Dorothy Howell (composer) facts for kids

Dorothy Gertrude Howell (born February 25, 1898 – died January 12, 1982) was a talented English composer and pianist. She became famous for her music and was even called the "English Strauss" during her lifetime.

Her Early Life and Studies

Dorothy Howell was born in Birmingham, England. She grew up in Handsworth and went to a convent school. She started learning about composing music from Granville Bantock through private lessons. When she was 15, she began studying at the Royal Academy of Music. Her teachers there included John Blackwood McEwen and Tobias Matthay.

Becoming a Famous Composer

Dorothy Howell became well-known because of her symphonic poem called Lamia. A symphonic poem is a piece of orchestral music that tells a story or describes something. Lamia was inspired by a poem by John Keats.

The famous conductor Sir Henry Wood first performed Lamia at The Proms on September 10, 1919. The Proms is a very popular series of classical music concerts in London. Sir Henry Wood liked Lamia so much that he conducted it again just a few days later. He performed it many more times in the years that followed, including in 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1930, and 1940.

Dorothy Howell dedicated Lamia to Sir Henry Wood when it was published in 1921. After 1940, Lamia wasn't played much for a long time. But it was brought back to The Proms in 2010 and again in 2019 for its 100th birthday!

Sir Henry Wood also conducted other pieces by Dorothy Howell. These included Koong Shee in 1921 and her Piano Concerto in 1923 and 1927. Dorothy Howell herself played the piano for these concerto performances. He also conducted The Rock in 1928.

Another of her works, Three Divertissements, was supposed to be performed in 1940. However, the concert was cancelled because of The Blitz, which was a time of heavy bombing during World War II. This piece finally had its first performance in 1950 at the Elgar Festival in Malvern.

Awards and Teaching

In 1921, Dorothy Howell won the Cobbett Prize for her Phantasy for violin and piano. A phantasy is a type of musical composition that doesn't follow a strict form.

Because of her amazing music, people started calling her the "English Strauss." This was a big compliment, comparing her to the famous German composer Richard Strauss.

Sir Henry Wood even tried to get her to join his conducting class in 1923. But instead, Dorothy Howell became a teacher at the Royal Academy of Music in 1924. During World War II, she helped out by working with the Women's Land Army. This group of women worked on farms to help produce food for the country.

Later, she taught at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire from 1950 to 1957. She retired from the Royal Academy of Music in 1970 but continued to teach music to students privately. She passed away in Malvern when she was 83 years old.

Her Legacy

Dorothy Howell took care of the grave of another famous composer, Sir Edward Elgar, for many years. She is also buried near him. Her music has been recorded and released by different music labels.

In 2008, the Cameo Classics label recorded Lamia. This was the first modern recording of her orchestral music. In 2010, they also recorded her Piano Concerto. Valentina Seferinova was the pianist for this recording.

More recently, in 2019, Rumon Gamba conducted the BBC Philharmonic orchestra. They recorded Lamia and other British tone poems for Chandos Records. This shows that Dorothy Howell's music is still being discovered and enjoyed today.

Selected Works

See also

In Spanish: Dorothy Howell para niños