under Friedrich Kiel
Friedrich Kiel
Friedrich Kiel was a German composer and music teacher.Writing of the chamber music of Friedrich Kiel, the famous scholar and critic Wilhelm Altmann notes that it was Kiel’s extreme modesty which kept him and his exceptional works from receiving the consideration they deserved...
and Carl Taubert, and took piano lessons from Carl Tausig
Carl Tausig
Carl Tausig was a Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer.-Life:Tausig was born in Warsaw to Jewish parents and received his first piano lessons from his father, pianist and composer Aloys Tausig, a student of Sigismond Thalberg. His father introduced him to Franz Liszt in Weimar at the...
, enrolling at the academy created by Julius Stern
Julius Stern
Julius Stern was a German musician.Stern was born at Breslau. He received his elementary education in music from the violinist Peter Lüstner, and at the age of nine played at concerts...
, known as the Stern'sches Konservatorium
Stern conservatory
The Stern Conservatory was a private music school in Berlin with many notable tutors and alumni.-History:It was originally founded in 1850 as the Berliner Musikschule by Julius Stern, Theodor Kullak and Adolf Bernhard Marx. Kullak withdrew from the conservatory in 1855 in order to create a new...
. A symphony (his first in C minor) and a piano concerto
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
(in A minor) were given in St. James's Hall on 9 December 1869, and from that moment Cowen began to be recognized as primarily a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, his talents as a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
being subordinate, although his public appearances were numerous for some time afterwards.
His cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
, The Rose Maiden, was given at London in 1870, his Second Symphony in F major by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society in 1872, and his first festival work, The Corsair, in 1876 at Birmingham. In that year his opera, Pauline
Pauline (opera)
Pauline is an opera in four acts with music by the British composer Frederic H. Cowen to a libretto by Henry Hersee after The Lady of Lyons by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, first performed 22 September 1876 at the Lyceum Theatre, London....
, was given by the Carl Rosa Opera Company
Carl Rosa Opera Company
The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl August Nicholas Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company survived Rosa's death in 1889, and continued to present opera in English on tour until 1960, when it was...
with moderate success. His most important work, his Symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
No. 3 in C minor, Scandinavian, which was first performed at St. James's Hall in 1880 and went on to establish itself for a decade as one of the most popular symphonic works in the repertoire, brought him some international recognition. Appearing in 1880, it proved to be the most regularly and widely performed British symphony until the arrival of Elgar's First. In 1884 he conducted five concerts of the Philharmonic Society of London, and in 1888, on the resignation of Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir 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...
, became the regular conductor of that society. His employment there came to an abrupt termination in 1892 when he apologised for any shortcomings in the orchestra's performance of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony before they had rendered it, due to the lack of rehearsal time that he felt he had been given. The directors took umbrage at his remarks and did not renew his contract. In the year of his appointment to the Philharmonic Society, 1888, he went to Melbourne as the conductor of the daily concerts given in connection with the Exhibition there for the unprecedented sum of £5,000. In 1896, Cowen was appointed conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society and of the Hallé Orchestra, succeeding Sir Charles Hallé
Charles Hallé
Sir Charles Hallé was an Anglo-German pianist and conductor, and founder of The Hallé orchestra in 1858.-Life:Hallé was born in Hagen, Westphalia, Germany who after settling in England changed his name from Karl Halle...
. He was ousted from the Hallé after three years in favour of Hans Richter
Hans Richter (conductor)
Hans 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...
. In 1899, he was reappointed conductor of the Philharmonic Society of London. He also conducted the Bradford Festival Choral Society
Bradford Festival Choral Society
Bradford Festival Choral Society was founded as a direct result of the opening of St George’s Hall in 1853. A massed choir of over 200 singers from far and wide was formed for the first Bradford Musical Festival which took place that year...
, the Bradford Permanent Orchestra, the Scottish Orchestra (now known as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950,...
) and the Handel Festivals at The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The 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...
for some years, as well as being a regular attendee at many British music festivals, both as conductor and composer.
Cowen’s career, both as composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor, is now almost forgotten. Although he regarded himself primarily as a symphonist, he was most successful in lighter orchestral pieces when treating fantastic or fairy subjects, where his gifts for graceful melody and colourful orchestration are shown to best advantage. Whether in his cantatas for female voices, his charming Sleeping Beauty, his Water Lily or his pretty overture, The Butterfly's Ball (1901), he succeeds in finding graceful expression for the poetical idea. His dance music, such as is to be found in various orchestral suites, is refined, original and admirably instrumented. Much of his more serious music is commendable rather than inspired and seldom successful in portraying the graver aspects of emotion. Indeed, his choral works, written for the numerous musical festivals around Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
and Edwardian Britain, typify the public taste of his time. Of his 300 or so songs, they encompass everything from the popular ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
to the high art song, the latter of which led him to be described as the 'English Schubert' in 1898. Indeed, the vogue of his semi-sacred songs has been widespread.
