Edwards, Julian

1855-

Composer, who was born in Manchester, England. Was a pupil of Sir Hubert Oakeley at the Edinburgh University and of Sir George Macfarren in London. After some preliminary experience in the Carl Rosa Opera Company, at its best period, he became musical director of the Royal English Opera Company, a position he held for several years, leaving it in 1888 to assume the leadership of the J. C. Duff Opera Company in New York City. His first work of importance, Victorian, a grand opera in four acts, was produced in Sheffield, and by the Royal English Opera Company in Covent Garden, London, in 1883. The first work to be given in America was a comic opera, Jupiter, performed in 1893, with libretto by Harry B. Smith. This was followed by Friend Fritz, a musical comedy; King Rene's Daughter, a lyrical drama, in 1893; Madeleine, or the Magic Kiss, a romantic comic opera, in Boston, 1894; The Goddess of Truth; and Brian Boru, in 1896, the latter given at the Broadway Theatre, New York. The Wedding Day was

Eroduced in 1897, and was very popuir. Other successes in light opera were The Jolly Musketeer, 1898; The Princess Chic, 1899; Dolly Varden, 1901 ; When Johnny Comes Marching Home, which had a long summer run at McVicker's Theatre, 1902; Love's Lottery, in which Schumann-Heink sang in light opera for the first time, 1904; and His Honor the Mayor, which had a run in Chicago in 1905, and afterward in New York. The Girl and the Governor was produced in 1907, and the same year The Redeemer, a sacred cantata, was given at Ocean Grove and Chautauqua. The Mermaid was produced at Carnegie Hall in April, 1907, by the Musurgia Society. He also wrote the incidental music to Quo Vadis, The palace of the King, and Gringoire. The next light opera to be produced is The Motor Girl, while two grand operas, Corinne and Elfinella, are in negotiation. His latest work, a cantata, entitled Lazarus, for chorus, solos and orchestra, was given at Chautauqua, N. Y., in July, 1907, and was very well received, not only by the large audience in general but by the professional musicians, who went to Chautauqua expressly to hear  the first performance, and who consider it his best cantata so far.