Hamish MacCunn
Encyclopedia
Hamish MacCunn Scottish
romantic
composer, was born in Greenock
, the son of a shipowner, and was educated at the Royal College of Music
, where his teachers included Sir Hubert Parry
and Sir Charles Villiers Stanford
.
MacCunn's first success was with the overture
The Land of the Mountain and the Flood
in 1887 at the Crystal Palace
, and this (which remains far and away his best-known piece) was followed by other compositions, with a characteristic Scottish colouring. From 1888 to 1894 he was a professor at the Royal College of Music.
In 1888, he married Alison Pettie, daughter of John Pettie
, RA, who had painted MacCunn's portrait several times. They had one son. John Pettie was an enthusiastic musician, who helped MacCunn build up his career by organising concerts of his work. The production of his opera Jeanie Deans
at Edinburgh
, soon followed. He was for some years conductor to the Carl Rosa Opera Company
, and subsequently to other companies. His opera Diarmid was produced at Covent Garden
in 1897.
His other music includes cantata
s, overtures, part-songs, instrumental pieces, and songs, all markedly Scottish in type. He had a genuine love of Scottish folksong, and although he lived in London
he was a lifelong champion of Scottish music and of the country’s musical life.
A hectic programme of composing, conducting and teaching brought about a gradual deterioration in MacCunn's health, and he died aged only 48.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
romantic
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
composer, was born in Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, the son of a shipowner, and was educated at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
, where his teachers included Sir Hubert Parry
Hubert Parry
Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet was an English composer, teacher and historian of music.Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is best known for the choral song "Jerusalem", the coronation anthem "I was glad" and the hymn tune "Repton", which sets the words...
and Sir Charles Villiers Stanford
Charles Villiers Stanford
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish composer who was particularly notable for his choral music. He was professor at the Royal College of Music and University of Cambridge.- Life :...
.
MacCunn's first success was with the overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
The Land of the Mountain and the Flood
The Land of the Mountain and the Flood
The Land of the Mountain and the Flood is an overture for orchestra, composed by Hamish MacCunn in 1887. Often cited as the archetypal Scottish overture, it is frequently likened to the works of Sir Walter Scott in its unashamedly lyrical, romantic view of the Scottish landscape. The title is in...
in 1887 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...
, and this (which remains far and away his best-known piece) was followed by other compositions, with a characteristic Scottish colouring. From 1888 to 1894 he was a professor at the Royal College of Music.
In 1888, he married Alison Pettie, daughter of John Pettie
John Pettie
John Pettie RA was a Scottish painter. He was born in Edinburgh, the son of Alexander and Alison Pettie. In 1852 the family moved to East Linton, Haddingtonshire...
, RA, who had painted MacCunn's portrait several times. They had one son. John Pettie was an enthusiastic musician, who helped MacCunn build up his career by organising concerts of his work. The production of his opera Jeanie Deans
Jeanie Deans
Jeanie Deans is a fictional character in Sir Walter Scott's novel, The Heart of Midlothian. "Jeanie Deans" is also the name of at least two pubs,at least three passenger ships, two railway locomotives, an opera, a play, a poem, a song, a hybrid rose, an antipodean potato, and a geriatric unit in a...
at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, soon followed. He was for some years conductor to 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...
, and subsequently to other companies. His opera Diarmid was produced at Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in 1897.
His other music includes cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s, overtures, part-songs, instrumental pieces, and songs, all markedly Scottish in type. He had a genuine love of Scottish folksong, and although he lived 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...
he was a lifelong champion of Scottish music and of the country’s musical life.
A hectic programme of composing, conducting and teaching brought about a gradual deterioration in MacCunn's health, and he died aged only 48.
External links
- Biography from the British Musical Society
- MacCunn Collection, University of Glasgow
- Digitised scores can be viewed through the Five Centuries of Scottish Music collection hosted by AHDS Performing Arts