Born in Whitchurch, Shropshire, Feb 17, 1862
Died in London, Nov 11, 1936
Born Edward German Jones
Pronunciation: the “G” in “German” is a hard G, like the G in “garden,” not “jer-man” as in “Germany.” The name “German” is an anglicized version of the Welsh name “Garmon.”
German’s father was Welsh and his mother was English; his Oxford Music Online article describes the composer as “Anglo-Welsh.”
- Edward German was a violinist and composer educated at the Royal Academy of Music.1
- He adopted the professional name “Edward German” while he was a student, apparently because there was already an Edward Jones at the RAM.2
- German specialized in music for the theater. He composed music for stage plays, including working as Musical Director at the Globe Theatre. He also continued the English operetta tradition of Gilbert and Sullivan, becoming one of the genre’s last prominent practitioners.3
Sources
- David Russell Hulme, “German, Sir Edward,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 20, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000010936.
- Liner notes to German: Symphony No. 2 / Welsh Rhapsody, Ireland National Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Penny, Marco Polo 8.223726, CD, 1995.
- Hulme, “German, Sir Edward,” Grove Music Online.