Dorothea Anne Franchi (17 February 1920 – 22 August 2003) was a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

pianist, harpist, music educator and composer.

Early life and education

Franchi was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand, in 1920, the daughter of Peter Rudolph and Gertrude Franchi. She studied at the Auckland Teachers College and the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, where she graduated BMus in 1939. She then went to the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1948. She studied harp, composition and piano accompaniment.

Career

Franchi taught music at

Epsom Girls' Grammar School Epsom Girls Grammar School (often simplified to Epsom Girls, or EGGS) is a state secondary school for girls ranging from years 9 to 13 in Auckland, New Zealand. It has a roll of 2,200 as of 2025, making it one of the largest schools in New Zeala ...

in Auckland before going to study in London. From 1953 to 1958 she took the position of musical director and pianist for the newly formed New Zealand Ballet Company, working with

Poul Gnatt Poul Rudolph Gnatt (24 March 1923 – 15 October 1995) was a Danish dancer and balletmaster active in New Zealand. Childhood Gnatt was born in Baden, Austria. His father was Kai Gnatt, flower merchant, and his mother Kaja Olsen, both fro ...

. She had a successful career as a pianist and harpist, and her works are performed internationally.

Honours and awards

Lionel Tertis Lionel Tertis, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (29 December 187622 February 1975) was an English viola, violist. He was one of the first viola players to achieve international fame, and a noted teacher. Career Tertis was born ...

Prize for ''Viola Rhapsody'', 1950 * Philip Neill Memorial Prize, 1947 *The

Composers Association of New Zealand The Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ), established in 1974, after an initial meeting of composers was organised by David Farquhar. Farquhar was the association's first president. It is a body that lobbies for the interests of New Zealand ...

KBB Citation for Services to New Zealand Music, 2000

Works

Franchi composed for orchestra, chamber ensemble, voice and instrumental performance. Selected works include: *''A Man of Life Upright'' for bass and piano *''A Wet Night in Greymouth'' for voice and piano *''Abel Tasman'' for voice, piccolo, piano and drum *''Apple-Picking Time'' for voice and piano *''Concertino'' for harmonica, harp and strings *''Do-Wack-A-Do'' (1956) – orchestral suite from the ballet of the same name *''El Bailador Inamorado'' song cycle for tenor and piano *''Eventide'' for tenor, string quartet and piano *''Four Pioneer Portraits'' (1949) – cycle of four songs for mezzo-soprano and piano based on poems by

Robin Hyde Robin Hyde, the pseudonym used by Iris Guiver Wilkinson (19 January 1906 – 23 August 1939), was a South African-born New Zealand poet, journalist and novelist. Early life Wilkinson was born in Cape Town to an English father and an Australia ...

Eileen Duggan Eileen May Duggan (21 May 1894 – 10 December 1972) was a New Zealand poet and journalist, from an Irish Roman Catholic family. She worked in Wellington as a journalist, and wrote a weekly article for the Catholic weekly ''The New Zealand ...

and

Louis Esson Thomas Louis Buvelot Esson (10 August 1878 – 27 November 1943) was an Australian poet, journalist, critic and playwright. He was a co-founder of the Pioneer Players. His second wife, Hilda Esson (nee Bull), had a career in theatre besides work ...

*''God Bless You Boy'' for voice and piano

References

External links

Dorothea Franchi Collection
at the

Alexander Turnbull Library The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the ...