Frederic Clay
Encyclopedia
Frederic Emes Clay was an English composer known principally for his music written for the stage. Clay, a great friend of Arthur Sullivan
's, wrote four comic opera
s with W. S. Gilbert
and introduced the two men.
(1804–1873), a Member of Parliament
, and his wife, Eliza Camilla Woolrych. Clay was the fourth of six brothers and sisters. His father was celebrated as a player of whist
and the author of a treatise on that subject, as well as an amateur composer. His mother also had a musical background, as her mother had been an opera singer. Clay was educated at home by private tutors in London, studying piano and violin, and then music composition under Bernhard Molique and, in 1863, with Moritz Hauptmann
in Leipzig
, Germany. He then worked as a civil servant in the Treasury department while also pursuing composing. After the death of his father in 1873, his inheritance enabled him to become a full time composer. With the exception of some songs, hymns, instrumental pieces and two cantata
s, his compositions were nearly all written for the stage. In the mid-1860s, Clay and his friend Arthur Sullivan
became frequent guests at the home of John Scott Russell
. By about 1865, Clay became engaged to Scott Russell's youngest daughter Alice, and Sullivan wooed the middle daughter Rachel. The Scott Russells welcomed the engagement of Alice to Clay, but he broke it off.
Clay's first professionally-produced piece was an opera entitled Court and Cottage, with a libretto by Tom Taylor
, which was produced at Covent Garden
in 1862. In 1865, he composed another opera, the unsuccessful Constance (1865), with a libretto by Thomas William Robertson
. With B. C. Stephenson
, he wrote three pieces played by amateurs: The Pirate's Isle, Out of Sight and The Bold Recruit (1868), and with W. S. Gilbert
he wrote Ages Ago
(1869) for Thomas German Reed
's Gallery of Illustration. This piece ran for 350 performances and was revived several times. Clay introduced Gilbert to Arthur Sullivan during a rehearsal for Ages Ago. The Bold Recruit was revived at a benefit by German Reed at the Gallery of Illustration in 1870 as a companion piece to Ages Ago.
These were followed by The Gentleman in Black
(1870, also with Gilbert), In Possession (1871, also for German Reed), Happy Arcadia
(1872, with Gilbert), Oriana (1873, with a libretto by James Albery
), Green Old Age and Cattarina (both 1874, with libretti by Robert Reece
), Princess Toto
(1875, the last collaboration between Clay and Gilbert), and Don Quixote (1876). Ages Ago (a one-act piece) and Princess Toto (a three-act comic opera
) are considered to be among Clay's most tuneful and attractive works. The Times
wrote that the music of Princess Toto "is probably surpassed by no modern English work of the kind for gaiety and melodious charm."
Clay also composed part of the score for the spectacle Babil and Bijou (1872, also for German Reed) and the successful opera-bouffe version of The Black Crook
(1873 based on the same source material as the earlier American musical of the same name and starring Kate Santley
), both of which were produced with success at the Alhambra Theatre
. He also furnished incidental music for a revival of Twelfth Night.
Clay's two cantatas were The Knights of the Cross (1866) and Lalla Rookh (containing perhaps Clay's best-known song, "I'll sing thee songs of Araby" and also "Still This Golden Lull"), which was produced successfully at the Brighton Festival in 1877. Clay had difficulty finding work in London and moved to America. There he met with only mixed success and returned to England in 1881. His last works were The Merry Duchess (1883 at the Royalty Theatre
, starring Kate Santley
and in which Louie Henri
also appeared) and The Golden Ring (starring Marion Hood
) (1883), with words by G. R. Sims. The latter was written for the reopening of the Alhambra, which had been burned to the ground the year before. These last works were both successful and showed an artistic advance upon Clay's previous work.
Clay's friend, Sir Arthur Sullivan, wrote: "In all his works Clay showed a natural gift of graceful melody and a feeling for rich harmonic colouring. [Some of his most popular songs included] 'She wandered down the mountain side,' 'Long ago' and 'The Sands of Dee'". Other songs that achieved popularity are "Gipsy John", "Who Knows" and "She Wandered Down the Mountain Side".
