FIVE FAMOUS BRITISH COMPOSERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 63

FIVE FAMOUS BRITISH COMPOSERS.

MEN WHO MAKE OUR NATIVE

Sir Arthur SalHvan's compositions tak'a almost every form — including oner:, oratorio, symphony, and songs. When a A*ery young man he sought the position as organIst for Covent Garden opera, that he might thereby the better acquaint himself Avith the technique of stage art. The royalties on his songs and operas have probably never been equalled ; Avhile his long collaboration with Mr W. S. Gilbert is unique in musical history. Sir Arthur Sullivan is unmarried. He takes not a little interest in the " sport of kings,"' and has been known to OAvn and run a racehorse.

: Edinburgh has the honour of giving to us the talented musician avlio guidCs so Avell -the destinies of the Royal Academy of Music. Connected with the Theatre Koyai-oJ- ! the uoi them capital was one Alexander ! Mackenzie. The son bora to him in 1847 Aval destined to become one day Principal of Britain's chief musical academy. Sir A. C. Mackenzie comes from a musical stock, for both his father and grandfather vrpru A'iolinsts of repute. Like so many famous musicians, Sir Alexander Mackenzie gathered his first musical knowledge from homo training- — his fathei instructing him : and at 10 years of age In went to Germany to study ur.der Ulrich E. Stein. "violin playing Avas his forte, Avhich enabled the young musician to obtain a four years' engagement in the Sclrwarzburg Sonderhausen orchestra. For several veara the study of this instrument was continued under Sainton and Charles Lucas. AfterAvards he settled in Italy. Noav avc think chiefly of Sir Alexander Mackenzie as a composer, conductor, and j Principal of the famous Tenterden street School. He conducts the Philharmonic i Society's . Concerts — London's leading or- ! (hcstral society. Ar, a composer lie has given the Avorld "Ths Rose of Sharon "- oratorio ;- the operas "Colomln ".and " The/Troubadour" : much I sup&iior iusirumenla! music, -Including the Heotlish ihapsodies and the incidental music to ''The; Littl?. Minister" play. . Sir Alexander Mackenzie, who became Principal of the Royal Academy of Music in 1888; was knighted in 1895. When S*r G'cofge Grpve/the criminal Director of the Royal College- of -Music. South Kensington, vacated 'the 'post in 1894, it AV.ts undej token by

(then Dr Parry, he having been knighted in 1893). * ,

MUSIC. No more familiar and deservedly popular name than

has ever glared the annals of English musical history. If the " frivolous, " age hail its Purcell, "the Victorian era can ell lay claim to a musical compeer in this gifted son of Thomas Sullivan-— at one time professor at Kneller Hall, Avhere our army musicians are trained.

This famous native musician enjoys the distinction of being the first Mendelssohn Scholar — the highest honour Aye have to hold out to talented musical students. He began life, as several other prominent musicians haA'o done, as a Chapel Royal choristci, from Avhich time to the present bis caleer has been one long story of success. While composition lias always been Sir Arthur Sullivan's chief forte, he has made his mark not only as a conductor, but also as an organist, and it is Avithin the recollection of many that he, some years ago, Avas the regular organist at a fashionable West-end church.

»— ■'■ ' "" '" '"" ' Bournemouth can lay claim to being the birthplace of this distinguished musician, for he was born there not longer ago than 1848. Eton has turned out very few famous musicians, for the reason that it is extremely rare that any of her sons a£«pt music as a profession. But our subject was an Eton boy, from Avhich school he went to Oxford. Pie is mairicd, his Avife being sister of the fourteenth Earl of Pembroke. Sir Hubert Parry is a musician whom we can claim as of essentially English groAvih. 'At Eton, for instance, he became a pupil of Sir George Eivey, who Avas organist of St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Later, he jstvdied under both Sir W. Sterndale Bennett and Sir George A. Macfarren. Perhaps it is in the domain of oratorio and cantata- that he most excels, " Job " and "King Saul" being tAvo oratorios which have "speedily become favourites with the Royal Albert Hall and other audiences. PeAV tasks are more difficult than' Lo write clearly and successfully upon music; but here 'Sir Hubert Parry has attained distinction with his "Art of Music," and other works. He is a Mus. Doc, M.A., D.C.L., md a J.P. !N T o section of Great Biitain has given us better musicians than has Ireland, and among the most distinguished oi these has to be ranked

tlia present Professor of Music in the University of Cambridge. This, boAvever, is nrc the only public post of importance ■which 'Dr Stanford occupies, since he is also the Professor of Composition and Orchestral Playing at the Royal College of Music at Kensington Gore. His native place is Dublin, where he Avas born in 1852. Though essentially an English musician, he owes much to the tecching which he received in Germany. There he sti'djed under Reinecke in Leipzig and Kiel in Berlin. Dr Villiers Stanford is one of the very few English musiciaras who have stormed Euccessfullv the musical strongholds of Germany. " Hanover and Berlin have both opened their concert room doors to our talented countryman. » As a conductor Dr Stanford stands out particularly, or he would not Avield the baton for such societies as the Bach choir, fch 1 * Leeds Philharmonic Society, and the Cambridge University Musical Society. The orchestral compositions from ,he Professor's pen are* of a singularly high order, and comprise seA'eral symphonies and quartets. His opera " Shamus O'Brien " lia.l a long run in London in 1896. Thoueh^bum at Kingston, in Jamaica,

is of English parents. He was, it may be said, a born composer, for as early as five years of "age he began to scribble music. This developed, and was encouraged by that veteran musician, Mr Henry Russell, of "Cheer boys, cheer" fame, v. ho, with characteristic goodness, used to help the younger musician by noting down his youthful inspirations. His first opera, . " Garibaldi," a drawing rSom piece, dates as far back as 1860, when he was eight years Did.

Mr Cowen was a pupil of Sir Julius Benedict and Sir John Goss, but he i.s indebted to much Continental tuition. He has us excellent examples of oratorios, cantatas, symphonies, dramatic music, and jsongs. His work is always of a high order, and some idea of the &ale and value of Mr Cowen's songs may be formed from Ihe fnet that at a lecent sale of ivmsical copyrights five of his songs fetched fifteen hundred pounds !-

As a conductor, Mr Cowen takes deservedly high rank. He was paid no less than BOOOgs for conducting the Victoria Exhibition Concerts in 1888, while his recent work in this direction has been greatly ax>precj;ited.

Mr Cowen, while a firST-rate judge of old china, is an enthusiastic collector of first editions. He also enjoys cycling, rowing, and mountaineering.