Arthur Elwell Fisher (29 May 1848 – after 1912) was an English

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

violist ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist, and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

Ladislav Cselenyi-Granch.
Under the Sign of the Big Fiddle: The R.S. Williams Family, Manufacturers and Collectors of Musical Instruments
'. Dundurn; 15 October 1996. . p. 51–.Graeme Mercer Adam.
Toronto, Old and New: A Memorial Volume, Historical, Descriptive and Pictorial, Designed to Mark the Hundredth Anniversary of the Passing of the Constitutional Act of 1791, which Set Apart the Province of Upper Canada and Gave Birth to York (now Toronto) with Some Sketches of the Men who Have Made Or are Making the Provincial Capital
'. Mail printing Company; 1891. p. 138–. who was primarily active in North America. His compositional output includes ''String Trio in G, Opus 54'', a ''Rhapsody'' for violin and orchestra, a ''Thanksgiving Cantata'', several works for solo

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and solo violin, choral works, and roughly 100 songs. His works were published in Canada by I. Suckling & Sons and A. & S. Nordheimer Co., in England by Ashdown, Curwen Press, and

Novello Novello may refer to: Places * Novello, Piedmont, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cuneo, Italy * Novello Theatre, a theatre in the City of Westminster, London, England People Given name * Clara Novello Davies (1861–1943), Welsh singer, named af ...

, and in the United States by Century, Oliver Ditson and Company,

G. Schirmer G. Schirmer, Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. The oldest active music publisher in the United States, Schirmer publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-know ...

, and Summy-Birchard Music.

Early life and education

Fisher was born in England.
History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario: Containing an Outline of the History of the Dominion of Canada; a History of the City of Toronto and the County of York, with the Townships, Towns, General and Local Statistics; Biographical Sketches
'. C.B. Robinson; 1885. p. 2–. He studied the violin at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

and with Henry Holmes (1839–1905) in London.

Career

Fisher worked as a church organist in Liverpool during the 1870s. In 1879 he emigrated to Canada, and assumed the post of organist at St George's Church in Montreal, while giving organ lessons privately. He left there in 1882 to pursue studies at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in Toronto where he earned a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

in 1887. He also earned associates diplomas from

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

and the Royal College of Organists in 1889 through visiting examiners from those schools to Canada. By this time he had composed and published a number of pieces of vocal music.
The Choir: A Weekly Journal of Music, Literature and Art
'. Vol. 17, 18. Metzler.; 1874. p. 325, 341. Fisher joined the music faculty of the Toronto Conservatory of Music (TCM) in 1887 where he taught courses in piano, violin, voice, and theory. He also taught similar courses at the

Toronto College of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

, held several church organist posts in Toronto, founded the St Cecilia Choral Society of Toronto, and actively performed as a violist in the TCM's

Toronto String Quartette The Toronto String Quartette (TSQ) was the name of three un-related professional Canadian string quartets based in Toronto, Ontario. The first TSQ: 1884-1887 The first Toronto String Quartette was formed in 1884 by the newly established Toronto Qu ...

. In 1887 he was appointed the TCM's first travelling examiner; officiating local examinations in Ontario and in Western Canada. From 1887 to 1890 he contributed numerous editorials and musical compositions the ''Musical Journal''. Among his notable pupils was W. H. Hewlett. Music critic

Hector Charlesworth Hector Willoughby Charlesworth (28 September 1872 – 30 December 1945) was a Canadian writer, editor, and critic. Biography Hector Charlesworth was born in Hamilton on 28 September 1872. He married Katherine Ryan on 15 February 1897, and they h ...

described Fisher as "a man of profound learning, though still under the shadow of the cathedral, like most English musicians of the eighties." Fisher's

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

for female choir and piano, ''The Wreck of the Hesperus'', premiered in 1893 and the following year was rescored for performance by a mixed choir and orchestra for the opening festival of Massey Hall. In 1893 Fisher resigned from his position at the TCM due to conflicts surrounding the terms of his contract with the school. He was appointed a music examiner at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1896 and that same year was made music director of the Kingston Ladies' College. Sometime during the first decade of the 20th century he joined the faculty of the

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicago Academy of Music. The institution h ...

where he was actively teaching up through 1912. After this his whereabouts and activities are unknown, although scholars believe he most likely remained in the United States until his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Arthur Elwell 1848 births 20th-century deaths English composers English organists British male organists English violinists British male violinists English violists The Royal Conservatory of Music faculty Toronto College of Music faculty Trinity College (Canada) alumni Alumni of Trinity College of Music Year of death missing