After conducting the second performance of The Golden Ring, Clay suffered a stroke that paralyzed him and cut short his productive life. In 1889 at the age of 51, he was found drowned in his bath at the home of his sisters in Great Marlow
, England, presumably a suicide. He was buried in Brompton cemetery
.
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...
's, wrote four comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s with W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
and introduced the two men.
Life and career
Clay was born in Paris to English parents, James ClayJames Clay (author)
James Clay was an English politician and writer on the game of whist. His son was the musical composer Frederic Clay....
(1804–1873), a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, and his wife, Eliza Camilla Woolrych. Clay was the fourth of six brothers and sisters. His father was celebrated as a player of whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
and the author of a treatise on that subject, as well as an amateur composer. His mother also had a musical background, as her mother had been an opera singer. Clay was educated at home by private tutors in London, studying piano and violin, and then music composition under Bernhard Molique and, in 1863, with Moritz Hauptmann
Moritz Hauptmann
Moritz Hauptmann , was a German music theorist, teacher and composer.Hauptmann was born in Dresden, and studied violin under Scholz, piano under Franz Lanska, composition under Grosse and Francesco Morlacchi,...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany. He then worked as a civil servant in the Treasury department while also pursuing composing. After the death of his father in 1873, his inheritance enabled him to become a full time composer. With the exception of some songs, hymns, instrumental pieces and two cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s, his compositions were nearly all written for the stage. In the mid-1860s, Clay and his friend 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...
became frequent guests at the home of John Scott Russell
John Scott Russell
John Scott Russell was a Scottish naval engineer who built the Great Eastern in collaboration with Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and made the discovery that gave birth to the modern study of solitons.-Personal life:John Scott Russell was born John Russell on 9 May 1808 in Parkhead, Glasgow, the son of...
. By about 1865, Clay became engaged to Scott Russell's youngest daughter Alice, and Sullivan wooed the middle daughter Rachel. The Scott Russells welcomed the engagement of Alice to Clay, but he broke it off.
Early career
Tom Taylor
Tom Taylor was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch magazine...
, which was produced 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...
in 1862. In 1865, he composed another opera, the unsuccessful Constance (1865), with a libretto by Thomas William Robertson
Thomas William Robertson
Thomas William Robertson , usually known professionally as T. W. Robertson, was an Anglo-Irish dramatist and innovative stage director best known for a series of realistic or naturalistic plays produced in London in the 1860s that broke new ground and inspired playwrights such as W.S...
. With B. C. Stephenson
B. C. Stephenson
Benjamin Charles Stephenson or B. C. Stephenson was an English dramatist, lyricist and librettist. After beginning a career in the civil service, he started to write for the theatre, using the pen name "Bolton Rowe". He was author or co-author of several long-running shows of the Victorian theatre...
, he wrote three pieces played by amateurs: The Pirate's Isle, Out of Sight and The Bold Recruit (1868), and with W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
he wrote Ages Ago
Ages Ago
Ages Ago is a musical entertainment with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Frederic Clay that premiered on 22 November 1869 at the Royal Gallery of Illustration. It marked the beginning of a seven year long collaboration between the two. The piece was revived many times, including at St...
(1869) for Thomas German Reed
Thomas German Reed
Thomas German Reed was an English composer and theatrical manager best known for creating the German Reed Entertainments, a genre of musical plays that made theatre-going respectable at a time when the stage was considered disreputable...
's Gallery of Illustration. This piece ran for 350 performances and was revived several times. Clay introduced Gilbert to Arthur Sullivan during a rehearsal for Ages Ago. The Bold Recruit was revived at a benefit by German Reed at the Gallery of Illustration in 1870 as a companion piece to Ages Ago.
These were followed by The Gentleman in Black
The Gentleman in Black
The Gentleman in Black is a two-act comic opera written in 1870 with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Frederic Clay. The "musical comedietta" opened at the Charing Cross Theatre on 26 May 1870...
(1870, also with Gilbert), In Possession (1871, also for German Reed), Happy Arcadia
Happy Arcadia
Happy Arcadia is a musical entertainment with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music originally by Frederic Clay that premiered on 28 October 1872 at the Royal Gallery of Illustration. It was one of four collaborations between Gilbert and Clay between 1869 and 1876. The music is lost...
(1872, with Gilbert), Oriana (1873, with a libretto by James Albery
James Albery
James Albery was an English dramatist.-Life and career:Albery was born in London. On leaving school Albery entered an architect's office, and started to write plays. His farce A Pretty Piece of Chiselling was given its first production by the Ingoldsby Club in 1864...
), Green Old Age and Cattarina (both 1874, with libretti by Robert Reece
Robert Reece
Robert Reece was a British comic playwright and librettist active in the Victorian era. He wrote many successful musical burlesques, comic operas, farces and adaptations from the French, including the English-language adaptation of the operetta Les cloches de Corneville, which became the...
), Princess Toto
Princess Toto
Princess Toto is a three-act comic opera by W. S. Gilbert and his long-time collaborator Frederic Clay. It opened on 24 June 1876 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, starring Kate Santley, W. S. Penley and J. H. Ryley. It transferred to the Royal Strand Theatre in London on 2 October 1876 for a run...
(1875, the last collaboration between Clay and Gilbert), and Don Quixote (1876). Ages Ago (a one-act piece) and Princess Toto (a three-act comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
) are considered to be among Clay's most tuneful and attractive works. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote that the music of Princess Toto "is probably surpassed by no modern English work of the kind for gaiety and melodious charm."
Clay also composed part of the score for the spectacle Babil and Bijou (1872, also for German Reed) and the successful opera-bouffe version of The Black Crook
The Black Crook
The Black Crook is considered to be the first piece of musical theatre that conforms to the modern notion of a "book musical". The book is by Charles M. Barras , an American playwright...
(1873 based on the same source material as the earlier American musical of the same name and starring Kate Santley
Kate Santley
Kate Santley was an American-born English actress, singer, comedienne, and theatre manager. Her brother was the English baritone, Sir Charles Santley, famous in Wagner's Flying Dutchman among other roles.-Musical theatre career:...
), both of which were produced with success at the Alhambra Theatre
Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as The Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two years and reopened as the Alhambra. The building was...
. He also furnished incidental music for a revival of Twelfth Night.
Cantatas and later career
Royalty Theatre
The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho and opened on 25 May 1840 as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938. The architect was Samuel Beazley, a resident in Soho Square, who also designed St James's Theatre, among...
, starring Kate Santley
Kate Santley
Kate Santley was an American-born English actress, singer, comedienne, and theatre manager. Her brother was the English baritone, Sir Charles Santley, famous in Wagner's Flying Dutchman among other roles.-Musical theatre career:...
and in which Louie Henri
Louie Henri
Louie Henri was an English singer and actress, best known for her many roles in the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. She married Henry Lytton, who eventually became the company's longstanding principal comedian.Henri's career got off to an early start when she joined Florence St...
also appeared) and The Golden Ring (starring Marion Hood
Marion Hood
Marion Hood was an English soprano who performed in opera and musical theatre in the last decades of the 19th century...
) (1883), with words by G. R. Sims. The latter was written for the reopening of the Alhambra, which had been burned to the ground the year before. These last works were both successful and showed an artistic advance upon Clay's previous work.
Clay's friend, Sir Arthur Sullivan, wrote: "In all his works Clay showed a natural gift of graceful melody and a feeling for rich harmonic colouring. [Some of his most popular songs included] 'She wandered down the mountain side,' 'Long ago' and 'The Sands of Dee'". Other songs that achieved popularity are "Gipsy John", "Who Knows" and "She Wandered Down the Mountain Side".
After conducting the second performance of The Golden Ring, Clay suffered a stroke that paralyzed him and cut short his productive life. In 1889 at the age of 51, he was found drowned in his bath at the home of his sisters in Great Marlow
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
, England, presumably a suicide. He was buried in Brompton cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
.
External links
- List of Clay works at The Guide to Light Opera & Operetta