Albert Mallinson (13 November 1870 – 5 April 1946) was a British organist and composer who wrote 400 songs, a cantata, some chamber and orchestral pieces and church music but whose work is largely forgotten today.
Albert Mallinson and his wife Anna Sophie Balmson Steinhauer in 1908
James Albert Mallinson was born in Leeds in Yorkshire in 1870 to Harriet Ann née Thompson (1828–1890) and James Mallinson (1824–1890), a cloth dresser and milliner.[1] He commenced his musical career as an organist, being at the age of 17 simultaneously organist to the late Hon. Mrs. Emily Meynell-Ingram at Temple Newsam, organist and choirmaster at St. Chad's Church in Leeds, and deputy organist at Leeds Parish Church. Prior to this he had studied under Dr. Creser, late organist of the Chapel Royal, St. James's. At the age of 18 he had produced at concerts given by himself at Leeds, a quartet for piano and strings, and a trio for piano and strings. In consequence of ill-health he was compelled to seek a warmer climate, and for some years from 1891 resided in Australia, where he devoted himself to composition, with occasional concerts and teaching.[2]
Musical careeredit
He held various appointments as organist in Melbourne and while in Australia his dramatic work Tegner's Drapa based on the work by Longfellow, for solo-voice, chorus and orchestra, was performed by the Melbourne Liedertafel and the Sydney Philharmonic, and his ballad for male chorus, 'The Battle of the Baltic' by the Royal Metropolitan Liedertafel. While touring in New Zealand he met the soprano Anna Sophie Balmson Steinhauer (1858–1949), a widow and celebrated Danish lieder singer whom he married in 1894 and returning to Europe toured Denmark and Germany with her, giving song-recitals. The couple also later made several tours in Australia, South Africa and Scandinavia. The two regularly appeared on the concert platform together when he would accompany his wife in concerts dedicated in part or entirely to his compositions. In February 1900 the soprano Olive Rae gave a recital at the Steinway Hall in which she sang three songs by Mallinson. On 22 November 1901 Steinhauer and Mallinson gave the first of several concerts at the Bechstein Hall to feature a selection of Mallinson's works (including his song cycle 'My Garden') in addition to little heard works from the Scandinavian composers Peter Heise and Fritz Arlberg.[2][3]
He composed over 400 songs. A Freemason, in 1904 he was initiated into the Lodge of Honour and Friendship No. 1266 in Blandford in Dorset,[4] where he was then living. In 1904 he and his wife performed some of his songs before Queen Alexandra at Buckingham Palace, and in 1905 he gave recitals of his own compositions at Dresden. In 1906 he gave a series of seven recitals at the Bechstein Hall in London, the programmes of which were exclusively devoted to songs of his own composition, sung by his wife and Ada Crossley. From 1898 to 1903 Mallinson held the post of private organist to Viscount Portman. A series of organ recitals given by him, on the beautiful Cavaille-Col organ in Jesus Church, Copenhagen, aroused exceptional interest among musicians in that city. From 1904 he resided at Dresden, where he acted as organist at the English Church. He was an admirable accompanist, and visited London every year to give a series of song-recitals together with his wife, which were among the principal events of the musical season. His pieces 'Four by the Clock' and 'We Sway Along the Ridges' were played at the Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 1910.[2][5]
In his latter years James Albert Mallinson lived at Elsinore in Denmark and here he died in 1946. In his will he left £10,658 9s 4d to his widow.[6]
A recording of his 'New Year Song' sung by the contraltoAda Crossley accompanied by Christopher H. H. Booth on the piano was released on the album From Melba to Sutherland: Australian Singers on Record released by Decca in 2016.[7]
Selected songsedit
A birthday (Text: Christina Georgina Rossetti)
Abendstunde
A garden is a lovesome thing (Text: T. E. Brown)
All the breath and the bloom of the year (Text: Robert Browning)
A Lament for the Summer
Auf Wiedersehen (Text: James Russell Lowell)
Autumn
A wild rose (Text: Alfred Austin)
Baby
Bed in Summer (Text: Robert Louis Stevenson)
Blue Eyes of Spring (in Lyrics from other lands : eight songs) (Text: Anonymous after Heinrich Heine)
Boy Johnny (Text: Christina Georgina Rossetti)
Canoe Song
Daybreak (Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Divination by a Daffodil
Dream of a blessed spirit (Text: William Butler Yeats)
Ein Geburtstag (Text: Anonymous after Christina Georgina Rossetti)
Eldorado (Text: Edgar Allan Poe)
Elëanore (Text: Eric Mackay)
Float, little boat
