Frederic Hymen Cowen

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Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen (born January 29, 1852 in Kingston (Jamaica) , † October 6, 1935 in London ) was an English composer , pianist and conductor .

Life

Cowen was the fifth and last child of Frederick Augustus Cohen and Emily, b. Davis, born. In 1856 the family moved to England, where his father became treasurer at Her Majesty's Theater . In 1858 a six-year-old waltz was printed. The operetta Garibaldi followed in 1860 ; in the same year Julius Benedict and John Goss became his teachers for piano and composition, respectively. In 1863 he appeared as a pianist in Her Majesty's Theater. In 1865 he was able to premiere his piano trio in A major ; the violin part was taken over by Joseph Joachim , who became aware of the early maturity .

From the fall of 1865, Cowen continued his studies in Germany on the advice of his teachers. He had to refuse the Mendelssohn scholarship awarded to him at the request of his parents, but was able to take lessons in Leipzig as an extraordinary student . His teachers were among others Moritz Hauptmann (harmony and counterpoint), Ignaz Moscheles (piano) and Carl Reinecke (composition).

In 1866 Cowen's Overture in D minor was premiered in London. After studying in Berlin, among others with Friedrich Kiel and Carl Tausig , Cowen returned to London, where his 1st Symphony and the Piano Concerto in A minor were premiered in 1869

In the next few years Cowen was able to successfully perform several choral and instrumental works as well as operas, where he increasingly distinguished himself as a conductor. In 1888 he succeeded Arthur Sullivan as conductor of the Philharmonic Society of London . In the same year he traveled to Australia and performed his oratorio Song of Thanksgiving there. In 1896 Cowen took over the management of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society and the Hallé Orchestra , succeeding Charles Hallé . Subsequently he conducted, for example, the Bradford Permanent Orchestra , the Scottish Orchestra (now the Royal Scottish National Orchestra ) and several times the Handel Festival in the Crystal Palace .

Cowen received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh in 1900 and 1910 respectively , and in 1911 he was knighted. In 1908 he married Frederica Gwendoline Richardson († 1971), 30 years his junior; the marriage remained childless. Cowen spent the last years of his life in seclusion; he was buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Golders Green .

Works

Cowen composed several operas, incidental music and numerous choral works. His orchestral works include 6 symphonies (Cowen viewed himself primarily as a symphonic composer; No. 3 in C minor, "Scandinavian", from 1880 is considered his most important contribution to the genre) as well as overtures, suites and other shorter pieces. Cowen's music shows craftsmanship and is partly influenced by Wagner (harmonics), but was also subject to critical judgment as epigonal and uninspired. Today his work is largely forgotten.

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Cowen, Frederic Hymen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cowen, Sir Frederic Hymen (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English composer, pianist and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH January 29, 1852
PLACE OF BIRTH Kingston (Jamaica)
DATE OF DEATH October 6, 1935
Place of death London