Misplaced Pages

#377622

58-401: Sir Edward German (born German Edward Jones ; 17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of English comic opera . Some of his light operas, especially Merrie England , are still performed. As a youth, German played

116-660: 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 Hall . 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 Palace , while The Two Poets toured successfully in England. During his time at the Royal Academy, German taught at Wimbledon School and played

174-579: A Bald Head . When they were not presenting a piece at the hall, it was rented it out to amateurs or other entertainments. At the hall Gilbert Arthur à Beckett presented Two Foster Brothers , composed by Alfred Cellier (1877), and Once in a Century , with music by Vivian Bligh. Henry Pottinger Stephens wrote his first burlesque , Back from India for the hall in 1879, as well as Hobbies in 1885, with William Yardley and music by George Gear. Cherry Tree Farm and All at Sea played in 1881. The same year, William Poel produced his Hamlet . In

232-544: A background score; indeed, many plays have no incidental music whatsoever. Some early examples of what were later called incidental music are also described as semi-operas , quasi-operas, masques , vaudevilles and melodramas . The genre of incidental music does not extend to pieces designed for concert performance, such as overtures named after a play, for example, Beethoven's Coriolan Overture (written for Heinrich Joseph von Collin 's tragedy), or Tchaikovsky 's Romeo and Juliet fantasy-overture. Incidental music

290-510: A composer of new works, only returning to composition on a few rare occasions. 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 the film Henry VIII . The same year, he composed his march and hymn for the coronation of King George V . Among the few works of his later years was the Theme and Six Diversions in 1919, and his final major work,

348-398: A disappointed man because my serious orchestral works have not been recognised". However, his best-known orchestral pieces continued to see occasional performances, and his light operas Merrie England and Tom Jones were kept alive by the productions of amateur companies. Beecham recorded his Gipsy Suite in 1956. A recording of his Richard III , Theme and Six Diversions and The Seasons

406-464: A distressing position, and the composer, who habitually preferred 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 theatre had changed with the new century. In the wake of the failure of Fallen Fairies and his unhappy experience with it, German effectively ended his career as

464-613: A more formal study of composition under Ebenezer Prout . 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

522-656: A performance. Often the stinger marks the passage of time or a change in location. Stingers were used frequently in the American television series Friends , as an example, to mark scene changes. Short sequences of recorded music called loops are sometimes designed so that they can be repeated indefinitely and seamlessly as required to accompany visuals. These are often used as background music in documentary and trade films. St. George%27s Hall, London 51°31′4″N 0°8′33″W  /  51.51778°N 0.14250°W  / 51.51778; -0.14250 St. George's Hall

580-492: A production of Henry Irving 's version of Henry VIII 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 sold 30,000 copies. German was by then in great demand to write music for plays. His commissions included Henry Arthur Jones 's The Tempter in 1893, Johnston Forbes-Robertson 's Romeo and Juliet at

638-465: A school adaptation of Merrie England . Other events featured clarinettist Emma Johnson , German scholar David Russell Hulme and the Hallé Orchestra . Incidental music Incidental music is often background music , and is intended to add atmosphere to the action. It may take the form of something as simple as a low, ominous tone suggesting an impending startling event or to enhance

SECTION 10

#1732880515378

696-459: 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 as 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. He prepared

754-523: 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 Norwich Festival in 1893. The young critic George Bernard Shaw complained that German's symphonies were limited by

812-583: A studio on 25 November 1933. The BBC installed the BBC Theatre Organ in 1936, a Compton Melotone and Electrostatic Organ , this enabled a wide range of sounds to be produced during performances. Reginald Foort was appointed resident organist. The hall sustained extensive damage from bombing in September 1940, May 1941 (when the Queen's Hall across the road was destroyed) and March 1943. The BBC studios moved to

870-471: 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 argued that German was so frequently spoken of as Sullivan's successor that his contemporaries failed to notice that he

928-505: A symphonic poem, Hamlet , at Birmingham in 1897, conducted by Hans Richter . 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. Though German had little experience with opera or choral music, Richard D'Oyly Carte invited him to finish Arthur Sullivan 's The Emerald Isle for

986-640: Is also found in religious ceremony, often when officiants are walking from place to place. (This is distinguished from hymns, where the music is the focus of worship.) Incidental music is also used extensively in comedy shows for a similar purpose: providing mild entertainment during a dull transition. Famous comedy incidental musicians include Paul Schaffer , Max Weinberg , Patrick Burgomaster, and Jon Batiste . Modern composers of incidental music include Pierre Boulez , Lorenzo Ferrero , Irmin Schmidt , Ilona Sekacz , John White , and Iannis Xenakis . An overture

