Sir Edward German was born Edward German Jones in Whitchurch, England,
on February 17, 1862. He attended the Royal Academy of Music in London
where, in 1895, he was elected Fellow. Meanwhile, in 1888-1889 he became
the musical director of the Globe Theater in London. The incidental
music he wrote there that year for Richard Mansfield’s production of
_Richard III_ proved so popular that Sir Henry Irving commissioned him
to write similar music for his own presentation of _Henry VIII_. German
subsequently wrote incidental music for many other plays including
_Romeo and Juliet_ (1895), _As You Like It_ (1896), _Much Ado About
Nothing_ (1898) and _Nell Gwynn_ (1900). He also produced a considerable
amount of concert music, including two symphonies and various suites,
tone poems, rhapsodies, and a march and hymn for the Coronation of
George V in 1911. German was knighted in 1928, and in 1934 he received
the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society. He died in London on
November 11, 1936.
German is most famous for his incidental music for the stage. He
combined a graceful lyricism with a consummate skill in orchestration.
He also possessed to a remarkable degree the capacity of simulating the
archaic idioms of old English music of the Tudor and Stuart periods.
Thus the greatest charm of his writing lies in its subtle atmospheric
recreation of a bygone era; but a lightness of touch and freshness of
material are never sacrificed.
Of his incidental music perhaps the most famous is that for
Shakespeare’s _Henry VIII_, introduced at the Lyceum Theater in London
in 1892 in Sir Henry Irving’s production. German’s complete score
consists of an overture, five entr’actes, a setting of the song “Orpheus
and his Lute” and other pieces. But what remain popular are three
delightful old English dances from the first act; the style and spirit
of old English music are here reproduced with extraordinary effect. The
three are: “Morris Dance,” “Shepherd’s Dance,” and “Torch Dance.”
The best sections of his incidental music to Anthony Hope’s _Nell
Gwynn_, produced at the Prince of Wales Theater in 1900, also are
revivals of old English dances: “Country Dance,” “Merrymaker’s Dance,”
and “Pastoral Dance.” Other delightful dances, often in an old English
folk style, are found in his incidental music to _As You Like It_
(“Children’s Dance,” “Rustic Dance,” and “Woodland Dance”) and _Romeo
and Juliet_ (“Pavane” and “Torch Dance”).
German also wrote several operettas, the most famous being _Merrie
England_, text by Basil Hood, first performed at the Savoy Theater in
London on April 2, 1902. The setting is Elizabethan England, and the
plot involves the love affair of Sir Walter Raleigh and the Queen’s Maid
of Honor which upsets Queen Elizabeth since she herself has designs on
Sir Walter. German’s score is filled with the most delightful old world
jigs, country dances, glees, and melodies imitating the style of
old-time madrigals. In addition, there is here an impressive patriotic
song (“The Yeomen of England”), Queen Elizabeth’s effective air (“O
Peaceful England”), a rousing drinking song by Sir Walter Raleigh, a
poignant ballad by the Maid of Honor, and an equally moving love duet by
the Maid of Honor and Sir Walter Raleigh. Because of its effective
music, rich with English flavors, _Merrie England_ has survived as one
of the most popular English operettas of the 20th century, and has often
been revived in London.
Among German’s many concert works for orchestra one of the most famous
is the _Welsh Rhapsody_ (1902). This is a skilful symphonic adaptation
of Welsh tunes, the last of which (“Men of Larech”) is utilized by the
composer to bring his rhapsody to a powerful culmination. The other
Welsh folk songs used earlier by the composer in this rhapsody are
“Loudly Proclaim O’er Land and Sea,” “Hunting the Hare,” “Bells of
Aberdorry” and “David of the White Rock.”