Thomas Oliphant (1799 – 1873) was a Scottish musician, artist and author whose works were well known in their day. He wrote the chorale for the wedding of the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.Marriage ceremonial and chorale sheet 10 March 1863 Printed by Harrison and Sons. Chorale words by Thomas Oliphant All Ye Who Music Love (SATB)
, Wisconsin Music Educators Association. Oliphant wrote the words to " Deck the Hall(s) with Boughs of Holly"."Welsh Melodies" Publisher: Addison, Hollier and Lucas; Lamborn Cock and Co.; J.B. Cramer & Co (London). Vols. 1&2 published in 1862. Vol 3 in 1870 and vol. 4 in 1874 Crystal Palace, Sydenham

Family background

Thomas was the fifth son of Ebenezer Oliphant, 7th of Condie and Mary, 3rd daughter of Sir William Stirling, Bt. of

Ardoch, Perth and Kinross Ardoch is a community in Perth and Kinross in Scotland, the largest population of which is in the village of Braco, west-southwest of Perth. Geography Over Ardoch and the Mill of Ardoch are the eponymous settlements which refer to the south-w ...

. Thomas was baptised at Forgandenny on Christmas Day in 1799.Burke's Landed Gentry 19th Edition, The Kingdom in ScotlandBurke's Peerage & Baronetage 107th Edition Oliphant was closely related to Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne. Oliphant had a total of six brothers and sisters. His eldest brother was Laurence Oliphant, 8th of Condie, Member of Parliament for Perth from 1832 to 1837. Another older brother, Sir Anthony Oliphant, was Chief Justice of

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. A third brother, Lt. Col.

James Oliphant Lieutenant-Colonel James Oliphant (1796–1881) was Director and Chairman of the Honourable East India Company, and Equerry to the Maharajah Duleep Singh of the Punjab. Family background James was the fourth son (of seven children) of Ebenezer ...

, was Chairman of the Honourable East India Company and it is from this brother that the present chiefly line of Oliphants descend. Thomas died unmarried on 9 March 1873 in Great Marlborough Street.Dictionary of National Biography

Early life

Oliphant was educated at Winchester College but left early. He became a member of the London Stock Exchange but after a short time left to pursue his interest in music and literature.

The Madrigal Society

In 1830 Oliphant was admitted a member of the Madrigal Society and in 1832 he became the Honorary Secretary of the society, a position which he held for 39 years, eventually becoming first the Vice-President and then a year later President of the Society in 1871. He wrote English words to a considerable number of Italian Madrigals for the Society's use, in some instances his words were translations but in many, they were his own creation.

Musical career

Like his more famous cousin, Oliphant was primarily a lyricist, writing his own new words or his own interpretations to his "translations" of existing songs in foreign languages. Oliphant took part in the Great Handel festival in Westminster Abbey in the chorus as the bass vocalist. In 1855, he was asked by the directors of the Philharmonic Society to translate portions of

Wagner's Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

opera '' Lohengrin'' which were then performed by the Philharmonic Society's (now known as the Royal Philharmonic Society) orchestra and chorus at the Hanover Square Rooms and conducted by Wagner himself. Oliphant wrote the words for the chorale for the wedding of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1863. The music was composed by

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

and when Queen Victoria heard the recital, she was said to have been much affected by the chorale as

had died over a year before in 1861. Oliphant was described as the "Poet of the Court", as he wrote lyrics for Royal events and other important occasions. In Victorian Britain the vogue for translating foreign lyrics into English was popular. It was a pastime at which Oliphant was prodigious. Oliphant's position in the music world has diminished to the point where he is largely unknown but in his lifetime his standing was significant. An illustration of this is a letter in ''The Musical World'' dated October 1869, concerning someone else's transgression: "We shall next have the musical knowledge of Hogarth called into question or the profundity of

Parry PARRY was an early example of a chatbot, implemented in 1972 by psychiatrist Kenneth Colby. History PARRY was written in 1972 by psychiatrist Kenneth Colby, then at Stanford University. While ELIZA was a tongue-in-cheek simulation of a Rogeria ...

