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Edward German

Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of English comic opera. Some of his light operas, especially Merrie England, are still performed.

As a youth, German played the violin and led the town orchestra of Whitchurch, Shropshire. He also began to compose music. While performing and teaching violin at the Royal Academy of Music, German began to build a career as a composer in the mid-1880s, writing serious music as well as light opera. In 1888, he became music director of the Globe Theatre in London. He provided popular incidental music for many productions at the Globe and other London theatres, including Richard III (1889), Henry VIII (1892) and Nell Gwynn (1900). He also wrote symphonies, orchestral suites, symphonic poems and other works. He also wrote a considerable body of songs, piano music, and symphonic suites and other concert music, of which his Welsh Rhapsody (1904) is perhaps best known.

German was engaged to finish The Emerald Isle after the death of Arthur Sullivan in 1900, the success of which led to more comic operas, including Merrie England (1902) and Tom Jones (1907). He also wrote the Just So Song Book in 1903 to Rudyard Kipling's texts and continued to write orchestral music. German wrote little new music of his own after 1912, but he continued to conduct until 1928, the year in which he was knighted.

Birth and Death Data: Born February 17, 1862 (Whitchurch), Died November 11, 1936 (London)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1901 - 1929

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 81 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-18066 10-in. 7/6/1916 Merrymakers' dance Conway's Band Band composer  
Victor B-18937 10-in. 12/27/1916 Roses in June Alma Gluck Soprano vocal solo, with violin and orchestra composer  
Victor B-21080 10-in. 11/13/1917 Have you news of my boy Jack? Elizabeth Spencer Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-27588 10-in. 3/2/1923 Rolling down to Rio Royal Dadmun Male vocal solo, with piano and orchestra composer  
Victor C-31138 12-in. 11/3/1924 Country dance no. 1 Rudolph Ganz ; St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor CVE-31138 12-in. 12/4/1925 Country dance no. 1 Rudolph Ganz ; St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor C-31139 12-in. 11/3/1924 Pastorale dance no. 2 Rudolph Ganz ; St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor CVE-31139 12-in. 12/5/1925 Pastoral dance no. 2 Rudolph Ganz ; St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-39606 10-in. 6/28/1927 Rolling down to Rio H. C. Miller Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor BVE-49475 10-in. 7/25/1929 Henry VIII : Shepherd's dance Bruno Reibold ; Victor Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-53689 10-in. 5/28/1929 My hour William H. Flood Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 1599 7-in. ca. 1903-Oct. 1905 A princess of Kensington : Selection Columbia Band Band composer  
Columbia 1599 10-in. ca. 1903 A princess of Kensington : Selection Columbia Band Band composer  
Columbia 4365 10-in. Jan.-May 1910 Rolling down to Rio George Clarence Jell Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 19833 10-in. 3/22/1912 Nell Gwinn suite : Country dance Prince's Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Columbia 39788 10-in. 1/21/1915 The drummer boy Reed Miller Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 39801 10-in. 1/28/1915 The drummer boy Albert Wiederhold Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 49039 12-in. 12/22/1916 Roses in June Carolina White Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia W141380 10-in. 12/10/1925 Pastoral dance Jacques Jacobs Ensemble Instrumental ensemble composer  
Columbia W141381 10-in. 12/10/1925 Merrymakers' dance Jacques Jacobs Ensemble Instrumental ensemble composer  
Columbia W148689 10-in. 6/12/1929 Rolling down to Rio Arthur Bergh ; Fraser Gange Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 6009 12-in. approximately 1908 Which is my own true self Ruth Vincent Soprano vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 6057 12-in. approximately 1909 or 1910 Four jolly sailormen Robert Howe Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 6315 12-in. approximately 1913 King Neptune Walter Passmore Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 6575 12-in. approximately 1915 The yeoman of England Kennerley Rumford Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
(Results 26-50 of 81 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "German, Edward," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102993.

German, Edward. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102993.

"German, Edward." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102993

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