Baron Frédéric Alfred d'Erlanger (29 May 1868 – 23 April 1943) was an Anglo-French composer, banker, and patron of the arts. His father, Baron

Frédéric Émile d'Erlanger Frédéric Émile, Baron d'Erlanger (19 June 1832 – 22 May 1911) born as Friedrich Emil Erlanger, was a German-French banker and consul. He founded the French branch of the Erlanger banking businesses, Emile Erlanger & Co. Biography Frédéri ...

, was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

head of a French banking house. His mother, Mathilde (née Slidell), was an American.

Life

One of four sons, d'Erlanger was born in Paris. ''(See: Erlanger family tree).'' He began his musical studies in Paris under Anselm Ehmant, his only teacher. His first work, a book of songs, was published when d'Erlanger was 20 years of age. Shortly afterwards, in 1886, he moved to London with his elder brother,

Baron Emile Beaumont d'Erlanger Baron Emile Beaumont D'Erlanger (4 June 1866 – 24 July 1939) was a French-born British merchant banker. Life He was the second eldest son of Frédéric Emile d'Erlanger, a banker working in Paris at the French branch of Emile Erlanger and Co ...

, to work as a banker, for the private banking firm that his father owned. Both d'Erlanger and his brother became naturalised Englishmen. A millionaire, d'Erlanger was described as a "genuine

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

man"; he was a noted patron of the arts in London, promoting and financing

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

at Covent Garden and acting as a trustee of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.Foreman, Lewis: Notes to ''Dunhill & Erlanger: Piano Quintets'', Hyperion CDA68296 (2020)
/ref> He also invested in developing countries, financing department store chains in South America and railways in South Africa. He was a founding member of the

Oxford and Cambridge Musical Club The Oxford and Cambridge Musical Club was founded in London, England, London in 1899 as a residential Gentlemen's club, Club for Gentlemen. At the club's foundation, it was open (principally) to past and present members of the Universities of Oxf ...

. "Baron Fred", as he was known, was a frequent participant in the regular Thursday musical soirées of the club. The supplement to ''

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'', known generally as ''The Gazette'', is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, i ...

'' of 27 February 1918, in records of the partners in the firm Erlangers, records Baron Fred's home at that time as Park House, Rutland Gate, London. In 1925, d'Erlanger married Catherine, "a French woman of good family". Plaque merebank

In 1932, he put his name on the foundation stone of what was then the Musicians' House, later renamed Merebank House, in what was then fairly open countryside between

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about south-west of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs ro ...

and

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

, constructed for the Musicians' Union (which he supported) as a retirement home for five musicians. D’Erlanger's own home by then was at 4, Moorgate, but he actually died while staying at Claridges Hotel London, a favourite of his, on 23 April 1943, leaving £601,461 in his will. One of his two executors was his nephew, Leo Frederic Alfred d'Erlanger, son of Baron Fred's brother, the French painter Baron

Rodolphe d'Erlanger Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger (7 June 1872 – 29 October 1932) was a French painter and musicologist, specializing in Tunisian music and more broadly North African as well as Arabic music. Life and artistic career Rodolphe François Baron d'Erla ...

. The other executor was a solicitor.

Music

D'Erlanger was really an amateur "gentleman composer" whose day job as a banker helped fund his interest in music. He composed operas,

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

, and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l works, among other types. The operas included ''Jehan de Saintré'' (Aix-les-Bains, 1 August 1893; Hamburg, 1894), ''Inès Menso'' (produced, under the pseudonym of Ferd. Regnal, in London at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

on 10 July 1897, and subsequently in Germany as ''Die Erbe''); ''Tess'' (after

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

's ''

Tess of the d'Urbervilles ''Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman'' is the twelfth published novel by English author Thomas Hardy. It initially appeared in a Book censorship, censored and Serialized novel, serialised version, published by the British illustrated newsp ...

''), produced at the

Teatro di San Carlo The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is a historic opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and ...

, Naples, on 7 April 1906 and at Covent Garden on 14 July 1909, on both occasions under the baton of

Ettore Panizza Ettore Panizza (born Héctor Panizza; 12 August 187527 November 1967) was an Argentine conductor and composer, one of the leading conductors of the early 20th century. Panizza possessed technical mastery and was popular and influential during ...

; and ''Noël'', produced at the Paris

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

on 28 December 1910. In 1935, his one-act ballet ''Les cents baisers'' ("The Hundred Kisses") with a libretto by

Boris Kochno Boris Evgenievich Kochno or Kokhno (; 3 January 1904 – 8 December 1990) was a Russian poet, dancer, and librettist. Early life Kochno was born in Moscow, Russia, on 3 January 1904. His father served as a colonel in the hussars. He studied at ...

, was produced by the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

and choreographed by

Bronislava Nijinska Bronislava Nijinska (; ; ; ; – February 21, 1972) was a Russian ballet dancer of Polish origin, and an innovative choreographer. She came of age in a family of traveling, professional dancers. Her own career began in Saint Petersburg. Soon ...

, with decor and costumes by

Jean Hugo Jean Hugo (; 19 November 1894 – 21 June 1984) was a painter, illustrator, theatre designer and author. He was born in Paris and died in his home at the Mas de Fourques, near Lunel, France. Brought up in a lively artistic environment, he beg ...

