Arthur Hervey facts for kids

Arthur Hervey (born January 26, 1855 – died March 10, 1922) was an Irish composer and music critic. He was also a top expert in French music.

Life Story

Arthur Hervey was born in Paris, France. Even though he was born there, his family was Irish. His father, Charles J.V. Hervey, owned Killiane Castle in County Wexford, Ireland. Arthur went to school at the Oratory in Birmingham. He studied music in London with Berthold Tours and Edouard Marlois. Both of his teachers were organists and composers with French backgrounds.

Hervey also worked as a music critic. He wrote about music for magazines and newspapers. He worked for Vanity Fair from 1889 to 1892. Then, he wrote for The Morning Post from 1892 to 1908. Arthur Hervey passed away in London.

His Music

Arthur Hervey wrote many different kinds of music. This included operas and music for orchestras. Some of his bigger musical pieces were played at important music festivals in Britain. These festivals took place in cities like Cardiff, Norwich, and Brighton. You can hear a French style in some of his early chamber music.

His wife, Clare, sometimes wrote the words for his songs. She also wrote the story for his second opera, Ilona, which came out in 1914. People who wrote about his music said it was "always marked by melodiousness." This means his music always had beautiful, clear tunes. They also said it was "straightforward" and "polished."

Since 1959, the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London has given out a special award. It's called the Arthur Hervey Prize. This prize is a scholarship for a talented young composer. Arthur Hervey's step-daughter, Nancy Webster, started this award to remember him. You can also see a carved marble portrait of Hervey at the RAM's museum.

His Writings

Even though Arthur Hervey wrote a lot of music, he was mostly known for his writings. He wrote books and articles about other composers. Many of his writings were about French composers. He wrote about people like Saint-Saëns and Bruneau. He was seen as a leading expert on French music.

He had very open-minded views for his time. However, he didn't like "impressionist" music very much. He especially didn't like Debussy's music. He thought it was "decadent," which means he felt it was not as good or proper.

Selected Compositions

Opera

• The Fairy's Post-box, a short opera (1885)
• Ilona, a short opera (1914)

Vocal Music

• Sechs Liebeslieder (1883)
• Herzens-Stimmen (1884)
• 12 Songs of Heine (around 1895)
• The Gates of Night for a baritone singer and orchestra (1901)
• Many other individual songs like Love of my Life and May Song.

Orchestral Music

• Love and Fate, a dramatic overture (1890)
• Two Tone Pictures (1902)
• Youth, a concert overture (1902)
• In the East, a symphonic poem (1904)
• Life Moods, symphonic variations (1910)

Piano Music

• Dans ma nacelle (1875)
• Eglantine (1875)
• Paquita (1875)
• Six Album Leaves (1888)
• A basso porto (1900)

Chamber Music

• Réverie for violin, flute, or cello with piano (1882)
• Cantilène for cello and piano (1895)
• Légende espagnole for cello and piano (1895)
• Berceuse for violin and piano (1900)

Selected Writings

• Masters of French Music (1894)
• French Music in the XIXth Century (1903)
• Alfred Bruneau (1907)
• Franz Liszt and his Music (1911)
• The Life of Rubinstein (1913)
• Saint-Saëns (1921)