Clarke, James Hamilton Smee

1840-

He was born in Birmingham, England. Is a dramatic composer, chiefly self-taught. Has been organist successively at Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast, Oxford, London and other cities. Traveled as conductor of the Carlotta Patti concert troupe, in 1873, and with a company performing The Sorcerer. In 1878, was leader of the Opera Comique in London and musical director of the Lyceum Theatre. Among his works are overtures to Hamlet, Rob Roy, Lady of Lyons, and Corsican Brothers; several operettas; a sacred cantata; symphonies; concertos; organ music; part-songs and much sacred music. While director of the Lyceum, he wrote overtures and incidental music, foi several plays revived by Sir Henry Irving, among them The Iron Chest; overture and masque music for the Merchant of Venice; and overture, and masque music, choruses, march dirge and incidental music for The Cup, a tragedy by Tennyson; and produced by Irving at the Lyceum in 1881.