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Thomas Beecham

File:Sir-Thomas-Beecham-US-1948.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Thomas Beecham

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Also known as Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, H. C. Thomas, Reverend H. C. Thomas, Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet

British conductor and impresario (1879–1961)

Person · Open Library

Works
11

Top works

  • Beecham's family almanack
  • A mingled chime, an autobiography
  • Frederick Delius
  • Mingled Chime
  • Beecham's happy thought reading puzzle book

via Open Library + Wikidata

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
5,944
Total plays
30,302

Tags

operaconductorenglishClassicalt beecham

See Sir Thomas Beecham. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Thomas+Beecham">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · Thomas Beecham

Quotes

  • Great music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and leaves the memory with difficulty. Magical music never leaves the memory.
  • The musical equivalent of the towers of St Pancras Station
  • Asked if he had ever conducted any Stockhausen, he said, "No, but I once trod in some."
  • Too much counterpoint; what is worse, Protestant counterpoint.
  • A musicologist is a man who can read music but can't hear it.
  • The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Wikidata facts

Image
Beecham emu 1910.jpg
Show 6 more facts
Commons category
Thomas Beecham
date of birth
1879-04-29
date of death
1961-03-08
start of work period
1899-00-00
end of work period
1961-00-00
name in native language
Thomas Beecham
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Article

Beecham rehearsing in 1948 Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet (29 April 1879 – 8 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to the BBC, was Britain's first international conductor.

Born to a rich industrial family, Beecham began his career as a conductor in 1899. He used his access to the family fortune to finance opera from the 1910s until the start of the Second World War, staging seasons at Covent Garden, Drury Lane and His Majesty's Theatre with international stars, his own orchestra and a wide repertoire. Among the works he introduced to England were Richard Strauss's Elektra, Salome and Der Rosenkavalier and three operas by Frederick Delius.

Gallery (12)

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