Cowen, (Sir) Frederic (Hymen)

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Cowen, (Sir) Frederic (Hymen) (b Kingston, Jamaica, 1852; d London, 1935). Eng. composer and conductor. Comp. operetta at age 8, becoming pupil of Goss and Benedict in same year. Pf. recitalist at 11. Studied Leipzig Cons. with Reinecke and Moscheles 1865–6, and, in 1867, at Stern Cons., Berlin, where he concentrated on cond. Cond. Phil. Soc., London, 1888–92 and 1900–7, Hallé Orch. 1896–9, Liverpool PO 1895–1913, Scottish Orch. 1900–10, Handel Triennial Fests. 1902–23 and several other choral socs. Comp. several operas; 6 syms.; orch. works incl. The Butterfly's Ball (1901); 3 oratorios; 9 cantatas; and various other works. Today best remembered by his setting of Longfellow's ‘Onaway, awake beloved’ (Hiawatha). Knighted 1911.

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