Houston Collisson facts for kids
William Alexander Houston Collisson (born May 20, 1865 – died January 31, 1920) was a talented Anglo-Irish priest, writer, and musician. He played the organ and piano, and he was also an impresario, which means he organized many concerts. He is best known for working closely with the famous Irish writer and composer, Percy French.
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His Life and Education
William Collisson was born in Dublin, Ireland. He studied at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned degrees in arts and music. He also received a music degree from Trinity College London. In 1899, he became a priest at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England. After that, he worked in different churches across England.
Collisson was a skilled organist. He played the organ in many churches in Ireland. These included Trim Cathedral (starting in 1882), St Paul's Church in Bray, County Wicklow (1884), and St. George's Church, Dublin (1885–98). He also sang in the choir at St Bartholomew's Church, Dublin for several years.
Organizing Concerts
William Collisson became well-known for organizing popular "Saturday Concerts." He started these concerts in 1887 in cities like Belfast, Cork, Derry, Dublin, and London. He often performed in these concerts himself. He would conduct the music, play the piano, or perform as a soloist.
In 1889, his Dublin concerts included a choir of 100 singers and a full orchestra. He even tried to invite the famous composer Edvard Grieg to perform in 1891, but it didn't work out. From 1906 to 1907, Collisson toured Ireland. He sang and played his own music on the piano and organ. He wrote about his travel experiences in his book, Dr. Collisson in and on Ireland (1908).
Collisson also helped to start the Feis Ceoil with Annie Patterson. The Feis Ceoil is a big music festival and competition in Ireland. He won several awards there for his own musical compositions.
His Music and Collaborations
As a composer, Collisson is most famous for his work with Percy French (1854–1920). Percy French was a poet, writer, painter, and composer. Collisson wrote music for many of French's poems and songs. Their most famous song together is The Mountains of Mourne.
Collisson and French often performed together on stage. They had regular shows in London and even toured North America in 1910. Collisson also wrote operas, which are plays set to music. Percy French wrote the stories (called librettos) for these operas. Some of their operas include The Knight of the Road (1891) and Strongbow (1892).
Selected Works
Stage Works
- The Knight of the Road (story by Percy French), a funny opera, 1891
- Strongbow, or The Bride of the Battlefield (story by P. French), a funny opera, 1892
- The Irish Girl (story by P. French, B. Stewart), a comedy opera, 1918
Choral Music
- Mass in C major, around 1890
- St Patrick, a cantata (a piece for choir and soloists) with words by Annie W. Patterson, 1898
- The Game of Chess, a cantata with words by A. W. Patterson, 1899
Instrumental Music
- Rosaleen, a piece for orchestra (won a prize at the Feis Ceoil in 1903)
Songs
All of these songs have words written by Percy French.
- When Erin Wakes, 1900
- Are ye right there, Michael?, 1902
- Maguire's Motor Bike, 1906
- The Mountains o' Mourne, 1920
- Eileen Oge, or The Pride of Petravore, published 1939
Writings
- Dr. Collisson in and on Ireland. A Diary of a Tour, with Personal Anecdotes, Notes Auto-Biographical and Impressions (London: Robert Sutton, 1908).
