Cowen, Sir Frederic Hymen

views updated

COWEN, SIR FREDERIC HYMEN

COWEN, SIR FREDERIC HYMEN (1852–1935), conductor and composer. Born in Jamaica, Cowen was taken to London as a child, and performed his own piano concerto there at the age of 13. He conducted the London Philharmonic Society, Halle Orchestra of Manchester, and many other orchestras. His works include four operas, four cantatas (including The Veil, 1910), six symphonies, orchestral and chamber works, songs, and marches. He published an autobiography, My Art and My Friends (1913); a humoristic glossary of musical terms, Music as She is Wrote (1915); and biographies of several composers. He was knighted in 1911.