Cowen received honorary doctorates from Cambridge and Edinburgh in 1900 and 1910 respectively, and was knighted at St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
on 6 July 1911. Cowen married Frederica Gwendoline Richardson at St. Marylebone Registry Office, London, 23 June 1908. She was 30 years his junior and they had no issue. He died on 6 October 1935 and was buried at the Jewish Cemetery, Golders Green
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
. His wife died at Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, Sussex, in 1971.
Operas
- PaulinePauline (opera)Pauline is an opera in four acts with music by the British composer Frederic H. Cowen to a libretto by Henry Hersee after The Lady of Lyons by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, first performed 22 September 1876 at the Lyceum Theatre, London....
(Lyceum, London, 1876) - ThorgrimThorgrimThorgrim is an opera in four acts with music by the British composer Frederic H. Cowen to a libretto by Joseph Bennett after the Icelandic tale Viglund the Fair, first performed at the Drury Lane Theatre, London on 22 April 1890. The premiere cast included the mezzo-soprano Zélie de Lussan and the...
(Drury Lane, London, 1890) - SignaSigna (opera)Signa is an opera originally conceived in four acts with music by the British composer Frederic H. Cowen with a libretto by Gilbert Arthur à Beckett, with revisions by H.A. Rudall and Frederic Edward Weatherly after Ouida, with an Italian translation by G.A. Mazzucato, first performed in a reduced...
(in 3 Acts, Teatro dal Verme, Milan, 1893 and later reduced to 2 Acts, Covent Garden, London 1894) - Harold or the Norman ConquestHarold or the Norman ConquestOpera in four acts with music by the British composer Frederic H. Cowen with a libretto by Edward Malet, edited by Frederic Edward Weatherly, adapted into the German by L.A. Caumont, and first performed at Covent Garden, London on 8 June 1895.-Act 1.:...
(Covent Garden, London, 1895)
Operettas
- Garibaldi (1860)
- One Too Many (1874)
- The Spirit of Carnival (unfinished operetta, 1918?)
- Comedy-Opera (unperformed comedy opera, 1921)
Other stage works and incidental music
- The Maid of Orleans (incidental music, 1871)
- Monica's Blue Boy (pantomime, 1917)
- Cupid's Conspiracy (comedy ballet, 1918)
- The Enchanted Cottage (incidental music, 1922)
Secular cantatas
- The Rose Maiden (1870)
- The Corsair (1876)
- The Sleeping Beauty (1885)
- St. Johns Eve (1889)
- The Fairies' Spring (female voices, 1891)
- The Water Lily (1893)
- Village Scenes (female voices, 1893)
- Summer on the River (female voices, 1893)
- Christmas Scenes (female voices, 1894)
- The Rose of Life (female vvoices, 1895)
- A Daughter of the Sea (female voices, 1896)
Other choral works
- A Song of Thanksgiving (1888)
- In Memoriam Ode to Carl Rosa (1890)
- All Hail the Glorious Reign (1897)
- Ode to the Passions (1898)
- Coronation Ode (1902)
- John Gilpin (1904)
- He Giveth His Belovèd Sleep (1907)
- The Veil (1910)
- What shall we Dance? (1914)
Symphonies
- Symphony No. 1 in C minor (1869)
- Symphony No. 2 in F major (1872)
- Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Scandinavian (1880)
- Symphony No. 4 in B flat minor, The Welsh (1884)
- Symphony No. 5 in F major (1887)
- Symphony No. 6 in E major, Idyllic (1897)
Orchestral works
- Overture in D minor (1866)
- Festival Overture (for Norwich Festival) (1872)
- The Language of Flowers, Suite de ballet, Set 1 (1880)
- Sinfonietta in A major (1881)
- Niagara, Characteristic Overture in C major (1881)
- In the Olden Time, Suite in D major for Strings (1883)
- Barbaric March (1883)
- Deux Morceaux (1883)
- March (for Folkestone Exhibition) (1886)
- Overture in D major (for Liverpool Exhibition) (1886)
- In Fairyland, Suite de ballet (1896)
- Four English Dances in the Olden Style, Set 1 (1896)
- The Butterfly's Ball, Concert Overture (1901)
- Coronation March (1902)
- Indian Rhapsody (1903)
- Two Pieces (for small orchestra) (1903)
- Reverie (1903)
- Suite of Old English Dances, Set 2 (1905)
- The Months (1912)
- The Language of Flowers, Suite de ballet, Set 2 (1914)
- The Magic Goblet -- The Luck of Edenhall (1934)
- Miniature Variations (1934)
Concertos
- Piano Concerto in A minor (1869)
- Concertstück, a fantasiaFantasia (music)The fantasia is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. Because of this, it seldom approximates the textbook rules of any strict musical form ....
for piano and orchestra written for and played by Paderewski (1900)
Chamber music
- Piano Trio No. 1 in A major (1865)
- Piano Trio No. 2 in A minor (1868)
- String Quartet in C minor (1866)
Songs
The following are among the over 300 songs written by Cowen:- Border Ballad
- I will give you Rest
- Buttercups and Daisies
- When the Worlds is Fair
- The Voice of the Father
- The Swallows
- Promise of Life
- The Chimney Corner
- The Reaper and the Flowers
- The Better Land
- Spinning
- It was a Dream