. It was subsequently recorded by

Antal Dorati Antal may refer to: * Andal, 8th-century poet saint of South India * Antal (given name) * Antal (surname) * 6717 Antal, a minor planet See also * Andal (disambiguation) * Atal (disambiguation) Atal or Attal is a Pashto language word which mean ...

and the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

. Orchestral works include the ''Suite symphonique No. 2'', first performed at the Proms on 18 September 1895, and the Violin Concerto in D minor, op 17 (1902), first performed by

Hugo Heermann Hugo Heermann (3 March 1844, in Heilbronn – 6 November 1935, in Meran, Italy) was a German violinist. He studied the violin with Lambert Joseph Meerts at the Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussels), Koninklijk Conservatorium in Brussels, and later ...

in Holland and Germany, and then taken up by

Fritz Kreisler Friedrich "Fritz" Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962) was an Austrian-born American violinist and composer. One of the most noted violin masters of his day, he was known for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing, with marked por ...

for its British premiere at the Queen's Hall on 12 March 1903.Foreman, Lewis. Notes to ''Cliffe and Elanger: Violin Concertos'', Hyperion CDA67838 (2011)
/ref> There was also the ''Andante Symphonique'' Op 18 for cello and orchestra (1904), the symphonic prelude ''Sursum Corda!'' (1919) and the ''Concerto Symphonique'' for piano and orchestra (1921), as well as the choral ''Messe de Requiem'' of 1930, admired and performed by

Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was a British conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London ...

. An orchestral waltz, ''Midnight Rose'' became popular and was recorded by

John Barbirolli Sir John Barbirolli ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli; 2 December 189929 July 1970) was a British conductor and cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 1943 ...

in 1934. The chamber music includes a String Quartet and the Violin Sonata in G minor (both 1900). The Piano Quintet was first performed at St James's Hall,

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...

, on 1 March 1902 by the Kruse Quartet, with d'Erlanger himself as pianist. Clearness of form and elegance of idea and expression are the distinguishing marks of d'Erlanger's music, whether in his operatic work, in his chamber and orchestral music, or in his songs. A recent revival in interest has resulted in new recordings of his Piano Quintet (1901), Violin Concerto (1902), ''Andante Symphonique'' for cello and orchestra (1903), ''Concerto Symphonique'' for piano and orchestra (1921) and ''Prelude Romantique'' (1934), among other pieces. The Birmingham Festival Choral Society revived the ''Messa de Requiem'' with a live performance in 2001.Lewis Foreman. ''Recording British Music'' (2004), p. 26-7

Selected compositions

Opera

* ''Jehan de Saintré'' (J. & P. Ferrier; 2 Acts. Premiere on 1 August 1893 in

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; ; ), known locally and simply as Aix, is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern French Departments of France, department of Savoie.Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, an import ...

; 3 Acts. Premiere on 10 July 1897 at

, London. * ''Tess'' (ital. Text: Luigi Illica after

’s

Tess of the d’Urbervilles ''Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman'' is the twelfth published novel by English author Thomas Hardy. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper ''The Graphic'' in 1891, then ...

; 4 Acts. Premiere 1906 in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Teatro San Carlo). * ''Noël'' (J. & P. Ferrier; Premiere 28 December 1910 in Paris).

Ballet

* ''Les cent baisers'' (1931)

Concertante works

* Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 17 (1903) * ''Andante Symphonique'' für Violoncello und Orchester, Op. 18 (1904). * ''Ballade'' for Violin and Orchestra * ''Concerto symphonique'' for piano and orchestra (1921) * ''Poème'' for Violin and Orchestra in D (1926)

Orchestral works

* ''Suite Symphonique'' No. 1 (1893) * ''Suite Symphonique'' No. 2 (1895) * ''Midnight Rose'', Waltz for Orchestra * ''Andante symphonique'', Op. 18 (1904) * ''Sursum Corda!'', Prelude for Orchestra (1919) * ''Prélude romantique'' (1935)

Choral works

* ''Messe de Requiem'' (1930)

Chamber music

* ''Prelude'' for violin and piano (1895) * String Quartet (1900) * Violin Sonata in G minor (1900) * Piano Quintet (1901)

Piano music

* ''Etude Concertante'' No. 1 (1899) * ''Etude Concertante'' No. 2 (1900)

Chansons

* ''Chanson légère'' after E.B. Sozios (1896) * ''Les deux sommeils'' after E.-B. d'Erlanger (1917) * ''Dans tes yeux'' after E.-B. d'Erlanger (1919) * ''Mon âme à ton coeur s'est donnée'' after

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

(1919) * ''Talisman'' after Th. Salignac (1919) * ''Sérénade florentine'' after

Jean Lahor Henri Cazalis (; 9 March 1840, Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-d'Oise – 1 July 1909, Geneva) was a French physician who was a symbolist poet and man of letters and wrote under the pseudonyms of Jean Caselli and Jean Lahor. His works include: *''Chan ...

(1922) * ''En sourdine'' after

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine ( ; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolism (movement), Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' ...

(1922)

References

External links

Foreman, Lewis. 'Erlanger, Baron Frédéric d’' at ''Grove Music Online''

Hyperion CD of the Violin Concerto with biographical notes

Hyperion CD of the Piano Quintet with notes
*
Works of d'Erlanger
in the catalogue of the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

''Midnight Rose Waltz'', performed on the piano by Janice Weber
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erlanger, Frederic Alfred d' 1868 births 1943 deaths Musicians from Paris English classical composers French ballet composers British ballet composers English bankers English patrons of music English people of German-Jewish descent English people of American descent Frederic Alfred French emigrants to the United Kingdom Businesspeople from Paris French people of German-Jewish descent French people of American descent English male composers 19th-century classical composers 19th-century English musicians 19th-century English businesspeople 20th-century classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century English businesspeople 19th-century French composers 20th-century French composers 19th-century British composers 20th-century British male musicians 19th-century British male musicians