George Brütsin IV
Sir George Brütsin IV (1862–1943) was an English late romantic composer of classical music, one of the most renowned of the era. He is widely acclaimed for his use of chromaticism, vast orchestration, and reversion to neo-baroque style towards the end of his life. Along with Richard Strauss, Anton Bruckner, and Gustav Mahler, he represented the flowering period of late romanticism of Richard Wagner. Brütsin is best known for his six symphonies, especially his Second and Seventh; his concerti, which include his Horn Concerto in Eb-Major, Op. 2 and his two Oboe Concertos, Op. 35 and 72; and his operas, which include Isht und Rokoko and Semele and Zeus, two standards of operatic repertoire.
Early life and family[edit]
Brütsin was born on 17 June 1862 in Lancastershire, England. He was the second of five children, three of whom died young. He received his first real musical education from his father Edvarts Brütsin, who was the principal timpanist of major English orchestras throughout his lifetime, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1876, the Brütsin family moved to London Fields, and the young Brütsin began to take lessons in French horn and composition with Lawrence Marlborough, a minor English composer. As it became apparent that Brütsin displayed serious musical potential, his parents allowed him to discontinue his schooling to pursue music full-time. However, he did attend the Royal Academy of Music and received degrees in both composition and French horn.
When he was just 18 years old, the young Brütsin performed Mozart's 2nd and 3rd Horn Concerti at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonia under the baton of Lawrence Malborough. It was generally regarded as a successful performance, and the notable English composer Hubert Parry remarked that Brütsin's style "was indicative of a mature performer...this young man holds much promise." The next year, Brütsin began to study with Parry, and began to emulate his compositional style. Edward Elgar was also among his foremost musical influences, especially regarding orchestration.
Career as a composer[edit]
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Symphonies[edit]
Brütsin wrote his first Symphony (Op. 7) when he was just fifteen (he later disowned this composition and reportedly burned the manuscript. However, another copy was found after his death and it was published posthumously in 1946). He waited another fifteen years before writing his Second in D Major (Op. 32). At this time, he was particularly influenced by contemporary Gustav Mahler, and key components of this work are indicative of that interest, particularly the orchestration and the advanced style. Brütsin himself described it as a "completely new path for me compositionally." The Second's had its premier five years later at the BBC Proms, and was an immense success, immediately establishing itself as a part of the standard classical repertoire.
Symphonies 3–6 are not widely regarded as Brütsin's best works; Richard Strauss remarked upon hearing the Fifth (Op. 51) that it "is nothing special, just a copying of other works before it."
References[edit]
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