Julius Benedict: Difference between revisions

Benedict was born in [[Stuttgart]], the son of a Jewish banker, and in 1820 learnt composition from [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel]] at [[Weimar]] and in 1821 from [[Carl Maria von Weber]] at [[Dresden]]; it was Weber who introduced him in [[Vienna]] to [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] on 5 October 1823. In the same year, he was appointed [[Kapellmeister]] of the Kärnthnerthor theatre at Vienna, and two years later in 1825, he became Kapellmeister of the San Carlo theatre at [[Naples]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=720}} It was here he gave piano lessons to the young prodigy [[Theodor Döhler]].

In Naples his first opera, ''Giacinta ed Ernesto'', premiered in 1827, and another, written for his native city, ''I Portoghesi in [[Goa]]'', was given there in 1830; neither of these was a great success, and in 1834 he went to Paris, leaving it in 1835 at the suggestion of [[Maria Malibran]] for London, where he spent the remainder of his life. In 1836 he was given the conductorship of an operatic enterprise at the [[Lyceum Theatre (London)|Lyceum Theatre]], and brought out a short opera, ''Un anno ed un giorno'', previously given in Naples.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=720}}

In 1838 he became conductor of the English opera at [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]] during the period of [[Michael William Balfe]]'s great popularity; his own operas produced there were ''The Gipsy's Warning'' (1838), ''The Brides of Venice'' (1844), and ''The Crusaders'' (1846). In 1848 he conducted [[Felix Mendelssohn]]'s ''[[Elijah (oratorio)|Elijah]]'' at [[Exeter Hall]], for the first appearance of [[Jenny Lind]] in [[oratorio]], and in 1850 he was the accompanist and conductor on [[Jenny Lind tour of America, 1850–52|Lind's tour of America]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=720}}

On his return in 1852 he became musical conductor under [[James Henry Mapleson]]'s management at [[Her Majesty's Theatre]] (and afterwards at Drury Lane), and in the same year conductor of the Harmonic Union. Amongst his minor works is an ''Andantino for [[Concertina]] and [[Fortepiano]]'' written in 1858. Benedict wrote recitatives for the production of an Italian-language version of Weber's ''[[Oberon (Weber)|Oberon]]'' in 1860 (it was then the tradition in England to perform German operas in Italian). In the same year his [[cantata]] ''Undine'' was produced at the [[Norfolk and Norwich Festival|Norwich Festival]], in which [[Clara Novello]] appeared in public for the last time.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=720}}

His best-known opera, ''[[The Lily of Killarney]]'', written on the subject of [[Dion Boucicault]]'s play ''[[The Colleen Bawn]]'' to a [[libretto]] by [[John Oxenford]], was produced at [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]] in 1862. His [[operetta]] ''The Bride of Song'' was brought out there in 1864.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=720}}

Benedict wrote a march for the wedding of [[Edward VII|Albert Edward]], [[Prince of Wales]] and [[Alexandra of Denmark]] in 1863.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} ''St Cecilia'', an oratorio, was performed at the Norwich Festival in 1868; ''St Peter'' at the [[Birmingham Triennial Music Festival|Birmingham Festival]] of 1870; ''Graziella'', a [[cantata]], was given at the Birmingham Festival of 1882, and in August 1883 was produced in operatic form at [[the Crystal Palace]]. Here also a [[symphony]] by him was given in 1873.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|pp=720–721}} In the autumn of 1875, Benedict corresponded with [[W. S. Gilbert]] about collaborating on a comic opera with him, but Gilbert had too many projects and the idea was dropped.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ainger|first=Michael|year=2002|title=Gilbert and Sullivan &ndash; A Dual Biography|page=113|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-514769-3}}</ref>

Benedict conducted every Norwich Festival from 1845 to 1878 inclusive, and the [[Liverpool Philharmonic Society]]'s concerts from late 1875 to 1880. He was the regular accompanist at the [[Monday Popular Concerts]] in London from their start, and with few exceptions acted as conductor of these concerts.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=721}}

He contributed an interesting life of Weber to the series of biographies of ''Great Musicians''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Benedict, Julius|title=Weber|series=The Great musicians |year=1889|publisher=S. Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington |edition=3rd|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100766330}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title="Weber and Schubert" (with a review of ''The Great Musicians.—Weber.'' by Julius Benedict)|journal=Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art|date=30 July 1881|volume=52|issue=1344|pages=144–146|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=iau.31858016626214;view=1up;seq=178}}</ref> In 1871 he was [[British honours system|knighted]], and in 1874 was made knight commander of the orders of [[Franz Joseph I of Austria]] and [[Frederick I of Württemberg]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=721}} In 1884, friends set up a benefit fund to aid him financially.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Literary Gossip|journal=The Week: A Canadian Journal of Politics, Literature, Science and Arts|date=13 March 1884|volume=1|issue=15|page=238|url=https://archive.org/stream/weekcanadianjour01toro#page/n120/mode/1up|access-date=29 April 2013}}</ref> He died at his residence in London on 5 June 1885 and was buried in [[Kensal Green Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Death of Sir Julius Benedict |work=The Cornisman |issue=360 |date=11 June 1885 |page=6}}</ref>

* {{EB1911|wstitle=Benedict, Sir Julius|volume=3|pages=720–721}}

<ref>* {{cite book|last1=Palmer|first1=Fiona M.|title=Conductors in Britain, 1870–1914: Wielding the Baton at the Height of Empire|date=March 2017|publisher=Boydell Press|location=Woodbridge|isbn=9781783271450|pages=320|url=https://boydellandbrewer.com/conductors-in-britain-1870-1914.html|access-date=28 March 2017|archive-date=29 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329051706/https://boydellandbrewer.com/conductors-in-britain-1870-1914.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Category:MaleGerman male opera composers]]