; or the orchestral skill of Hullah; or the madrigalian researches of Oliphant; or the genius of Louis Emmanuel; or the modesty of Eliason....". In spite of his extensive interpretations of German songs, it would appear that, at one time at least, Oliphant did not speak German. As one of his friends and contemporaries put it: "Many a popular drawing-room song of those days bore on its title-page the intimation, ' Words by Thomas Oliphant, Esq.' Tom knew no German, and when he was told of a song in that noble tongue which was likely to suit him commercially, he asked me to give him a bare English prose translation of it, which he then turned into metre..... 'The Standard-Bearer' was one of the most successful of the many prose-skeleton songs of which I thus furnished him." Given the quantity of "translations" which Oliphant produced, it is hard to see how he could not have gained some knowledge of German in the process. Oliphant also drew from Welsh, French, Italian and other languages, it is possible that he was not fully conversant in these languages either (nevertheless it is known from his collection of Italian sketches, that he did at some stage travel in Italy), which is probably partly why his English verses are not translations but his own interpretations. "Nos Gallen" is a notable example, since it is a New Year's Eve song, which Oliphant turned into the Christmas carol "Deck the Hall" (although he published it as "Nos Gallen" in 1862 and it has since become known by its first line). Oliphant commissioned eighteen works by

John Liptrot Hatton John Liptrot Hatton (12 October 1809 – 10 September 1886) was an English musical composer, conductor, pianist, accompanist and singer. Early career Hatton was born in Liverpool to a musical family, for both his father John and grandfather wer ...

who worked under the pseudonym of 'P.B. Czapek' (alluding to the Hungarian word for a Hat, for 'Hatton'). These compositions were based on the style of German classics. Following Oliphant's death in 1873, his valuable music collection was sold by Messrs. Puttick and Simpson.

Some musical works by Oliphant

English version of Beethoven's works " Fidelio", "The Mount of Olives" and "Adelaide". Beethoven's "The praise of music" – the English version adapted expressly for the concerts of the Vocal Society by Thomas Oliphant. " Ave Maria" English version by Thomas Oliphant; music by Schubert. Other works by Schubert with the English by Thomas Oliphant: "Let me weep again" "I came when Spring was smiling" " Fast Homeward there rode (the erl king)" "Thine is my Heart" " Forlorn I track the mountains steep (the Wanderer)". "Sleepest Thou Fair Maiden" "Death Thou Unrelenting Foe" "Behold yon Rose Tree"; "My Pretty Fisher Maiden" "All Unstrung Hangs my Lute" "On Mossy Bank Reclining" "Weary Flowers their Buds are Closing (Serenade)" "The Passing Bell" "Calm as a Child in its Cradle" "Weep not for Friends Departed" "My life is but a Summer Day" "Why Fond Youth such Wild Emotion" "Tis Sweet to Think" "Dear Mother do not Chide Me, (the Echo)" "A Warrior I Am" "Time Likely Hath Flown O'er Me" "Smooth is the Moonlit Sea" "Proudly Our Heads We Lift on High" "Hark The Lark" and "Who is Sylvia?" " The Trout" "Thy Face is Every Blooming Flower I see"; "La Circassienne". A comic opera in three acts. Composer Daniel François Esprit, (1782–1871). English translation by Oliphant. "Maiden Fair, O Deign to Tell" by Thomas Oliphant/

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

. "O have you seen a bonny lass" words by Thos Oliphant Esqr. music by Maurice Cobham, 1840. Works with music by Friedrich Curschmann, English words by Thomas Oliphant:- "Rest Love The Twlight Is Closing" – A Serenade and "She is Mine", "Thine is my heart" (Dein ist mein Herz), "Arise Bright Golden Star Of Day" – A Song Oliphant wrote the English words for the opera "The Regicide", the music by Pietro Metastasio and authored/set by

Charles Lucas Sir Charles Lucas, 1613 to 28 August 1648, was a professional soldier from Essex, who served as a Cavalier, Royalist cavalry leader during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Taken prisoner at the end of the First English Civil War in March 1646, ...

"Down in a Flow'ry Vale", a Madrigal for Four Voices – The Words imitated from the Italian by Thomas Oliphant, original by Constantius Festa, "The daughter's gift" (ballad), the poetry written by Thomas Oliphant, the music composed by Jules Benedict. "Heart Fond Heart, Why Dost Thou Languish" (Herz. mein herz. warum so Traurig) English Version by T. Oliphant Esq. Music by Carl Maria von Weber "The Mist is rising from hill & dale" ("Thale dampfen" from the opera "Euranthe") English Version by T. Oliphant Esq. Music by Carl Maria von Weber "Could I Thro' Aether Fly" (Konnt Ich Durch Raume Flieh'n), music by

Bernhard Molique Bernhard Molique (''Wilhelm Bernhard Molique;'' 7 October 180210 May 1869) was a German violinist and composer. Biography He was born in Nuremberg. His father was a musician and the boy studied various instruments, but finally devoted himself to ...

