Frederic Hymen Cowen English composer and conductor Date of Birth: 29.01.1852 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Education
2. Leipzig and Berlin
3. Returning to London
4. Rise to Success
5. "Scandinavian" Symphony and Conducting Career
6. Later Years

Early Life and Education

Frederic Hymen Cowen was born on January 29, 1852, in Kingston, Jamaica, to a Jewish family. At the age of four, he relocated to London with his parents, where his father worked as a treasurer at Her Majesty's Theatre.

Cowen received early musical training from pianist Henry Russell. By the age of six, he published his "Minna Waltz" and composed his first operetta, inspired by Garibaldi. He continued his studies under Julius Benedict (piano) and John Goss (harmony).

In 1863, Cowen made his solo concert debut at Her Majesty's Theatre at the age of 17. The following year, he performed Mendelssohn's D minor concerto at Dudley House, under the direction of his father's employer.

Cowen later enrolled in the Leipzig Conservatory, where he studied with Karl Reinecke (composition), Ignaz Moscheles (piano), Moritz Hauptmann (harmony and counterpoint), and Ferdinand David (chamber ensemble). He also took private piano lessons with Louis Plaidy.

Leipzig and Berlin

During his stay in Leipzig, Cowen's String Quartet in C minor was performed at the Conservatory. He became acquainted with Salomon Jadassohn and Ernst Wenzel and met Franz Liszt in Weimar and Johannes Brahms, Eduard Hanslick, and Hans Richter in Vienna.

After the outbreak of the Austro-Prussian War, Cowen returned to England. He soon moved to Berlin, where he enrolled in the Stern Conservatory. There, he studied composition with Friedrich Kiel and Carl Taubert and piano with Carl Tausig. He also began to conduct.

Returning to London

In 1868, Cowen returned to London, where he continued his piano studies with Charles Halle and gained recognition as a virtuoso, performing at the Crystal Palace and the Philharmonic Society. His Overture in D minor premiered at Covent Garden in 1866.

Rise to Success

Cowen's First Symphony (D minor) and Piano Concerto (A minor) premiered in London in 1869, marking a turning point in his career. He began to focus more on composition and less on public performances as a pianist.

In the following years, Cowen wrote numerous works, including the cantata "The Rose Maiden" (1870), the opera "Pauline" (1876), and the cantata "The Corsair" (1876).

"Scandinavian" Symphony and Conducting Career

In the 1870s, Cowen traveled extensively, visiting Germany, Italy, and the United States. His impressions of Scandinavia inspired his Third Symphony ("Scandinavian"), which premiered in 1880 to great acclaim. It became the most frequently performed English symphony until the emergence of Edward Elgar's First Symphony.

Cowen's success led to numerous conducting engagements, which became his primary focus. He became the conductor of the Promenade Concerts in 1880, replacing Arthur Sullivan. In 1888, he became the permanent conductor of the London Philharmonic Society.

Later Years

Cowen held various conducting positions throughout his career, including those with the Hallé Orchestra (1896-1899), the Liverpool Philharmonic Society (1896-1913), and the Bradford Festival Choral Society (1897-1913).

He was knighted in 1911 and received honorary doctorates from Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities. In his later years, he focused on literary work, publishing monographs on Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Rossini.

Cowen passed away on October 6, 1935, and was buried in the Golders Green Jewish Cemetery in London.