THE D'OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY

Frederick Corder

Frederick Corder (m.d., 1884)

[Born London 26 Jan 1852, died London 21 Aug 1932]

Frederick Corder studied at the Royal Academy of Music for a year-and-a-half, where his talent for composition earned him the Mendelsohn Scholarship and four years of study at Cologne.Upon his return to England he became conductor at the Brighton Aquarium.

His tenure with the D'Oyly Carte lasted less than a month. In August 1884 he filled in for William Robinson as musical director with Mr. D'Oyly Carte's "E" Company, touring Patience and Iolanthe.

Corder later became professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music, becoming the Academy's curator in 1889.His compositions included a romantic opera Nordisa (produced by the Carl Rosa Company in 1887), two dramatic cantatas (The Bride of Triermain, Wolverhampton Festival, 1886, and The Sword of Argantyr, Leeds Festival, 1889), and several orchestral pieces performed at the Crystal Palace, Philharmonic concerts, and elsewhere.

His writings included the books "The Orchestra and how to write for it" (1895), "Modern Composition" (1909), and a souvenir book for the centenary of the Royal Academy of Music (1922).He and his wife produced the first accepted English translations of The Ring and other works by Wagner.

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