Myers Foggin
Encyclopedia
Myers Foggin was an English concert pianist and conductor. Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music
in London
from 1927-1932. His teachers included the composer York Bowen.
Foggin’s international concert pianist career included appearances in Paris
, Rome
, Naples
, Palermo
, Malta
and Algiers
. He appeared frequently in concert in the United Kingdom, and he made several recordings as a pianist for Decca. These include Charles Villiers Stanford
's Clarinet Sonata in F major, Op. 129 with Frederick Thurston, to whom Stanford rededicated the work, Brahms’
Sonata in E flat major, Op. 120, No. 2 for clarinet and piano (also with Thurston), and Brahms' Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano, Op. 91, in which he and the viola virtuoso Max Gilbert, a colleague at the Royal Academy, accompanied the Liverpool-born contralto Nancy Evans. Together with Watson Forbes
(viola) he recorded two works by Richard Henry Walthew (1872-1951) – the Sonata in D for Viola and Piano and A Mosaic in Four Parts. He accompanied the Russian tenor Vladimir Rosing on a Parlophone record of songs by Tchaikovsky and Frank Bridge released in 1934.
Foggin undertook a tour of Czechoslovakia
in September 1946 together with the cellist David Ffrangcon-Thomas performing cello sonatas by British and Czech composers. During the tour he also broadcast a specially arranged programme of British piano works from Prague.
Foggin was guest conductor of several leading Italian orchestras in addition to holding several appointments in the UK, where he conducted the People's Palace Choral Society (1936-49) and Croydon Philharmonic Society (1957-73), and he was musical director at the Toynbee Hall from 1946-49. He was appointed Principal of Trinity College of Music
and was Chairman of the Royal Philharmonic Society
from 1968 and President of the National Federation of Music Societies from 1967-72. Foggin was guest conductor with the Carl Rosa Opera, Sadler’s Wells Opera and the B.B.C. He died in Chichester
in 1986.
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 1927-1932. His teachers included the composer York Bowen.
Professional career
Soon after completion of his studies, Foggin was appointed Professor of Pianoforte at the Royal Academy (1936-49), later also holding the post of Director of Opera (1948-65). He was Warden of the Royal Academy from 1949-65.Foggin’s international concert pianist career included appearances in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. He appeared frequently in concert in the United Kingdom, and he made several recordings as a pianist for Decca. These include Charles Villiers Stanford
Charles Villiers Stanford
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish composer who was particularly notable for his choral music. He was professor at the Royal College of Music and University of Cambridge.- Life :...
's Clarinet Sonata in F major, Op. 129 with Frederick Thurston, to whom Stanford rededicated the work, Brahms’
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
Sonata in E flat major, Op. 120, No. 2 for clarinet and piano (also with Thurston), and Brahms' Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano, Op. 91, in which he and the viola virtuoso Max Gilbert, a colleague at the Royal Academy, accompanied the Liverpool-born contralto Nancy Evans. Together with Watson Forbes
Watson Forbes
Watson Douglas Buchanan Forbes was a Scottish violist and classical music arranger...
(viola) he recorded two works by Richard Henry Walthew (1872-1951) – the Sonata in D for Viola and Piano and A Mosaic in Four Parts. He accompanied the Russian tenor Vladimir Rosing on a Parlophone record of songs by Tchaikovsky and Frank Bridge released in 1934.
Foggin undertook a tour of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in September 1946 together with the cellist David Ffrangcon-Thomas performing cello sonatas by British and Czech composers. During the tour he also broadcast a specially arranged programme of British piano works from Prague.
Foggin was guest conductor of several leading Italian orchestras in addition to holding several appointments in the UK, where he conducted the People's Palace Choral Society (1936-49) and Croydon Philharmonic Society (1957-73), and he was musical director at the Toynbee Hall from 1946-49. He was appointed Principal of Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
and was Chairman of the Royal Philharmonic Society
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
from 1968 and President of the National Federation of Music Societies from 1967-72. Foggin was guest conductor with the Carl Rosa Opera, Sadler’s Wells Opera and the B.B.C. He died in Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
in 1986.