George Henschel

Sir George Henschel (Ismoa Georg Henschel) (18 February 1850 – 10 September 1934), was an English baritone, pianist, conductor, and composer. He was knighted in 1914.

Henschel was born at Breslau of Polish-Jewish parentage, and educated as a pianist, making his first public appearance in Berlin in 1862. He subsequently took up singing, initially and briefly as a "basso profundo" but developing a fine baritone voice. In 1868, he sang the part of Hans Sachs in "Meistersinger" at Munich. In 1877, he began a successful career in England, singing at the principal concerts and, in 1881, he married the American soprano, Lilian June Bailey (1860-1901), who was associated with him in a number of vocal recitals. Henschel's very highly developed sense of interpretation and style made him an ideal concert singer, while he was no less distinguished as accompanist. In fact he sometimes combined both functions; he can be heard on records made as late as 1928 for the Columbia Graphophone Company, singing Lieder by Schubert and Schumann to his own accompaniment.

Henschel was also a prominent conductor, in America and England. He became the first conductor and founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1881, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 1893, and later started a series known as the London Symphony Concerts (no connection with the later London Symphony Orchestra) in 1886, taking a leading role in the advancement of the art. His compositions include instrumental works, a fine "Stabat Mater" (Birmingham Festival, 1894) and an opera, "Nubia" (Dresden, 1899). In 1907 he published a collections of his journals and correspondence in "Personal Recollections of Johannes Brahms" and "Musings and Memories of a Musician" in 1918. A Mass in eight parts a cappella was first sung in 1916. [cite book | last=Henschel | first=George |title=Personal recollections of Johannes Brahms | location=Boston | publisher=R G. Badger | year=1907 | oclc=1328613] [cite book | last=Henschel | first=George | title=Musings and Memories of a Musician | location=London | publisher=Macmillan | year=1918 | oclc=59873131 ]

Henschel taught at the Institute of Musical Art, New York, where he met his second wife Amy Louis, who was one of his students. [cite web | url=http://jssgallery.org/Paintings/George_Henschel.htm | title=John Singer Sargent's George Henschel | publisher=John Singer Sargent Gallery | accessdate=2007-05-21]

His daughter, Georgina “Georgie” Henschel, was a noted breeder of Highland ponies and Norwegian Fjord ponies, and author of several equestrian books.

Henschel died in Aviemore, Scotland, where he maintained his holiday-home "Alltnacriche" with his wife. He is buried in the churchyard overlooking Loch Alvie, nearby.

References

* Dictionary of National Biography