George Henschel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Henschel
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Portrait by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1879
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| Born | 18 February 1850 Breslau, Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia
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| Died | 10 September 1934 (aged 84) Aviemore, Scotland
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Sir Isidor George Henschel (born February 18, 1850 – died September 10, 1934) was a talented musician. He was born in Germany but became a British citizen. George Henschel was a baritone (a type of male singing voice), a pianist, a conductor, and a composer. He also taught music.
Henschel first learned to play the piano. Later, he became a concert singer and sometimes even sang while playing the piano himself! He was a very close friend of the famous composer Johannes Brahms. His first wife, Lillian, was also a singer. George Henschel was the very first conductor of two major orchestras: the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He also taught music at the Institute of Musical Art in New York City, which is now part of the Juilliard School.
Contents
Early Life and Singing Career
George Isidor Henschel was born in a city called Breslau, which is now Wrocław in Poland. He started his musical journey as a pianist and performed publicly for the first time in Berlin in 1862.
Later, he began to sing. At first, he sang as a bass (a very low male voice), but he soon developed a wonderful baritone voice. In 1868, he sang a role in a concert performance of Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in Munich. George Henschel almost always sang in concerts and rarely on a stage in an opera.
Friendship with Johannes Brahms
Henschel was a very good friend of the famous composer Johannes Brahms. They first met in May 1874 at a music festival in Cologne. Henschel sang in an oratorio (a large musical work for voices and orchestra) by Handel called Samson.
Their friendship lasted until Brahms passed away in 1897. Henschel wrote in his memories that he arrived in Vienna just a few hours too late to see Brahms one last time. Their last meeting had been in a restaurant in Leipzig in 1896, where they were joined by other famous musicians like Edvard Grieg.
Life in England and America
In 1877, George Henschel moved to England and began a very successful career there. He sang in many important concerts. In 1881, he married an American singer named Lilian June Bailey. She was also a soprano (a high female singing voice). They performed many vocal concerts together across the United States and Europe until 1884.
Henschel was known for his excellent understanding of music and his unique style. This made him a perfect concert singer. He was also a great accompanist, meaning he was skilled at playing the piano while someone else sang or played an instrument. Sometimes, he even did both at once! He made recordings as late as 1928, singing songs by famous composers like Schubert and Schumann while playing the piano himself.
A Talented Conductor
George Henschel was also a very important conductor in both America and England. In 1881, he became the first conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the United States. When he got the job, he sent his ideas for how the musicians should sit on stage to his friend Brahms, who approved of his plans.
In 1886, Henschel started a series of concerts in London called the London Symphony Concerts. Then, in 1893, he became the first conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Later Life and Legacy
George Henschel was honored with a knighthood in 1914, which meant he was given the title "Sir." At a special farewell concert that year, he received a lute (an old stringed instrument) with the words "A token of gratitude for forty years' song" engraved on it.
He also taught music at the Institute of Musical Art in New York. There, he met his second wife, Amy Louis, who was one of his students. He taught many other singers, including Lucia Dunham and Vera Curtis.
Musical Works and Books
George Henschel wrote many musical pieces. These included songs, instrumental music, and larger works like a Stabat Mater (a type of religious music) and a Requiem (a mass for the dead). He also wrote an opera called Nubia.
Besides music, he wrote books. In 1907, he published Personal Recollections of Johannes Brahms, which was a collection of his diaries and letters about his friendship with Brahms. In 1918, he published another book called Musings and Memories of a Musician.
Family Life
George Henschel's daughter, Georgina, was also quite interesting! She was known for breeding special types of horses, like Highland ponies and Norwegian Fjord ponies. She also wrote several books about horses and riding.
George Henschel passed away in Aviemore, Scotland. He had a holiday home there called Alltnacriche. He is buried in the churchyard overlooking Loch Alvie, a nearby lake. In 1944, his daughter Helen, who was also a singer, wrote a book about her parents called When Soft Voices Die: A Musical Biography.
Images for kids
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George Henschel with his first wife, Lillian (1891)
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A portrait of George Henschel by John Singer Sargent, 1889
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A sculpture of George Henschel by Edward Onslow Ford, 1895
See also
In Spanish: George Henschel para niños