, English words by Thomas Oliphant "The Jewish Maiden" (Das Madchen von Jud) and "All is Still in Slumber Deep" (Schlummerlied), music by Kucken and English words by Oliphant. "The Post Horn", German song adapted to English words, music by

Conradin Kreutzer Conradin Kreutzer or Kreuzer (22 November 1780 – 14 December 1849) was a German composer and conductor. His works include the operas ''Das Nachtlager in Granada'' and incidental music to ''Der Verschwender'', both produced in 1834 in Vienna. ...

, lyrics by Oliphant "Stay One Moment Gentle Sires" words and music by Thomas Oliphant. "Bid Me To Live, and I will Live" words and music by Thomas Oliphant. "David of the White Rock" ( Dafydd y Garreg Wen) Welsh words by John Hughes, English words by Oliphant. "All ye who Music Love" by Donato Baldassare, English words (which are not a translation) by Thomas Oliphant. "Where floats the standard" (Die Fahnenwacht) English version by Thomas Oliphant composed by

Peter Josef von Lindpaintner Peter Josef von Lindpaintner (8 December 1791 – 21 August 1856) was a German composer and conductor. Born in Koblenz as the son of a tenor, he studied with Peter Winter and Joseph Graetz. From 1819 onwards he was based in Stuttgart. Some o ...

"Llewelyn, A Dramatic Cantata" was dedicated to the Prince of Wales. It was composed by Queen Victoria's harpist,

John Thomas John Thomas may refer to: Politics United Kingdom * John Thomas (c. 1490–1540/42), British Member of Parliament for Truro * John Thomas (c. 1531–1581/90), British Member of Parliament for Mitchell * John Thomas (British politician) (1897 ...

('Pencerdd Gwalia'; 1826–1913) the harpist and Welsh bard, with Welsh words by the bard John Jones (Talhaiarn 1810–69) and parallel English words by Thomas Oliphant, "The Lark". Welsh words by John Jones (Talhaiarn), English words by Oliphant. "

The Ash Grove ''The Ash Grove'' ( cy, Llwyn Onn) is a traditional Welsh folk song whose melody has been set to numerous sets of lyrics. The best-known version was written in English by Thomas Oliphant in the 19th century. History The first published version ...

" published in Volume I of the 1862 collection ''Welsh Melodies, With Welsh And English Poetry'', by John Jones (Talhaiarn) & Thomas Oliphant. "

Santa Lucia Santa Lucia and similar terms may refer to: Architecture * Abbey of Santa Lucia, a medieval abbey in the comune of Rocca di Cambio, Abruzzo, central Italy * Monastero di Santa Lucia, Adrano, a former Benedictine monastery in Catania, Italy * S ...

" Neapolitan barcarolle, edited by Mario Favilli, translated by Thomas Oliphant. "The Shepherds Winter Song", "The Violet" and "The Chapel" with music by P B Czapek, and English words by T Oliphant, " Men of Harlech" translated into English by Thomas Oliphant. published in Volume 2 of the 1862 collection ''Welsh Melodies, With Welsh And English Poetry'', by John Jones (Talhaiarn) & Thomas Oliphant. " All Through the Night" Welsh words by John Jones (Talhaiarn 1810–69), English words by Thomas Oliphant. "The eye of night", the English version by T. Oliphant, music by

Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda Jan Křtitel Václav Kalivoda (Johann Baptist Wenzel Kalliwoda in German) (February 21, 1801 – December 3, 1866) was a composer, conductor and violinist of Bohemian birth. Life Kalivoda was born in Prague in 1801 and as early as 1811 start ...

. Similarly, Oliphant wrote English words for other works by Kalliwoda: "The mill stream is roaring" and " Let me not hear". "Tell me where bloometh true love" – words by Oliphant and music by Louis Spohr. "Where'er I Careless Wander" (Greeting) English words by Oliphant, music by

