Eugène Goossens, père
Encyclopedia
Eugène Goossens was a Belgian conductor
.
and studied music as a child at the Church of Notre Dame, Bruges, then at the Bruges Conservatoire. At the age of fourteen, he was admitted to the conservatoire in Brussels
, where he studied composition.
He conducted opera
companies throughout Europe, moving to England in 1873. There he conducted for the company of Selina Dolaro
under the management of Richard D'Oyly Carte
in 1876. In May 1878, for Carte, he conducted The Sorcerer
by Gilbert and Sullivan
and also conducted H.M.S. Pinafore
in July and August 1878, while Alfred Cellier
was assisting Arthur Sullivan
at the promenade concerts at Covent Garden
. He also conducted a "special operatic performance" of H.M.S. Pinafore
at The Crystal Palace
on July 6, 1878.
Goossens became famous as a musical director of the Carl Rosa Opera Company, for whom he conducted the first English performance of Richard Wagner
's Tannhäuser
, in Liverpool
in 1882. He became principal conductor of Carl Rosa in 1889. He conducted Rosa's company in a command performance, in November 1892, of The Daughter of the Regiment for Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle
.
He was the father of the conductor and violinist Eugène Goossens
and grandfather of the conductor and composer Sir Eugene Goossens
.
In the early 1890s, he moved to Liverpool
, where he founded the "Goossens Male-voice Choir," served as organist and choirmaster at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church and taught singing. He died in Liverpool
in 1906 at the age of 61.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
Biography
He was born in BrugesBruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
and studied music as a child at the Church of Notre Dame, Bruges, then at the Bruges Conservatoire. At the age of fourteen, he was admitted to the conservatoire in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, where he studied composition.
He conducted opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
companies throughout Europe, moving to England in 1873. There he conducted for the company of Selina Dolaro
Selina Dolaro
Selina Dolaro was an English singer, actress, theatre manager and writer. During a career in operetta and other forms of musical theatre, she managed several of her own opera companies and raised four children as a single mother...
under the management of Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
in 1876. In May 1878, for Carte, he conducted The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of The Sorcerer is based on a Christmas story, An Elixir of Love, that Gilbert wrote for The Graphic magazine in 1876...
by Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
and also conducted H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
in July and August 1878, while Alfred Cellier
Alfred Cellier
Alfred Cellier was an English composer, orchestrator and conductor.In addition to conducting and music directing the original productions of several of the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan works and writing the overtures to some of them, Cellier conducted at many theatres in London, New York and...
was assisting Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
at the promenade concerts at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. He also conducted a "special operatic performance" of H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
at The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
on July 6, 1878.
Goossens became famous as a musical director of the Carl Rosa Opera Company, for whom he conducted the first English performance of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (opera)
Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
, in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 1882. He became principal conductor of Carl Rosa in 1889. He conducted Rosa's company in a command performance, in November 1892, of The Daughter of the Regiment for Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and east of Braemar. Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her...
.
He was the father of the conductor and violinist Eugène Goossens
Eugène Goossens, fils
Eugène Goossens was a French conductor and violinist.He was born in Bordeaux, and studied in Bruges and the conservatoire in Brussels...
and grandfather of the conductor and composer Sir Eugene Goossens
Eugène Aynsley Goossens
Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens was an English conductor and composer.-Biography:He was born in Camden Town, London, the son of the Belgian conductor and violinist Eugène Goossens and the grandson of the conductor Eugène Goossens...
.
In the early 1890s, he moved to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, where he founded the "Goossens Male-voice Choir," served as organist and choirmaster at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church and taught singing. He died in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 1906 at the age of 61.
External links
- Eugene Goossens at Who Was Who in the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company