George Alexander Macfarren Facts for Kids

George Alexander Macfarren

Sir George Alexander Macfarren (born March 2, 1813 – died October 31, 1887) was an English composer and music expert. He wrote many different kinds of music, including operas, oratorios, and symphonies. He also taught music and led important music schools.

His Life Story
- His Musical Journey
Selected Compositions
His Reputation
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His Life Story

George Alexander Macfarren was born in London. His father, George Macfarren, was a dancing teacher, writer, and journalist who later edited a music magazine. George had weak eyesight from a young age. He even used a strong magnifying glass to read and had special large-print books. In 1823, he tried eye treatment, but it didn't work. By 1860, he became completely blind. However, this didn't stop him from composing music. He worked with a helper, called an amanuensis, who would write down the notes as he composed them. One of his helpers was the composer Oliveria Prescott.

In 1844, Macfarren married Clarina Thalia Andrae, who became known as Natalia Macfarren. She was a talented singer and pianist from Germany. She also translated many German poems, songs, and opera stories into English. Her English translation of the famous "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony became very popular in England. Their daughter, Clarina Thalia Macfarren, later married one of George's students, Francis William Davenport.

George's brother, Walter Macfarren, was also a well-known pianist and composer. Even his sister-in-law, Emma Maria Macfarren, was a pianist and composer.

Macfarren was honored with a special title, becoming a "Sir," in 1883. He worked very hard, even though he had health problems like chronic bronchitis and a weak heart. He passed away on October 31, 1887, at his home in London. He is buried in Hampstead Cemetery.

His Musical Journey

Macfarren started studying music when he was 14. At 16, he joined the Royal Academy of Music. There, he learned how to compose music and play the piano and trombone. Because of his poor eyesight, he soon focused only on composing. In his first year at the academy, he wrote his first piece, the Symphony in F minor.

From 1834 to 1836, Macfarren taught at the Royal Academy of Music. He became a full professor in 1837. He left the academy in 1847 because he strongly supported a new theory of harmony by Alfred Day, which other teachers disagreed with. In 1845, he became a conductor at Covent Garden, a famous opera house. His opera based on Don Quixote was performed in 1846. After trying more eye treatments in New York without success, he returned to the academy in 1851. This time, the academy decided to encourage different ideas. In 1876, he became the principal of the Royal Academy of Music. He also became a music professor at Cambridge University in 1875.

Macfarren also started the Handel Society. This group aimed to publish all the works of the famous composer George Frideric Handel. He also wrote books about music theory, including a textbook on counterpoint (a way of combining melodies).

One of his most famous orchestral pieces was the overture "Chevy Chace." It was performed in Germany in 1843 by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, led by the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn loved it and wrote to Macfarren, saying the audience and orchestra enjoyed it very much. Even Richard Wagner, another famous composer, admired the piece.

Some of Macfarren's operas include King Charles II (1849) and Robin Hood (1860). He also wrote popular oratorios, which are large musical works for choir and orchestra, often based on religious stories. His most successful oratorio was St John the Baptist, first performed in 1873. Other oratorios included The Resurrection (1876), Joseph (1877), and King David (1883).

Besides large works, Macfarren also wrote chamber music, which is music for a small group of instruments. This included six string quartets, a piano trio, and sonatas for flute and violin. He even wrote a piece for the Concertina and Fortepiano.

Selected Compositions

Orchestral Works

1828 – Symphony No. 1 in C
1831 – Symphony No. 2 in D minor
1832 – Symphony No. 3 in E minor
1833 – Symphony No. 4 in F minor
1833 – Symphony No. 5 in A minor
1834 – The Merchant of Venice, overture
1835 – Piano Concerto in C minor
1836 – Symphony No. 6 in B-flat
1836 – "Chevy Chace", overture
1839–40 – Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor
1845 – Symphony No. 8 in D
1856 – Hamlet, overture
1863 – Flute Concerto in G
1873 – Violin Concerto in G minor
1874 – Symphony No. 9 in E minor
1874 – Festival Overture
1875 – Idyll in Memory of Sterndale Bennett

Choral and Vocal Works

1853 – Lenora, cantata
1856 – May Day, cantata
1860 – Christmas, cantata
1868 – Songs in a Cornfield, cantata
1872 – Outward Bound, cantata
1873 – St John the Baptist, oratorio
1876 – The Resurrection, oratorio
1877 – Joseph, oratorio
1883 – King David, oratorio
1884 – St George's Te Deum
1887 – Around the Hearth, cantata

Operas

1838 – The Devil's Opera
1840–41 – An Adventure of Don Quixote
1847–48 – King Charles II
1860 – Robin Hood
1863 – Jessie Lea, chamber opera
1863–64 – She Stoops to Conquer
1864 – The Soldier's Legacy, chamber opera
1864 – Helvellyn

Chamber Music

1834 – String Quartet No 1 in G minor
1840 – String Quartet No 2 in F major
1842 – String Quartet No 3 in A major
1843-4 – Piano Quintet in G minor
1852 – String Quartet in G minor
1857 – Violin Sonata in E minor
1878 – String Quartet in G major
1880 – Piano Trio in A minor for flute, cello and piano
1883 – Flute Sonata

Piano Music

1842 – Piano Sonata No 1 in E-flat major
1845 – Piano Sonata No 2 in A Ma cousine
1880 – Piano Sonata No 3 in G

His Reputation

During his lifetime, people had different opinions about Macfarren's music. Some thought his ideas were too strict, but everyone agreed he was very skilled in music theory. Those who liked his work praised its originality and good taste. They felt he had many new ideas.

However, others criticized some of his works, saying they weren't very original. By the early 1900s, Macfarren's music was not performed much anymore. Some believed this was because he had great talent but not true "genius."

Today, music experts often see Macfarren as a composer who stuck to traditional ways of writing music for orchestras. His music is described as professional, sometimes graceful, but occasionally a bit awkward. Still, his oratorio St John the Baptist is praised as an original and imaginative piece.