Frederic Austin

Frederic Austin ( born March 30, 1872 in London, † April 10, 1952 in London ) was an English singer and composer.

After private lessons in composition and organ playing in Birkenhead Austin initially worked there as an organist and taught at the Liverpool College of Music. There he met with Cyril Scott, about whom he came into contact with other English composers, especially Balfour Gardiner, Percy Grainger, Roger Quilter, Arnold Bax, Frederick Delius, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst.

In 1906 he gave up teaching and made itself increasingly as a baritone soloist a name, so he sang at Covent Garden in 1908 under Hans Richter in the Ring of the Nibelung. Self et al under Thomas Beecham led him also to the European continent. Austin's vocal emphasis was next to Wagner on music of his contemporaries, such as the works of Claude Debussy ( Pelléas et Mélisande ), Richard Strauss ( Feuersnot, Elektra ) and Arnold Schoenberg. 1924 to 1929 he led the British National Opera Company as Artistic Director.

Austin also worked as composer forth, inter alia, with a symphony in E minor (1913 ), two concert overtures, a concertino for piano and other orchestral works, such as the Spring Rhapsody (1907). He also wrote chamber music, songs, and stage and film scores. Frederic Austin's reworking of The Beggar's Opera by John Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch was listed 1920-1923 1463 time in London.

His brother Ernest Austin was also active as a composer.