Francis Hutchens

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(15 January 1892 – 18 October 1965) was a

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, music teacher and

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 ...

originally from

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He became a popular concert pianist in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and was a founding member of the

New South Wales Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music and known by the moniker "The Con") is a heritage-listed music school in Macquarie Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the ol ...

, where he taught for fifty years.

Early life and education

Hutchens' parents, Richard Lavers Hutchens and his wife Maria Giles, née Hosking, both Cornish, migrated to

in 1879. Richard tried his hand at farming and bootmaking before settling down at

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established i ...

as a piano teacher. Frank Hutchens was born in

Leeston Leeston (Māori language, Māori: ''Karumata'') is a town on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 30 kilometres southwest of Christchurch, between the shore of Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora and the mouth of the Ra ...

near

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

on 15 January 1892. He attended Hawera District High School. In 1904, at the age of twelve, Hutchens had the opportunity to demonstrate his talents after his piano teacher arranged for him to play for the virtuoso

Ignaz Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versail ...

, who was then touring New Zealand. Impressed with the boy's potential, Paderewski encouraged him to study in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. The following year, at the age of thirteen, Hutchens travelled alone to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to attend the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

, where he studied piano and composition with

Tobias Matthay Tobias Augustus Matthay (19 February 185815 December 1945) was an English pianist, teacher, and composer. Biography Matthay was born in Clapham, Surrey, in 1858 to parents who had come from northern Germany and eventually became naturalised Brit ...

and

Frederick Corder Frederick Corder (26 January 1852 – 21 August 1932) was an English composer and music teacher. Life Corder was born in Hackney, the son of Micah Corder and his wife Charlotte Hill. He was educated at Blackheath Proprietary School and start ...

. At the Academy, he won the

Sterndale Bennett Sir William Sterndale Bennett (13 April 18161 February 1875) was an English composer, pianist, conductor and music educator. At the age of ten Bennett was admitted to the London Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he remained for ten years. B ...

and

Thalberg Thalberg or Talberg is a surname of German origin, which means "valley hill". It may refer to: *Irving Thalberg (1899–1936), American film producer * Irving Thalberg Jr. (1930–1988), American philosopher * Norma Thalberg (1902–1983), Canadian ...

scholarships, and also the Hine Prize and the Chappell gold medal for pianoforte playing. In 1909, at the age of 17, he became the youngest sub-professor yet appointed to the Academy.Australian Music Centre. In 1911 however, he was forced to return home after his mother fell ill and the family faced financial difficulties.

Later career

Having given many recitals in New Zealand, Hutchens decided in 1913 to return to London to resume his career, but after arriving in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

for a stopover, he was given the opportunity to perform with the Sydney Amateur Orchestral Society conducted by

Alfred Hill Alfred Hill may refer to: * Alfred John Hill (1862–1927), British railway engineer * Alfred Hill (cricketer, born 1865) (1865–1936), English cricketer * Alfred Hill (politician) (1867–1945), British Member of Parliament for Leicester West 19 ...

. He decided to stay, and in 1915 was offered a position by

Henri Verbrugghen Henri Adrien Marie Verbrugghen (1 August 187312 November 1934) was a Belgian musician, who directed orchestras in England, Scotland, Australia and the United States. Born in Brussels, Verbrugghen made his first appearance as a violinist when o ...

as a founding professor with the newly formed

, which he accepted. Hutchens was rejected for military service in 1916, and he went on to become an influential teacher, retaining his role as a professor with the Conservatorium for fifty years. Prior to his death in 1965 at the age of 73, he was the only remaining original member of the Conservatorium on staff. In addition to his successful teaching career, Hutchens in 1924 formed a piano duo with

Lindley Evans Lindley Evans Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (18 November 18952 December 1982) was a Cape Colony-born Australian composer, pianist and teacher. He is best known for his collaboration with Frank Hutchens in a famous piano ...

, which was destined to become another long and successful partnership. Over the course of the next forty years, Hutchens and Evans made many tours of Australia and New Zealand, giving concerts and broadcasts, and they were among the first composer-performer teams to be recorded commercially in Australia. Highlights of the partnership included the premiere of Hutchens' own work the ''Fantasie Concerto'' and Evans' ''Idyll'' with the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra that was initially formed in 1908. Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been its home concert hall. Simone Young is the orchestra's chief conductor and firs ...

in 1943 (later recorded by the duo in 1962), a recital for

Dame Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century ...

, and the premiere performance in Australia of

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

's Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor. The success of the Hutchens-Evans partnership enabled them to establish a scholarship for young musicians, funded by their own concerts. As an examiner for the

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualification ...

and

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 ...

in London, Hutchens had the requisite experience to assist in the establishment of the

Australian Music Examinations Board The Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) is a federated, privately funded corporation which provides a program of examinations for music, speech and drama in Australia. The organisation had its beginnings at the Universities of Melbourne ...

as an independent body. He was also a professor at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, President of the NSW Musical Association, a director of APRA, and a member of the Sydney Conservatorium's advisory board.

Personal life

In 1955 Hutchens married Joyce White, granddaughter of R. H. D. White. His wife, a former pupil of his whom he had known since 1927, was a musician herself who gave much encouragement to his career. The couple had no children. He was still active as a performer and teacher when he sustained fatal injuries in a car accident that occurred in Sydney's northern suburbs. On 18 October 1965, he died at the nearby

Mona Vale Hospital Mona Vale Hospital is located in the suburb of Mona Vale, on the Northern Beaches of metropolitan Sydney, Australia. It is a public hospital managed by New South Wales Health, and part of the Northern Sydney Local Health District. The hospit ...

Awards and honours

Hutchens was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 1939, and was also named a "Bard of Cornwall". In the 1962

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

he was appointed an Officer (OBE) of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for "services to Music in the State of New South Wales." Scholarships in composition are awarded annually in his name to students under 25, and his portrait, by Cornish painter

Stanhope Forbes Stanhope Alexander Forbes (18 November 1857 – 2 March 1947) was a British artist and a founding member of the influential Newlyn school of painters. He was often called 'the father of the Newlyn School'.Bainton. Among his best-known works are the ''Concerto Symphonique'' for piano and orchestra, the ''Concerto'' and ''Quintet'' (both for piano and strings), the ''Fantasie Concerto'', and ''Air Mail Palestine'' for baritone and orchestra. He also made a large number of recordings for the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Footnotes

References

Frank Hutchens
Australian Music Centre.

by Helen Bainton, Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchens, Frank 1892 births 1965 deaths 20th-century classical composers Classical piano duos New Zealand classical composers Male classical composers New Zealand classical musicians New Zealand classical pianists Male classical pianists New Zealand people of Cornish descent Officers of the Order of the British Empire Academic staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Piano pedagogues Australian people of Cornish descent New Zealand music teachers Fellows of the Royal Academy of Music Road incident deaths in New South Wales 20th-century classical pianists People from Leeston 20th-century male musicians New Zealand emigrants to Australia