Dorothy Howell
Dorothy Gertrude Howell (born February 25, 1898 in Birmingham , † January 12, 1982 in Malvern , Worcestershire ) was an English composer and pianist .
life and work
Dorothy Howell grew up in a musical family and was accepted at the age of fifteen at the Royal Academy of Music in London , where she studied composition with John Blackwood McEwen and piano with Percy Waller and Tobias Matthay . In 1919, her symphonic poem Lamia , which was premiered in the Queen's Hall as part of Henry Wood 's Promenade Concertos, attracted attention. It was included four more times in the same season and Howell was nicknamed "English Strauss " in the press because of the colorful orchestral setting. entered. In 1921 she received the Cobbett Prize for Phantasy for violin and piano. The ballet Koong Shee (1921) is one of the most important compositions of these years .
Dorothy Howell also appeared as a pianist, not least in the premiere of her own piano concerto in D minor in 1923; many of her works are dedicated to the piano. In 1928 the overture The Rock was written , inspired by a trip to Gibraltar . The planned premiere of her divertissements as part of the Proms in 1940 fell victim to the bombardment of the Queen's Hall and could only be rescheduled 10 years later. The later, often sacred works prefer small ensembles (piano, vocals, chamber ensemble).
From 1924 to 1970 Howell held a professorship in harmony and counterpoint at the Royal Academy. In 1962 the textbook Keyboard Work for Harmony Students was printed. In 1971 she was elected a member of the Royal Philharmonic Society .
Individual proof
literature
- Celia Mike: Howell, Dorothy. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- Vincent James Byrne: The life and works of Dorothy Howell . Thesis, Univ. of Birmingham, 2015
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Howell, Dorothy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Howell, Dorothy Gertrude |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English composer and pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 25, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Birmingham |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 12, 1982 |
| Place of death | Malvern , Worcestershire |