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

. "Ah Me! How Soon" (Autumn Song) Op.63 English words by Oliphant, music by

. "Service and Responses" edited by Oliphant original by Thomas Tallis "Song of Forty Parts" edited by Oliphant original by Thomas Tallis. 149th Psalm: "I will give thanks": Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Words T Oliphant) "O Be Joyful": Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (words T Oliphant) "Be Not Thou Far From Me": Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Words T Oliphant) "Hard By A Fountain": Huberto Waelrent (words Oliphant) "Let Us All Sing, Merrily Sing": Jer. Saville (words Oliphant) "Ah Me! Where Is My True Love?" : Felice Anerio (words Oliphant) "Lady, See, On Every Side" : Luca Marenzio (words Oliphant) "When April deck'd in roses gay" : Luca Marenzio (words Oliphant) used in the Commemoration of Sir Thomas Gresham, Saturday, May 14, 1836 "Stay limpit Stream" Luca Marenzio (English words written after the manner of "The Triumphs of Oriana" by Oliphant) "Hark, The Village Maids Are Singing" : Cherubini (words Oliphant) "All Hail, Britannia!" :

Antonio Lotti Antonio Lotti (5 January 1667 – 5 January 1740) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. Biography Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was ''Kapellmeister'' at Hanover at the time. Oral tradition says that in 1682, Lotti be ...

(words adapted Oliphant) Many songs by the Rev. Christopher Tye had new words given to them by Oliphant. "Nymphs are sporting" a cappella R. L. de Pearsall, text by Thomas Oliphant "Dainty fine bird." Madrigal by Orlando Gibbons, arranged by T. Oliphant "The Two Nightingales" duet by Anton Hackel (The English version by Thomas Oliphant) Oliphant also wrote words to works by

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 ...

, and others.

Other appointments

In 1841 Oliphant was appointed to catalogue MS and printed music at the British Museum by Anthony Panizzi. By 1842 he had completed the first catalogue of the manuscript music. He began the cataloguing of the printed music which he completed by 1849. Oliphant resigned from the British Museum in 1850 as a result of a "run-in" with Panizzi. In 1852 he became librarian to the Musical Institute of London. In the 1860s he was arranging musical productions at Crystal Palace. He was also an Auditor of the

Royal Society of Female Musicians Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

and of the

National Opera Company National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. Oliphant was also Literary Illustrator of the London Glee and Madrigal Union in 1860 and 1861.

Art

On leaving the British Museum, Oliphant returned to his childhood home in Scotland. Between 1850 and 1860 Oliphant completed three (known) volumes of sketches. The first is a visual record of pencil sketches of landscapes and buildings as he journeyed through

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, Shetland,

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...

, Sutherland, Ross-shire, Inverness-shire and

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

, 1852. The second volume actually starts in 1850 with drawings of his ancestral home and is a series of sketches of landscapes mainly around Strathearn but also charts his journey to the West Coast of Scotland in 1853, the Isle of Man and his journey back to the South of Englandfamily collection and the last is a collection of sketches of Crystal Palace between 1855 and 1860. What makes the last volume interesting is that John Jones (Talhaiarn) with whom Oliphant collaborated on all four volumes of "Welsh Melodies" (1862–1874) was for a while an architect who worked on Crystal Palace under

Sir Joseph Paxton ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

. Oliphant returned to Scotland the year after for another purpose. His brother, Laurence Oliphant, 8th of Condie and 30th Chief of Clan Oliphant, was involved in (what turned into a twenty one year) legal battle to be recognised as heir to his cousin's estate. In a genealogical chart, re-drawn in 1889, are the words: "sed Chartum virginum ex variis documentis antiquis Thomas Oliphant A.D. 1854 collegit:-"

Publications

1834 "Comments of a Chorus Singer at the Royal Musical Festival at Westminster Abbey" under the pseudonym Saloman Sackbut. 1835 "A Brief Account of the Madrigal Society". 1836 "A Short Account of Madrigals". 1837 "La Musa Madrigalesca". The book contains the words of nearly four hundred madrigals, ballets and roundelays. Publishers Calkin and Budd 1840 "Catches and Rounds by Old Composers" adapted to Modern Words by Thomas Oliphant. 1862 "Welsh Melodies, With Welsh And English Poetry", vols. 1 & 2, by John Jones (Talhaiarn) & Thomas Oliphant. Author:

. 1870 "Welsh Melodies, With Welsh And English Poetry", vol. 3, by John Jones (Talhaiarn) & Thomas Oliphant. Author:

. 1874 "Welsh Melodies, With Welsh And English Poetry", vol. 4, by John Jones (Talhaiarn) & Thomas Oliphant. Author:

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oliphant, Thomas 1799 births 1873 deaths Scottish basses Scottish songwriters British lyricists 19th-century Scottish artists 19th-century British male singers 19th-century Scottish writers British male songwriters