Phillips, Henry
Phillips, Henry
Phillips, Henry, English bass; b. Bristol, Aug. 13, 1801; d. London, Nov. 8,1876. He sang as a boy soprano at the Harrowgate theater about 1807, and then proceeded to London and sang in the chorus at Drury Lane. After studying as a baritone with Broadhurst, he sang in the chorus of the English Opera House before completing his training with Smart. In 1824 he sang Artabanes in Arne’s Artaxerxes at Covent Garden, and then garnered notable success as Caspar in Der Freischütz at the English Opera House that same year. In 1825 he became principal bass of the Concert of Ancient Music. He also toured as an opera and concert singer, making a visit to the U.S. in 1844–45. On Feb. 25, 1863, he gave his farewell concert in London, and then was active as a teacher in Birmingham and later in Dalston. He publ. The True Enjoyment of Angling, with Music to the Songs (1843), Hints on Declamation (1848), and Musical and Personal Recollections during Half a Century (1864).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire