Hamilton Harty
Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty MBE (born December 4, 1879 in Hillsborough , Northern Ireland , † February 19, 1941 in Hove , England ), was an Irish composer , conductor and piano accompanist .
Although best known for his compositions with an often Irish tone, Harty was a respected and admired conductor and was at times considered the best piano accompanist in London .
Hamilton Harty was the son of the organist William Harty and played the viola, piano and organ as a child. Initially following in his father's footsteps, he was employed as a church organist from the age of 12. In 1900 he moved to London to embark on a musical career as a piano accompanist. There he accompanied a number of well-known soloists, including John McCormack , William Henry Squire , Joseph Szigeti , Fritz Kreisler and the soprano Agnes Nicholls , whom he married in 1904.
Harty wrote most of his compositions between 1901 and 1920; a trio composed in 1901 and a piano quintet composed in 1904 received prizes. In the same year the Irish Symphony was written , followed by other works with orchestra, such as the Ode to a Nightingale for soprano and orchestra (1907, premiered by Agnes Nicholls), the violin concerto (1909) and the symphonic poem With the Wild Geese (1910) . After retiring from conducting in 1936, he completed another tone poem, The Children of Lir , in 1938 .
After a short time with the London Symphony Orchestra and elsewhere in England , Harty became permanent conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in 1920 , a position he held until 1933. Under his leadership the Hallé Orchestra became one of the leading orchestras in England. Harty also directed the English premieres of the 9th Symphony by Gustav Mahler and the 1st Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich . In 1925 he became a Knight Bachelor ( "Sir") in the knighthood raised. 1931–1936 tours took him to America, among others, where he conducted for example in Boston , Chicago , Cleveland , Los Angeles , San Francisco and Rochester , but also in Sydney ( Australia ). From 1932 to 1935 Harty was chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1934 he brought the 1st symphony by William Walton to the partial world premiere (movements 1 to 3) with this orchestra , the complete premiere took place in 1935 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra . In 1936 he fell ill with a brain tumor , from which he died in 1941.
Works (selection)
- String Quartet in F major, Op. 1 (1900)
- String Quartet in A minor op.5 (1902)
- To Irish Symphony (1904)
- Piano quintet in F major op.12 (1904)
- A Comedy Overture , for orchestra (1906)
- Ode to a Nightingale , for soprano and orchestra (1907)
- Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor (1909)
- With the Wild Geese , tone poem for orchestra (1910)
- Variations on a Dublin Air (1912)
- The Mystic Trumpeter , cantata for baritone and orchestra after Walt Whitman (1913)
- Concerto for piano and orchestra in B minor (1922)
- In Ireland , for flute, harp and orchestra (1935), based on the version for flute and piano (1918)
- A John Field Suite , arrangement of piano pieces by John Fields (1939)
- The Children of Lir , tone poem for orchestra (1938)
- Five Irish songs
- Fantasy Scenes , for orchestra
literature
- Michael Kennedy: Harty, Sir (Herbert) Hamilton. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harty, Hamilton |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Harty, Herbert Hamilton (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish composer, conductor and piano accompanist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th December 1879 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hillsborough , Northern Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 19, 1941 |
| Place of death | Hove , England |