Charles Edward Horn Anglo-American singer (baritone) and composer Date of Birth: 21.06.1786 Country: USA

Charles Edward Horn: A Biography

Charles Edward Horn was an English-American singer (baritone) and composer. He was the son of Karl Friedrich Horn and left memoirs about his father. He took lessons from his father's friend, the singer John Braham. Horn made his debut as a singer on the London opera stage in 1809, and in 1810, his first own comedic opera, "Tricks upon Travellers," was staged, co-authored with William Reeve. This was followed by several dozen more, including "Narensky, or the Road to Yaroslaf" (1814, also co-authored with Reeve), "The Ninth Statue, or The Irishman in Bagdad" (1814), "Charles the Bold, or The Siege of Nantes" (1815), "The Persian Hunters, or The Rose of Gurgistan" (1817), "Lalla Rookh, or The Cashmerian Minstrel" (1818), "The Two Galley-Slaves, or The Mill of St Aldervon" (1822), "Benyowsky, or The Exiles of Kamschatka" (1826), and others.

An 1827 sketch describes Horn as a mediocre singer but an excellent actor, and claims that his songs, such as "Cherry Ripe" and "I've been Roaming," were so popular that they could be heard performed by London street musicians on every corner. According to a contemporary critic, Horn "is capable of composing the most elegant and entertaining music for a single madrigal, but has not yet succeeded in creating a completely successful overture or three-act opera."

The second half of Horn's career was spent, with some breaks, in the United States. From 1827 to 1831, he toured the country, performing leading roles in operas such as "Der Freischütz," "The Barber of Seville," and "Guy Mannering" by Henry Bishop. In 1828, his first opera written in America, "Isidore de Merida" (adaptation of Stephen Storace's "The Pirates"), was staged in New York. In the 1830s, Horn worked in New York as a music publisher, owned a music store, and composed operas and oratorios. In 1847, he was invited to Boston, where he spent the last years of his life as the conductor of a local orchestra.