Four by the Clock (Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
From my arm-chair (Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Gloriana
In the Appleboughs
Intra Muros
Life's Rose (Text: W. E. Henley)
My Garden (song cycle)
My Heart, the Bird of the Wilderness (Text: Rabindranath Tagore)
My Love's like the red, red Rose
New Year Song
On the Way to Kew (Text: William Ernest Henley)
Over the Western Sea (Text: William Ernest Henley)
Seven Songs (Text: Christina Georgina Rossetti)
Sing! Break into Song
Slow horses, slow (Text: Thomas Westwood)
Snowflakes
Songs of Lesbos (six songs) (Text: Sappho)
The Golden Rose of Mitylene (eleven songs) (Text: Sappho)
The Old Bridge at Florence (Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
There is a Measure Set to all Things Mortal
There is a Medler-Tree
There lies the warmth of summer (Text: H. Harper after Heinrich Heine)
The sunrise wakes the lark to sing (Text: Christina Georgina Rossetti)
To an Isle in the Water (Text: William Butler Yeats)
To me at my fifth-floor window (Text: William Ernest Henley)
Violet
We Sway Along the Ridges (Text: William Ernest Henley)
What comes? (Text: Christina Georgina Rossetti)
When e'er I gaze within thine eyes (Text: Anonymous after Heinrich Heine)[8]
Referencesedit
^1871 England Census for James Albert Mallinson: Yorkshire, Leeds, West Leeds - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
^ abcSaxe Wyndham, Henry, Who's Who in Music: A Biographical Record of Contemporary Musicians, Sir I. Pitman & Sons, Ltd., London (1913) p.132
^Concert by Anna Steinhauer Albert Mallinson at the Bechstein hall (1901) – Wigmore Hall website
^England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751–1921 for James Albert Mallinson: United Grand Lodge of England, 1887–1909, Membership Registers: Country O 1208–1296 to Country P 1299-1390 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
^Performances of the works of Albert Mallinson (1910) – The Proms website
^England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995 for James Albert Mallinson 1946 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
^From Melba to Sutherland: Australian Singers on Record – Presto Classical website
^Composer: (James) Albert Mallinson (1870–1946) – The LiederNet Archive
January 01, 1970
albert, mallinson, november, 1870, april, 1946, british, organist, composer, wrote, songs, cantata, some, chamber, orchestral, pieces, church, music, whose, work, largely, forgotten, today, wife, anna, sophie, balmson, steinhauer, 1908, contents, early, life, . Albert Mallinson 13 November 1870 5 April 1946 was a British organist and composer who wrote 400 songs a cantata some chamber and orchestral pieces and church music but whose work is largely forgotten today Albert Mallinson and his wife Anna Sophie Balmson Steinhauer in 1908 Contents 1 Early life 2 Musical career 3 Selected songs 4 ReferencesEarly life editJames Albert Mallinson was born in Leeds in Yorkshire in 1870 to Harriet Ann nee Thompson 1828 1890 and James Mallinson 1824 1890 a cloth dresser and milliner 1 He commenced his musical career as an organist being at the age of 17 simultaneously organist to the late Hon Mrs Emily Meynell Ingram at Temple Newsam organist and choirmaster at St Chad s Church in Leeds and deputy organist at Leeds Parish Church Prior to this he had studied under Dr Creser late organist of the Chapel Royal St James s At the age of 18 he had produced at concerts given by himself at Leeds a quartet for piano and strings and a trio for piano and strings In consequence of ill health he was compelled to seek a warmer climate and for some years from 1891 resided in Australia where he devoted himself to composition with occasional concerts and teaching 2 Musical career editHe held various appointments as organist in Melbourne and while in Australia his dramatic work Tegner s Drapa based on the work by Longfellow for solo voice chorus and orchestra was performed by the Melbourne Liedertafel and the Sydney Philharmonic and his ballad for male chorus The Battle of the Baltic by the Royal Metropolitan Liedertafel While touring in New Zealand he met the soprano Anna Sophie Balmson Steinhauer 1858 1949 a widow and celebrated Danish lieder singer whom he married in 1894 and returning to Europe toured Denmark and Germany with her giving song recitals The couple also later made several tours in Australia South Africa and Scandinavia The two regularly appeared on the concert platform together when he would accompany his wife in concerts dedicated in part or entirely to his compositions In February 1900 the soprano Olive Rae gave a recital at the Steinway Hall in which she sang three songs by Mallinson On 22 November 1901 Steinhauer and Mallinson gave the first