1044-413: Is incidental music that is played usually at the beginning of a film, play, opera, etc., before the action begins. It may be a complete work of music in itself or just a simple tune. In some cases it incorporates musical themes that are later repeated in other incidental music used during the performance. A theme song is a work that represents the performance and is often played at the beginning or end of

1102-551: Is still capable of inspiring the kind of affectionate regard it once so readily kindled." German's music often reflected a romanticised Shakespearian or semi-mythical English merry-making past. This appealed to contemporary taste, as his Three Dances from 'Henry VIII ' (1892) was the most frequently performed English orchestral work in the first decade of The Proms , with well over 30 performances between 1895 and 1905, and his Three Dances from 'As You Like It ' (1896) were similarly popular. The first Edward German Festival

1160-889: The German Reed Entertainments closed in 1895, the building changed its name to the Matinee Theatre, on 17 April 1897, presenting "high class vaudeville ," but it was not very successful. A series of German plays were then produced, but in 1904 the hall closed. In 1905, magician John Nevil Maskelyne renovated, expanded and reopened the 'St George's Hall, England's New Home of Mystery,' on 24 January 1905 with The Coming Race by David Christie Murray and Maskelyne. Maskelyne's entertainments were called Maskelyne's Theatre of Mystery. The theatre also hosted meetings of The Magic Circle , an association of amateur and professional magicians, and its members David Devant and Maskelyne continued to give magic shows for many years. One

1218-783: The German Reed Entertainments to St. George's Hall. Like their earlier theatre, the Gallery of Illustration , St. George's had a small stage, and musical works were presented with only piano and harmonium. Thomas retired in 1871, and his son Alfred continued to run the theatre with his mother until her retirement in 1879 and, beginning in 1877, in partnership with Richard Corney Grain , until both their deaths in 1895. The pieces premiered there included W. S. Gilbert 's farce, A Medical Man (1872) and his one-act comic opera , Eyes and No Eyes (1875). John Baldwin Buckstone wrote Married Life , and John Maddison Morton wrote Slasher and Crasher for

SECTION 20

#1732880515378

1276-541: The Globe Theatre in London. There he improved the orchestra and began providing incidental music for the theatre's lavish productions, starting with Richard III in 1889. This music was well received ( The Times 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

1334-1105: The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre as "music that is specifically written for a play but does not form an integral part of the work". The use of incidental music dates back to ancient Greek drama and possibly before the Greeks. A number of classical composers have written incidental music for various plays, with the more famous examples including Henry Purcell 's Abdelazer music , George Frideric Handel 's The Alchemist music , Joseph Haydn 's Il distratto music , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 's Thamos, King of Egypt music , Ludwig van Beethoven 's Egmont music , Carl Maria von Weber 's Preciosa music , Franz Schubert 's Rosamunde music , Felix Mendelssohn 's A Midsummer Night's Dream music , Robert Schumann 's Manfred music , Georges Bizet 's L'Arlésienne music , and Edvard Grieg 's Peer Gynt music . Parts of all of these are often performed in concerts outside

1392-548: The Savoy Theatre 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 England , with Basil Hood , the librettist for The Emerald Isle . This was perhaps German's greatest success, and its dance music

1450-510: The Savoy Theatre in 1879-80, Holland starred at St. George's until 1895 in entertainments too numerous to name. Many of the entertainments were written by Law, including A Night Surprise (1877), Nobody's Fault , composed by Hamilton Clarke (1882), and A Happy Bungalow , with music by Charles King Hall . Other pieces from the 1870s starring Holland included Number 204 by F. C. Burnand , with music by Thomas German Reed; and Our New Doll's House by W. Wye, with music by Cotsford Dick. After

1508-510: The 20th century. After this, German and Hood collaborated again in 1903 to write A Princess of Kensington . This opera was unsuccessful, although it toured briefly and had a New York production. German turned to other endeavours, composing music to Rudyard Kipling texts, including the twelve songs in the Just So Song Book in 1903. He also received a steady flow of orchestral commissions, leading to works such as his Welsh Rhapsody for

1566-767: The Cardiff Festival in 1904, featuring as its climax " Men of Harlech ". German returned to writing comic operas, achieving another success with Tom Jones for the Apollo Theatre in 1907, produced by Robert Courtneidge for the Fielding bicentenary. The score is one of German's finest works. It received a production in New York, with German conducting, and was performed for decades, spawning separate performances of its dance music. He next collaborated with W. S. Gilbert on his final (and unsuccessful) opera, Fallen Fairies , at

1624-489: The Charles Lucas Medal in 1889. Although the engagement was broken off, they remained friends. German never married. After leaving the Academy, German continued to teach at Wimbledon School and to play the violin in orchestras at various London theatres, including the Savoy . In 1888, an introduction by conductor Alberto Randegger to theatre manager Richard Mansfield led to German's appointment as conductor and musical director at

