Edward James Loder (10 July 1809 – 5 April 1865) was an English composer and conductor. His best remembered work is perhaps the 1855 opera '' Raymond and Agnes'', though his most successful opera during his lifetime was ''The Night Dancers''.

Biography

Loder was born in

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

. He was the son of John David Loder (1788–1846), a violinist and musical director of the

Theatre Royal, Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audien ...

, and his wife Rosamund, née Mills (1787–1856), a step-daughter of the comedian John Fawcett. Edward Loder's twin brother John Fawcett Loder (1809–1853) was a violinist, and a younger brother William Sowerby Loder (1812–1851) was a cellist who married the soprano Emily Woodyatt. His cousins included the composer and conductor George Loder (1816–1868) and George's sister, composer and pianist

Kate Loder Kate Fanny Loder, later Lady Thompson, (21 August 1825 – 30 August 1904) was an English composer and pianist. Biography Ancestry Kate Loder was born on 21 August 1825, on Bathwick Street, Bathwick, within Bath, Somerset where the Loder f ...

. Loder's family sent him to Frankfurt in 1826 to study under

Ferdinand Ries Ferdinand Ries (baptised 28 November 1784 – 13 January 1838) was a German composer. Ries was a friend, pupil and secretary of Ludwig van Beethoven. He composed eight symphony, symphonies, a violin concerto, nine piano concertos (the first ...

, who was an old friend of the family. He returned to England in 1828 and embarked on a successful career as an opera conductor in London as the music director of Princess's Theatre, and, from 1851 in Manchester, leading the Theatre Royal. His first composing success was ''Nourjahad'' in 1834. His compositions include operas,

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

ballad opera The ballad opera is a genre of England, English ''comic opera'' stage play that originated in the early 18th century, and continued to develop over the following century and later. Like the earlier ''comédie en vaudeville'' and the later ''Sings ...

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s, and many songs. Today he is most remembered for his opera '' Raymond and Agnes'' (1855), which was revived in Cambridge in 1966. His most successful opera during his lifetime was ''The Night Dancers'', sometimes referred to as ''The Wilis, or The Night Dancers'', or ''Giselle, or The Night Dancers'', first produced in 1846 and revived at Covent Garden in 1860. On 10 November 1831, Loder married Elizabeth Mary Watson (c.1813–1880) at

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. It appears they were separated within a few years, as in 1861 he stated that his wife was Louisa Alice Foster, born c. 1838. He appears to have fathered a son (Edward Loder Garside 1850–1940) with the actress Clara Garside Neville (1827–1869) during his marriage to Louisa. Tributes at the time of his death state that he was a bachelor. He died in London in 1865.

Works

Incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...

for the

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

'' Black-Eyed Susan, or All in the Downs'' by

Douglas William Jerrold Douglas William Jerrold (3 January 18038 June 1857) was an English dramatist and writer. Early life Jerrold's father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook, Kent. In 1807 the family moved to Sh ...

(18 November 1830, Theatre Royal, Bath) *''Nourjahad'',

grand opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and Orchestra, orchestras. The original productions consisted of spectacular design and stage effects with plots normally based on o ...

Samuel James Arnold Samuel James Arnold (1774–1852) was an English dramatist and theatrical manager. Under his management the Lyceum Theatre, London became the English Opera House, and staged the first English productions of many operas, including in 1824 Carl M ...

(21 July 1834,

Lyceum Theatre, London The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arno ...

) *''The Widow Queen'', historical

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

Thomas James Serle Thomas James Serle (1798–1889) was an English dramatist and actor. He was also a journalist with the '' Weekly Dispatch''. Early life Serle was born in Gracechurch Street, London, on 28 October 1798, and educated for the Bar. Between the ages o ...

(9 October 1834, English Opera House, London) *''The Covenanters'', Scottish

Thomas John Dibdin Thomas John Dibdin (21 March 1771 – 16 September 1841) was an English dramatist and songwriter. Life Dibdin was the son of Charles Dibdin, a songwriter and theatre manager, and of "Mrs Davenet", an actress whose real name was Harriett Pitt. ...

(10 August 1835, English Opera House, London) *''The Dice of Death'', melodrama by

John Oxenford John Oxenford (12 August 1812 – 21 February 1877) was an English dramatist, critic and translator. Life Oxenford was born in Camberwell, London, his father a prosperous merchant. While he was privately educated, it is reported that he was mos ...

(14 September 1835, English Opera House, London) *''The Foresters, or Twenty-Five Years Since'', drama by Thomas James Serle (19 October 1838,

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

, London) *''Francis the First'', opera by McKinlan (6 November 1838,

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

, London) *''The Deer Stalkers, or The Outlaw's Daughter'', Scottish operatic drama by

Mark Lemon Mark Lemon (30 November 1809, in London – 23 May 1870, in Crawley) was the founding editor of both ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' and ''The Field (magazine), The Field''. He was also a writer of Play (theatre), plays and verses. Biography ...

(12 April 1841, English Opera House, London) *''The Wilis, or The Night Dancers'', romantic drama by

George Soane George Soane (1790–1860) was an English writer and dramatist. Life The younger son of John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture ...

(28 October 1846,

Princess's Theatre, London The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street, London. The building opened in 1828 as the "Queen's Bazaar" and housed a diorama by Clarkson Stanfield and David Roberts. It was converted into a theatre and opened in 18 ...

) *''The Sultana'', comedietta, adaptation from

Isaac Bickerstaffe Isaac Bickerstaffe or Bickerstaff (26 September 1733 – after 1808) was an Irish playwright and librettist. Early life Isaac John Bickerstaff was born in Dublin, on 26 September 1733, where his father John Bickerstaff held a government pos ...

's ''The Sultan, or a Peep into the Seraglio'' (8 January 1848, Princess's Theatre, London) *''The Andalusian, or the Young Guard'',

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

by George Soane (20 January 1848, Princess's Theatre, London) *''Robin Goodfellow, or the Frolics of Puck'', ballad opera by Edward Loder (6 December 1848, Princess's Theatre, London) *''The Island of Calypso'', operatic masque by George Soane (14 April 1852,

Exeter Hall Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings of activists for various cause ...

, London) *''Dick Whittington and His Cat'',

burletta In theater and music history, a burletta (Italian, meaning "little joke", sometimes burla or burlettina) is a brief comic opera. In eighteenth-century Italy, a burletta was the comic intermezzo between the acts of an ''opera seria''. The extended w ...

by Mark Lemon based on the English legend (December 1852, Theatre Royal, Manchester) *''Balcony Courtship'',

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

by Edward Loder (6 May 1853, Theatre Royal, Manchester) *'' Raymond and Agnes'', romantic opera by Edward Fitzball (14 August 1855, Theatre Royal, Manchester) *''Never Judge by Appearances'', operetta by Henri Drayton (7 July 1859,

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

, London) *''Saved by a Song'', operetta by Henry Robert Addison (21 December 1868 (posthumous), Princess's Theatre, London)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Loder, Edward James 1809 births 1865 deaths English opera composers English male opera composers 19th-century English classical composers Musicians from Bath, Somerset 19th-century English musicians 19th-century English male musicians

Biography

Works

References

Further reading

External links