Frederick Keel facts for kids

James Frederick Keel (born May 8, 1871 – died August 9, 1954) was an English composer, singer, and teacher. He was known for his beautiful "art songs," which are like short classical songs. Keel had a deep, low singing voice (a baritone) and performed often. He also taught singing at the Royal Academy of Music.

Keel loved English songs and their history. He helped bring back old English songs from the Elizabethan and Jacobean times by making new musical versions of them. He was also very involved in the English folksong movement, which collected and preserved traditional songs. During World War I, Keel was held in a camp in Germany called Ruhleben. There, he used his musical talents to cheer up other prisoners by giving many concerts.

Keel was special because he was one of the few people at the time who both sang and wrote English art songs. One of his most famous works is a song called "Trade Winds," based on a poem by John Masefield. This song became so popular that some people thought it was the only song he ever wrote!

About James Frederick Keel

His Early Life and Music Training

James Frederick Keel was born in London on May 8, 1871. He was the oldest son of James Frederick and Mary Anne Keel. He went to school at Wells Cathedral School. After teaching at a few smaller schools, he decided to study music seriously.

In 1895, Keel joined the Royal Academy of Music (RAM). He learned how to sing from teachers like Frederick King and Frederick Walker. He also studied how to compose music with Frederick Corder. To become an even better singer, Keel traveled to Milan, Italy, in 1896. The next year, he went to Munich, Germany, to finish his studies.

Keel first performed in London in 1898 at the Queen's Hall. People really liked his pleasant baritone voice and his singing style. He became a very popular singer before World War I began.

His Love for Folk Songs

While studying in Munich, Keel became very interested in folk music. This interest grew even more when he returned to England. There, he met other people who loved folk music, like Lucy Broadwood and Cecil Sharp.

Keel joined the Folk Song Society in 1905. He later became its Honorary Secretary from 1911 to 1919. He also helped edit the society's journal, especially when Lucy Broadwood was busy. In 1948, Keel wrote a short history of the society, explaining how it started in 1898.

As a singer, Keel knew many folk songs and often sang them in his concerts. He also helped collect some folk songs himself. He wrote down a few London street cries (songs sung by street vendors) and some folk songs from Surrey, England, in 1913. He also helped edit collections of songs that others had written down.

Bringing Back Old English Songs

Keel was interested in old music not just for history, but also for art. He discovered old poems from the Elizabethan era (when Queen Elizabeth I ruled) and the Jacobean era (when King James I ruled). He loved these poems and decided to set them to music.

In 1909 and 1913, Keel published two collections called Elizabethan love songs. These were his own musical versions of old songs, often originally played on a lute (an old string instrument). Keel arranged them for piano and voice. He used songs by famous composers like John Dowland and Thomas Campion.

Some people criticized Keel for changing the old songs and using the piano instead of the original instruments. However, his new versions helped make this old music popular again. Many people heard these songs for the first time thanks to Keel. Seven of his arrangements were even used in a musical play called Nymphs and Shepherds in 1930.

Keel also wrote an essay called Music in the Time of Queen Elizabeth. In this booklet, he explained the music, literature, and society of Queen Elizabeth's time. He focused on the songs and dances of that period. This booklet was printed in 1914 for a special club of book lovers called the "Sette of Odd Volumes." Keel later became the president of this club.

Life as a Prisoner During World War I

When World War I started, Keel and his family were on vacation in Germany. Keel was arrested and sent to a civilian prison camp called Ruhleben internment camp near Berlin. Many other musicians were also held there, including his friend and fellow composer Benjamin Dale.

Keel and Dale wrote a letter to the head of the Royal Academy of Music, listing 42 musicians in the camp. They described the musical activities happening there, including music lessons for the prisoners. In 1915, Keel was chosen to lead the Ruhleben Music Society, which organized all the music in the camp.

Keel was known as the most popular singer in the camp. He performed many different songs, including his own, at numerous concerts. These concerts helped keep up the spirits of the prisoners. Keel was finally released in March 1918. He later wrote a book about his time there called Life in Ruhleben, 1914–1918. It described how the prisoners, who were first crammed into dirty stables, managed to create their own "University" with classes and activities. While in the camp, Keel set two poems to music: 'In Prison' by William Morris and 'Tomorrow' by John Masefield.

His Later Songs

After his time in Ruhleben, Keel stopped giving public concerts. However, he continued to teach singing at the Royal Academy of Music until he retired in 1939.

In 1919, Keel published his musical versions of Three Salt-Water Ballads by John Masefield. This collection included the very popular song "Trade Winds." Keel also wrote songs for poems by other famous British poets, such as Shakespeare, de la Mare, Hardy, and Tennyson.

His Family Life

In 1902, Keel married Dora Compton. Her father was Edward Theodore Compton, a famous landscape painter and mountain climber. James and Dora Keel had a son and two daughters. They lived in a place called Fridland, near Bethersden in Kent. James Frederick Keel passed away on August 9, 1954, at the age of 83.

His Music Style and Fame

James Frederick Keel was unique because he was one of the few people who both sang and wrote art songs during his time. However, he didn't compose a huge number of original works. Because "Trade Winds" was so incredibly popular, some people thought he was a "one-song composer."

Still, his other Salt-Water Ballads songs were also very well-liked. One critic even called them "almost perfect." Keel often used minor keys in his music, but his melodies were described as having a "lively gait," making them sound bright and cheerful. His obituary in The Times newspaper said his compositions were "graceful and melodious."

While Keel's songs were once commonly found on records, fewer recordings are available today. However, you can still hear Three Salt-Water Ballads sung by Bryn Terfel. The famous song "Trade Winds" can also be heard on CD, sung by Jonathan Lemalu.