Henry Ernest Geehl

Henry Ernest Geehl [pronounced 'Gale'] (28 September 1881 – 14 January 1961) was an English pianist, conductor, composer and arranger.

Born in London in 1881, Geehl studied piano with Benno Schönberger and R. O. Morgan in London, and with Anton Schlieber in Vienna. He toured as a pianist and theatre conductor, and in 1919 joined the Trinity College of Music as a teacher, where he remained on staff as a teacher until a year before his death. His students included Pete Moore, Eric Parkin, William Lovelock and Nicholas Temperley. He also became music editor for the Edwin Ashdown and Enoch publishing firm. In later life he lived at Coleshill, near Beaconsfield, Bucks, where he gave private lessons in piano, violin, and composition.

Henry Geehl had an affinity with music written for brass bands. He arranged Gustav Holst's A Moorside Suite for brass band, made many other arrangements and transcriptions, and was the first composer to write serious symphonic music directly for brass band. His Scena Sinfonica, in the style of an operatic selection, has been used as a test piece for brass bands. He made claims to have scored Edward Elgar's The Severn Suite for brass band from the composer's rough sketches, but Geehl's account of his involvement with Elgar has now been exposed as a self-serving fantasy.

His other works include a symphony, concertos for piano and violin, Suite espagnole, Comedy Overture, In Fairyland, On the Cornish Coast, Rhapsody for band, Prince Charlie – 1745, piano pieces and songs.

His song "For You Alone" ("Für dich allein"; words by P. J. O'Reilly) achieved great popularity, being recorded by Enrico Caruso, Lauritz Melchior, Jussi Björling and Mario Lanza, among others. (It has been claimed that "For You Alone" was the only song ever sung in English by Caruso but that is contradicted by other evidence, such as his recording of George M. Cohan's "Over There", and his HMV recording - in heavily accented English - of Arthur Sullivan's "The Lost Chord".).

Henry Geehl also wrote some film scores, including the original music for The Magic Bow (1946) and for Jassy (1947).

An arrangement by Geehl of Johann Strauss II's The Blue Danube was recorded by Richard Tauber and Florence Foster Jenkins. He also arranged Edward Elgar's Idylle, Op. 4, Adieu and Serenade for orchestra; Charles Williams's The Dream of Olwen for three voices; George H. Clutsam's Ma Curly Headed Babby; My Heart and I and other songs from Richard Tauber's Old Chelsea; May Brahe's To a Miniature and I Passed by your Window; Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto, selections from Delibes' Sylvia, and César Franck's Symphonic Variations.

He conducted Oscar Natzka's recording of "O Isis and Osiris" from Mozart's The Magic Flute, and Handel's "The song of Hybrias the Cretan" and "Honour and Arms" (from Samson). Between 1939 and 1946 he conducted the orchestra for more than 90 recordings by Richard Tauber, made at the Abbey Road Studios in London. [Ref: Hansfried Sieben, Richard Tauber Discography, Wiesbaden, 1986]

Henry Geehl was reputed to be a "prickly individual". Nicholas Temperley, who was taught by him from age 8 to 13, found him a genial teacher who told many interesting stories about musicians he had known, but was inclined to brag about his achievements and relations with famous musicians of the day. He died in 1961, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

Birth and Death Data: Born September 28, 1881, Died January 14, 1961

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1910 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, arranger

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 37 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-9744 10-in. 12/28/1910 For you alone Enrico Caruso Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-29615 10-in. 3/3/1924 For you alone Richard Crooks Tenor vocal solo, with violin and orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-29615 10-in. 1/10/1930 For you alone Richard Crooks Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-41435 10-in. 12/29/1927 Kun for dig Erling Krogh Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-41777 10-in. 3/8/1928 Bim-bims Victor Orchestra Orchestra arranger  
Victor BVE-51912 10-in. 4/24/1929 An English tune Motion Picture Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-64009 10-in. 9/9/1930 For you alone Kirk Taylor Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor BS-74637 10-in. 12/5/1932 For you alone Cavadias Popular Orchestra ; Dennis Karelis Tenor vocal solo, with instrumental trio composer  
Victor [Trial 1914-12-18-01] Not documented 12/18/1914 For you alone Mr. C. W. Troxwell Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1916-05-04-04] Not documented 5/4/1916 For you alone Dr. S. H. Lipschultz Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1917-01-18-03] Not documented 1/18/1917 Bonnie sweet Bessie Julia Robinson Female vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1917-02-09-03] Not documented 2/9/1917 I know of two eyes Siegfried Philip Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1917-08-06-03] Not documented 8/6/1917 For you alone Justin D. Lawry Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1919-05-29-02] Not documented 5/29/1919 I'll sing thee songs of Araby Walter Pontius Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1921-11-21-06] 10-in. 11/21/1921 For you alone Walter Pecock Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1926-03-18-02] 10-in. 3/18/1926 For you alone F. Willard Cornman, Jr. Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1926-08-21-01] 10-in. 8/21/1926 For you alone Howard Melaney Male vocal solo composer  
Columbia 19987 10-in. 6/21/1912 For you alone Henri La Bonte Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 38384 10-in. 10/29/1912 For you alone Orville Harrold Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 46069 10-in. 9/30/1915 For you alone Beecher C. Burton Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 46792 10-in. 5/19/1916 For you alone Frederick Kennedy Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia W142249 10-in. 5/25/1926 For you alone Arthur Hackett Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 6217 12-in. approximately 1911 For you alone Morgan Kingston Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 6328 12-in. approximately 1913 Lily of my heart Morgan Kingston Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 74338 12-in. approximately 1921 For you alone Giuseppe Lenghi-Cellini Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
(Results 1-25 of 37 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Geehl, Henry Ernest," accessed March 29, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106334.

Geehl, Henry Ernest. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106334.

"Geehl, Henry Ernest." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106334

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