1682-460: The Globe and 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, piano music, and symphonic suites and other concert music, of which his Welsh Rhapsody (1904) is perhaps best known. German was engaged to finish The Emerald Isle after

1740-604: The Lyceum in 1895, Herbert Beerbohm Tree 's productions of As You Like It (1896) and Much Ado about Nothing (1898), and Anthony Hope 's English Nell (later known as Nell Gwynn ) in 1900, starring Marie Tempest . At the same time, German was writing music for the concert hall, sometimes adapting music from his theatrical scores. His Gipsy 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,

1798-582: The Othello-inspired tone poem The Willow Song in 1922. After that, German all but ceased composing. Correspondence shows that he felt uncomfortable with the changing musical styles, such as jazz and modernist classical music. Like Sullivan before him, he regretted 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. He also recorded some of them and encouraged their production and broadcast on

Edward German - Misplaced Pages Continue

1856-527: The Savoy in 1909. With German's agreement, Gilbert cast his protege, Nancy McIntosh , as the Fairy Queen, Selene. Critics found her performance weak. Shortly after the opening, the producer C. H. Workman , acting at the request of the syndicate he had gathered, replaced McIntosh with Amy Evans 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

1914-535: 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 alto 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 named Mabel and Rachel. In his mid-teens, German's parents attempted to apprentice him to

1972-664: The celebratory dinner, including Elgar, Sir Alexander Mackenzie , Sir Hugh Allen , Sir Landon Ronald , and Lord Berners . In 1934 German received the Royal Philharmonic Society 's highest honour, its gold medal, presented by Sir Thomas Beecham at an RPS concert. He was elected an Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians in 1936, and he was a leader of the Performing Rights Society, which fought for composers' rights to fair compensation for

2030-470: 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 Leeds Festival in 1895 and The Seasons for Norwich in 1899, and

2088-453: The context of the play. Vocal incidental music, which is included in the classical scores mentioned above, should not be confused with the score of a Broadway or film musical , in which the songs often reveal character and further the storyline. Since the score of a Broadway or film musical is what actually makes the work a musical , it is far more essential to the work than mere incidental music, which nearly always amounts to little more than

2146-401: The death of Arthur Sullivan in 1900, the success of which led to more comic operas , including Merrie England (1902) and Tom Jones (1907). He also wrote the Just So Song Book in 1903 to Rudyard Kipling 's texts and continued to write orchestral music. German wrote little new music of his own after 1912, but he continued to conduct until 1928, the year in which he was knighted. German

2204-473: The depiction of a story-advancing sequence. It may also include pieces such as overtures , music played during scene changes, or at the end of an act , immediately preceding an interlude, as was customary with several nineteenth-century plays. It may also be required in plays that have musicians performing on-stage. The phrase "incidental music" is from the German Inzidenzmusik , which is defined in

2262-633: The early 1880s, Eric Lewis sometimes substituted at the Hall for Corney Grain. Herbert Gardiner wrote A Night in Wales (1885) for the hall with music by Corney Grain. Alfred J. Caldicott wrote a number of pieces for the hall, including A Treasure Trove , A Moss Rose Rent (1883), Old Knockles (1884), In Cupid's Court (1885), The Friar (1886), Tally Ho (1887), Wanted, An Heir and The Boson's Mate (1888), John Smith (1889), The Old Bureau (1891), and An Old Pair (1893). Fanny Holland starred in many of

2320-493: The entertainments, along with Mr. and Mrs. German Reed, their son Alfred, Holland's husband Arthur Law , Corney Grain, Arthur Cecil (all of whom also wrote for the hall) Carlotta Carrington and Leonora Braham , who made her professional stage debut in 1870 at the hall in a revival of Gilbert and Clay 's Ages Ago , which was revived again there in 1874. Except for a brief stint at the Criterion Theatre in 1874 and at

2378-526: The hall, both in 1872. In addition to performances, there were regular lectures in the hall, the Chartist Gerald Massey gave a series of lectures in 1872, on Christianity and Spiritualism . The theist Charles Voysey gave regular Sunday sermons from 1875, after his ejection from the established church. H. G. Wells described a visit to one tedious Sunday lecture in Incidental Thoughts on

Edward German - Misplaced Pages Continue

2436-658: The orchestrations for this band. He also led the town orchestra, did some amateur acting, and sang comic songs in local village halls. At the age of 18, he studied privately with Walter Cecil Hay, the conductor of the Whitchurch choral society and director of music at St Chad's , Shrewsbury . German entered the Royal Academy of Music , 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

2494-418: The performance for which they were written, and occasionally become major successes in their own right. An underscore is a soft soundtrack theme that accompanies the action in a performance. It is usually designed so that spectators are only indirectly aware of its presence. It may help to set or indicate the mood of a scene. A stinger is a very brief instant of music that accompanies a scene transition in

