Oliver King

Oliver Arthur King (1855, Islington, London - 23 August 1923, Hammersmith, London) was a British composer, pianist, organist and conductor.

Oliver King started learning piano at 6-years old, he was noticed by Joseph Barnby for his talent, and made King a choirboy in the St. Andrew's Church which he excelled in the role. He learned the organ and became a deputy organ and assistant to Joseph Barnby until 1874 when he moved to Leipzig University to study. After Leipzig, King moved back to London as a skilled pianist and was appointed the pianist to Princess Louise in 1879. During her trip to Ottawa, King played in several performances, touring across Canada and America as a pianist and composer.

After his stay in North America from 1879 to 1883, King moved back to London, with his reputation of being the pianist to Her Royal Highness Princess Louise, he became the organist of the Novello Oratarios and a popular composer of chants and anthems. He wrote a concert-overture "Among the Pines" which won a prize from the Royal Philharmonic Society. His popularity was only in England and he wasn't able to achieve much fame in the rest of Europe. His performance activity died down, although a professor of piano in the Royal Academy of Music, his main musical activities lessened especially after the beginning of the 20th-century, and King died at the age of 68 in Hammersmith.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1855 (London), Died October 23, 1923 (London)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1909 - 1926

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

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

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 30239 12-in. ca. Jan.-Aug. 1909 Israfel Albert Edmund Brown Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Brunswick C532-C533 10-in. 7/23/1926 Tack Annie Dixie Syncopators ; King Oliver Jazz/dance band composer  
Edison 5243 10-in. 12/28/1916 Israfel Arthur Blight Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Edison 6810 10-in. 5/28/1919 Israfel Thomas Chalmers Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "King, Oliver," accessed April 17, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112189.

King, Oliver. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112189.

"King, Oliver." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 17 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112189

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