Edward Jakobowski (17 April 1856 – 29 April 1929) was an English composer, especially of musical theatre, best known for writing the hit

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

'' Erminie''.

Life and career

Jakobowski was born in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

, London, the only son of Israel Jakobowski (born c. 1819), a salesman dealing in stationery and cigars, and his wife Fanny (born c. 1834), who were both Viennese of Polish extraction. He had an older sister, Helena (born c. 1855). At age six, he moved to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria, where he lived for some 15 years and was given a musical education. In the late 1870s he lived in Paris for three years. In 1881, he returned to London."Edward Jakobowski and Comic Opera"
''Kate Field's Washington'', vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 300–01, 17 January 1894, accessed 24 April 2014 Jakobowski's most successful work by far, '' Erminie'', opened in 1885 in London. It was revived extensively and toured internationally, playing with extraordinary success on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

from 1886. None of his other works had more than a short run or two, although many of them toured profitably. For two

Victorian burlesque Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as travesty or extravaganza, is a genre of theatrical entertainment that was popular in Victorian England and in the New York theatre of the mid-19th century. It is a form of parody in which a well-known oper ...

s, ''The Three Beggars'' (1883) and ''Little Carmen'' (1884), Jakobowski used the pen name Edward Belville. His principal shows were ''Dick'' (1884, based on the story of

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington ( March 1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal,Will of Richard Whittington: " I leave to my executors named below the entire tenement in which I live in the parish of St. Michael Paternoster Royal, Londo/ ...

; libretto: Alfred Murray), ''Erminie'' (1885), ''The Palace of Pearl'' (1886), ''Mynheer Jan'' (1887; libretto: Harry Paulton), ''Paola'' (1889; libretto: Paulton), ''La Rosiére'' (1893, in one act), '' The Queen of Brilliants'' (1894; libretto:

Brandon Thomas Brandon Thomas may refer to: *Brandon Thomas (playwright) (1848–1914), English actor and playwright who wrote the hit farce, ''Charley's Aunt'' * Brandon Thomas (musician) (born 1980), American rock band singer *Brandon Thomas (American football) ...

, starring

Lillian Russell Lillian Russell (born Helen Louise Leonard; December 4, 1860 or 1861 – June 6, 1922) was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, praised for her beaut ...

), ''The Devil's Deputy'' (1894; libretto: J. Cheever Goodwin), ''Milord Sir Smith'' (1898, originally titled ''Cumpano''; libretto O'Day and

Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes (23 December 1859 – 11 September 1933), better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific English writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th ...

), ''Tarantella'' (1899; libretto: Alfred Murray) and ''Winsome Winnie'' (1903). He was one of eight composers who contributed to ''Pat'' in 1892. Two short operettas in 1893 with libretti by B. C. Stephenson, ''The Improvisatore'' and ''A Venetian Singer'', made little impact. Jakobowski was married twice, the second time in New York in 1895 to Clara Brown, which ended in a London divorce in 1901. In 1902, he was declared bankrupt with debts of £1,090 (£ in adjusted for inflation). He died at the Infirmary,

Friern Barnet Friern Barnet () is a suburban area within the London Borough of Barnet, north of Charing Cross. Its centre is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane (running north and south), Woodhouse Road (taking westbound traffic towards No ...

, north London, in 1929. His estate was valued at 47 pounds, 8 shillings."Edward Jakobowski"
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), April–June 1929, p. 416,

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

(registration required)''England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes'', London, England, April–June 1929, p. 376

Notes

References

*Wearing, J. P. "Jakobowski, Edward r Edouard in ''The London Stage, 1890–1899: A Calendar of Plays and Players'', The Scarecrow Press (1976)

External links

Photo of Lillian Russell in ''The Queen of Brilliants''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jakobowski, Edward 1856 births 1929 deaths 19th-century English composers 20th-century English composers Composers from London English people of Polish descent Musicians from the London Borough of Islington