George French Flowers (1811 – 14 June 1872) was an English composer and musical theorist. He founded a society to promote

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

, and a music school for young singers.

Early career

Flowers was born in

Boston, Lincolnshire Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Boston is north of London, north-east of Peterborough, east of Nottingham, south-east of Lincoln, south-southeast of Hull ...

, the fourth son of the Rev. Field Flowers. He studied music in Germany with

Christian Heinrich Rinck Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck (18 February 1770 – 23 July 1846) was a German composer and organist of the late classical and early romantic eras. Life and career Rinck was born in Elgersburg (in present-day Thuringia), and died in Darmst ...

and

Franz Xaver Schnyder von Wartensee Franz Xaver Schnyder von Wartensee (18 April 1786 – 27 August 1868) was a Swiss-born composer, teacher of composition and writer on music, resident in Frankfurt-am-Main for most of his career. Life He was born in Lucerne; his father Jost Schny ...

, and went on to graduate BMus from

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, situated on Turl Street in central Oxford. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Fleming, the ...

, in 1839. In 1865 he obtained DMus. He was organist successively at the Chapel of the British Embassy in Paris, at

St Mark's Church, Myddelton Square St Mark's Church is an Anglican church in the middle of Myddelton Square, the largest square in London's Clerkenwell district. The square was laid out by William Chadwell Mylne, and there are 75 houses, by 13 different builders, all constructed ...

, and at St John's, Paddington.

Contrapuntist's Society and publications

Flowers founded the Contrapuntists' Society in 1843. In a letter to the ''Musical Examiner'' he wrote that the object of the society "will be the encouragement and promotion of a more scientific feeling in regard to music than hitherto has existed in England. My notion is ... that, to obtain admittance into the ranks of the society, a candidate shall compose a fugue, of at least one hundred and fifty bars in length, in each bar of which the subject shall be introduced.... A more generally scientific feeling infused among musicians, would go far to gain from them that respect from the members of other professions, which assuredly they do not now enjoy.... It will bring the most accomplished members of the profession together.... He was responsible for some contrapuntal and musical reviews in the ''

Literary Gazette ''The Literary Gazette'' was a British literary magazine, established in London in 1817 with its full title being ''The Literary Gazette, and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences''. Sometimes it appeared with the caption title, "London Lite ...

'' about that time, and was author of an analysis of John Goss's ''An Introduction to Harmony and Thorough-Bass'' in the ''Fine Arts Journal'' (1847, p. 445 et seq.). His ''Essay on the Construction of Fugue'' appeared in London in 1846. It was reviewed in the ''Musical World'': "Mr. Flowers has fought most manfully in support of counterpoint and fugal compositions.... his object was to draw the attention of students to the works of Sebastian Bach and other classical writers.... The essay under notice is an endeavour on the part of Mr. Flowers to carry his point, by giving examples and musical illustrations. There are 44 pages... containing a vast amount of detail on the subject.... There are several fugues... all worthy of the best attention of students, to whom we recommend the essay." His ''Pictorial Representation of the Science of Harmony'', a translation of Basler's ''Reisekarte'', appeared in 1850, and a poem on ''Muscular Vocalisation'' in 1861. Flowers introduced and developed

Georg Joseph Vogler Abbé Vogler Georg Joseph Vogler, also known as Abbé Vogler (June 15, 1749 – May 6, 1814), was a German composer, organist, teacher and theorist. In a long and colorful career extending over many more nations and decades than was usual at the t ...

's system of progressive cadences. He contributed opinions on musical matters for many years to the ''Musical Examiner'' and ''Musical World''.

School of vocalization

In 1850 (''Musical World'', p. 650) Flowers announced that he would cultivate and bring forward English vocal talent by means of a British school of vocalization. He later organized concerts for his pupils. One of the concerts, in the

Hanover Square Rooms The Hanover Square Rooms or the Queen's Concert Rooms were assembly rooms established, principally for musical performances, on the corner of Hanover Square, London, by Sir John Gallini in partnership with Johann Christian Bach and Carl Friedric ...

, was reviewed in the ''Musical World'' in 1852: "This gentleman, having devoted his attention to the study of the voice, and the philosophy of the art of singing, has founded a class of vocalization, from which he invites the public to anticipate the most important results. His first practical appeal consisted of an entertainment in which his pupils, under his own direction, performed a selection of music from the most classical master. There were choruses, duets and solos.... Of Mr. Flowers' system we are not yet enabled to give an opinion; but it is fair to state that he has discovered and brought forward some very remarkable voices." The school of vocalization did not endure.

Mrs Howard Paul Isabella Hill (1 April 1833 – 6 June 1879), better known as Mrs Howard Paul, was an English actress, operatic singer and actress-manager of the Victorian era, best remembered for creating the role of Lady Sangazure in the Gilbert and Sullivan ...

may be cited as having been its most distinguished member.

Compositions

His compositions include organ fugues and choral fugues. His elaborate first mass, of about 1860, probably marks the date of his reception in the church of Rome. Flowers died of cholera on 14 June 1872.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flowers, George French 1811 births 1872 deaths People from Boston, Lincolnshire English male classical composers English classical composers 19th-century classical composers 19th-century English musicians 19th-century British composers 19th-century British male musicians