of several concerts at the Bechstein Hall to feature a selection of Mallinson s works including his song cycle My Garden in addition to little heard works from the Scandinavian composers Peter Heise and Fritz Arlberg 2 3 He composed over 400 songs A Freemason in 1904 he was initiated into the Lodge of Honour and Friendship No 1266 in Blandford in Dorset 4 where he was then living In 1904 he and his wife performed some of his songs before Queen Alexandra at Buckingham Palace and in 1905 he gave recitals of his own compositions at Dresden In 1906 he gave a series of seven recitals at the Bechstein Hall in London the programmes of which were exclusively devoted to songs of his own composition sung by his wife and Ada Crossley From 1898 to 1903 Mallinson held the post of private organist to Viscount Portman A series of organ recitals given by him on the beautiful Cavaille Col organ in Jesus Church Copenhagen aroused exceptional interest among musicians in that city From 1904 he resided at Dresden where he acted as organist at the English Church He was an admirable accompanist and visited London every year to give a series of song recitals together with his wife which were among the principal events of the musical season His pieces Four by the Clock and We Sway Along the Ridges were played at the Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 1910 2 5 In his latter years James Albert Mallinson lived at Elsinore in Denmark and here he died in 1946 In his will he left 10 658 9s 4d to his widow 6 A recording of his New Year Song sung by the contralto Ada Crossley accompanied by Christopher H H Booth on the piano was released on the album From Melba to Sutherland Australian Singers on Record released by Decca in 2016 7 Selected songs editA birthday Text Christina Georgina Rossetti Abendstunde A garden is a lovesome thing Text T E Brown All the breath and the bloom of the year Text Robert Browning A Lament for the Summer Auf Wiedersehen Text James Russell Lowell Autumn A wild rose Text Alfred Austin Baby Bed in Summer Text Robert Louis Stevenson Blue Eyes of Spring in Lyrics from other lands eight songs Text Anonymous after Heinrich Heine Boy Johnny Text Christina Georgina Rossetti Canoe Song Daybreak Text Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Divination by a Daffodil Dream of a blessed spirit Text William Butler Yeats Ein Geburtstag Text Anonymous after Christina Georgina Rossetti Eldorado Text Edgar Allan Poe Eleanore Text Eric Mackay Float little boat Four by the Clock Text Henry Wadsworth Longfellow From my arm chair Text Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Gloriana In the Appleboughs Intra Muros Life s Rose Text W E Henley My Garden song cycle My Heart the Bird of the Wilderness Text Rabindranath Tagore My Love s like the red red Rose New Year Song On the Way to Kew Text William Ernest Henley Over the Western Sea Text William Ernest Henley Seven Songs Text Christina Georgina Rossetti Sing Break into Song Slow horses slow Text Thomas Westwood Snowflakes Songs of Lesbos six songs Text Sappho The Golden Rose of Mitylene eleven songs Text Sappho The Old Bridge at Florence Text Henry Wadsworth Longfellow There is a Measure Set to all Things Mortal There is a Medler Tree There lies the warmth of summer Text H Harper after Heinrich Heine The sunrise wakes the lark to sing Text Christina Georgina Rossetti To an Isle in the Water Text William Butler Yeats To me at my fifth floor window Text William Ernest Henley Violet We Sway Along the Ridges Text William Ernest Henley What comes Text Christina Georgina Rossetti When e er I gaze within thine eyes Text Anonymous after Heinrich Heine 8 References edit 1871 England Census for James Albert Mallinson Yorkshire Leeds West Leeds Ancestry com subscription required a b c Saxe Wyndham Henry Who s Who in Music A Biographical Record of Contemporary Musicians Sir I Pitman amp Sons Ltd London 1913 p 132 Concert by Anna Steinhauer Albert Mallinson at the Bechstein hall 1901 Wigmore Hall website England United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers 1751 1921 for James Albert Mallinson United Grand Lodge of England 1887 1909 Membership Registers Country O 1208 1296 to Country P 1299 1390 Ancestry com subscription required Performances of the works of Albert Mallinson 1910 The Proms website England amp Wales National Probate Calendar Index of Wills and Administrations 1858 1995 for James Albert Mallinson 1946 Ancestry com subscription required From Melba to Sutherland Australian Singers on Record Presto Classical website Composer James Albert Mallinson 1870 1946 The LiederNet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Albert Mallinson amp oldid 1170811746, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