2552-431: The performance. Elements of the theme may be incorporated into other incidental music used during the performance. In films, theme songs are often played during credit rolls . A love theme is a special theme song (often in various modified forms) that accompanies romantic scenes involving the protagonists of a performance. Theme songs are among the works of incidental music that are most commonly released independently of

2610-455: The performances of their works. German died of prostate cancer at his Maida Vale home, aged 74. He was cremated at Golders Green , and his ashes are interred in the Whitchurch cemetery. He left an estate valued at £56,191. 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

2668-595: The radio. German lived, from 1886, in Hall Road, Maida Vale , near Lord's Cricket Ground , London, 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 Elgar . German was injured in a road accident during World War I , but 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

2726-408: The violin and led the town orchestra of Whitchurch, Shropshire . He also began to compose music. While performing and teaching violin at the Royal Academy of Music , 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 the Globe Theatre in London. He provided popular incidental music for many productions at

2784-560: The violin in theatre orchestras, including the Savoy Theatre . He visited Germany in 1886 and 1888–89 and was impressed by its opera, particularly at Bayreuth . His circle of close friends at the Academy included Dora Bright and Ethel Mary Boyce from Chertsey , Surrey. He and Boyce became engaged. She was also a promising composition student and won the Lady Goldsmid scholarship in 1885, the Sterndale Bennett Prize in 1886 and

2842-434: 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 . 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

2900-543: Was a theatre located in Langham Place , off Regent Street in the West End of London . It was built in 1867 and closed in 1966. The hall could accommodate between 800 and 900 persons, or up to 1,500 persons including the galleries. The architect was John Taylor of Whitehall. The hall was known for three decades for its presentation of the German Reed Entertainments alongside other musical works and lectures. After 1895, it

2958-506: Was born German Edward Jones in Whitchurch, Shropshire, the second of five children and the elder 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 (died 1901), a teacher of Bible classes for young women. His first name was an anglicised form of the Welsh name "Garmon." His parents called him Jim. He began to study piano and organ with his father at

SECTION 50

#1732880515378

3016-692: Was built as a concert hall for the New Philharmonic Society and opened on 24 April 1867. Rose Hersee and Madeline Schiller performed at the opening. The Hall could also be used as a theatre, and the first production at "St. George's Theatre" was A Woman's Whim by Walter Stephens on 3 December 1867. Soon afterwards, the theatre was leased by Thomas German Reed , who initially produced and conducted The Contrabandista (a comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and F. C. Burnand ), The Beggar's Opera and other English operas in small-scale productions. In 1874, Reed's wife, Priscilla German Reed , moved

3074-617: Was called Maskelyne and Devant's Mysteries , which was presented in August 1910. The hall was also used as a Bioscope Picture Palace , although with a reduced capacity of 500. The building also was used as the headquarters of the London Academy of Music . The hall was later converted to use as a skating rink. St. George's was finally acquired by Eric Maschwitz for the BBC in 1933 for broadcasts of vaudeville, comedy and revue shows, and opened as

3132-530: Was held in 2006 in German's birth town, Whitchurch, Shropshire. Events included performances by festival patron and cellist, Julian Lloyd Webber and a concert version of German's best-known work, Merrie England . Another festival was held on 23–28 April 2009, sponsored by the Friends of Whitchurch Heritage. This programme included a concert version of Tom Jones (for which a new recording was released by Naxos in 2009) and

3190-482: Was popular separately. It was revived frequently, becoming a light-opera standard in Britain, while several of its songs, including "The English Rose", "O Peaceful England" and "The Yeomen of England", remained popular until the middle of the 20th century. Merrie England has been so frequently chosen by amateur groups in England that it probably has been performed more often than any other British opera or operetta written in

3248-543: Was released by Naxos in 1994, conducted by Andrew Penny. The first complete professional recording of Tom Jones followed in 2009. Dutton Epoch released a selection of German's music, including his Symphony No. 2, in 2007, and a recording of some of his incidental music for plays, together with two marches and a hymn in 2012. The music scholar David Russell Hulme 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,

3306-422: Was the first British conductor invited by Dan Godfrey to conduct his own music at Bournemouth . Beginning in 1916, he was also one of the first composers to conduct his own music for recording, producing full renderings 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

3364-448: Was used for vaudeville , drama, magic shows, as the headquarters of the London Academy of Music , and even as a skating rink. In 1933, it became a BBC broadcasting studio but was shut down after extensive damage from bombing in March 1943 . The theatre was demolished in 1966, and St George's Hotel (now called Treehouse Hotel London ) and Henry Wood House now stand on the site. The hall

#377622