Julius Benedict | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1804-11-27)27 November 1804 |
| Died | 5 June 1885(1885-06-05) (aged 80) |
| Occupation | composer |
Sir Julius Benedict (27 November 1804 – 5 June 1885) was a German-born composer andconductor, resident in England for most of his career.
_-_Archivio_Storico_Ricordi_ICON010454.jpg)
Benedict was born inStuttgart, the son of a Jewish banker, and in 1820 learnt composition fromJohann Nepomuk Hummel atWeimar and in 1821 fromCarl Maria von Weber atDresden; it was Weber who introduced him inVienna toBeethoven on 5 October 1823. In the same year, he was appointedKapellmeister of the Kärnthnerthor theatre at Vienna, and two years later in 1825, he became Kapellmeister of the San Carlo theatre atNaples.[1] It was here he gave piano lessons to the young prodigyTheodor Döhler.
In Naples his first opera,Giacinta ed Ernesto, premiered in 1827, and another, written for his native city,I Portoghesi inGoa, was given there in 1830; neither of these was a great success, and in 1834 he went to Paris, leaving it in 1835 at the suggestion ofMaria Malibran for London, where he spent the remainder of his life. In 1836 he was given the conductorship of an operatic enterprise at theLyceum Theatre, and brought out a short opera,Un anno ed un giorno, previously given in Naples.[1]
In 1838 he became conductor of the English opera atTheatre Royal, Drury Lane during the period ofMichael William Balfe's great popularity; his own operas produced there wereThe Gipsy's Warning (1838),The Brides of Venice (1844), andThe Crusaders (1846). In 1848 he conductedFelix Mendelssohn'sElijah atExeter Hall, for the first appearance ofJenny Lind inoratorio, and in 1850 he was the accompanist and conductor onLind's tour of America.[1]
On his return in 1852 he became musical conductor underJames Henry Mapleson's management atHer Majesty's Theatre (and afterwards at Drury Lane), and in the same year conductor of the Harmonic Union. Amongst his minor works is anAndantino forConcertina andFortepiano written in 1858. Benedict wrote recitatives for the production of an Italian-language version of Weber'sOberon in 1860 (it was then the tradition in England to perform German operas in Italian). In the same year hiscantataUndine was produced at theNorwich Festival, in whichClara Novello appeared in public for the last time.[1]
His best-known opera,The Lily of Killarney, written on the subject ofDion Boucicault's playThe Colleen Bawn to alibretto byJohn Oxenford, was produced atCovent Garden in 1862. HisoperettaThe Bride of Song was brought out there in 1864.[1]
Benedict wrote a march for the wedding ofAlbert Edward,Prince of Wales andAlexandra of Denmark in 1863.[citation needed]St Cecilia, an oratorio, was performed at the Norwich Festival in 1868;St Peter at theBirmingham Festival of 1870;Graziella, acantata, was given at the Birmingham Festival of 1882, and in August 1883 was produced in operatic form atthe Crystal Palace. Here also asymphony by him was given in 1873.[2] In the autumn of 1875, Benedict corresponded withW. S. Gilbert about collaborating on a comic opera with him, but Gilbert had too many projects and the idea was dropped.[3]
.jpg)
Benedict conducted every Norwich Festival from 1845 to 1878 inclusive, and theLiverpool Philharmonic Society's concerts from late 1875 to 1880. He was the regular accompanist at theMonday Popular Concerts in London from their start, and with few exceptions acted as conductor of these concerts.[4]
He contributed an interesting life of Weber to the series of biographies ofGreat Musicians.[5][6] In 1871 he wasknighted, and in 1874 was made knight commander of the orders ofFranz Joseph I of Austria andFrederick I of Württemberg.[4] In 1884, friends set up a benefit fund to aid him financially.[7] He died at his residence in London on 5 June 1885 and was buried inKensal Green Cemetery.[8]
Benedict had three daughters (Adeline, Georgina and Alice) and two sons (Ernest and Julius) with his first wife, Therese. Therese and his younger son Julius died within a year of each other, between 1851 and 1852. At some point in his life, Benedict converted to Christianity; his children's education includedRoman Catholic sacraments.[9] ALondon County Councilblue plaque commemorates Benedict at 2Manchester Square, Marylebone, where he lived and died.[10]
Cantata - 78 giri HMV 1927 "La zingara e l'uccello - Amelita Galli Curci
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Benedict, Sir Julius".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 720–721.| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
