Ralph Lyford
Encyclopedia
Ralph Lyford was an American
composer and conductor
. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts
, he began studies at age 12 and 6 years later graduated from Boston's New England Conservatory of Music and rose to prominence as the managing director of the Cincinnati Opera
.
He was married to Ella Gillis, a ballet dancer.
in preparing his Le martyre de Saint Sébastien
for its premiere. He served as assistant conductor in the US for the San Carlo Opera Company
under the management of Henry Russell
. Lyford was associate conductor of the Opera Company of Boston
from 1908–1914, working as a member of Max Rabinoff's
staff and for a short time assisted in the opera department at the New England Conservatory. Later he conducted 3 seasons from 1912-1915 of over 200 presentations of operas with the Aborn Opera Company
.
In 1912, Lyford conducted Lucia di Lammermoor
at the Opera Company of Boston
.
He was hired in 1916 to organize the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
and served as the head of that program. In 1920, he founded the Cincinnati Opera
, which is the 2nd oldest Opera in the United States. In 1925, he was appointed associate conductor under Fritz Reiner
. During his tenure, he produced and conducted 234 performances of 30 operas including Martha
and Hänsel and Gretel.
Lyford died in Cincinnati, Ohio
in 1927 on September 3 of heart disease.
During his tenure at the Cincinnati Opera Company Lyford also mentored John Jacob Niles
. Niles said, "Ralph Lyford was a great conductor, teacher, humorist and accompanist. He helped me greatly with the problems I had in playing accompaniments."
l music, including a piano concerto
. He wrote the opera Castle Agrazant
, which won a Bispham Memorial Medal Award
in 1926.
, and studied under Arthur Nikisch
in Leipzig
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, he began studies at age 12 and 6 years later graduated from Boston's New England Conservatory of Music and rose to prominence as the managing director of the Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera is an American opera company based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second oldest opera company in the United States .-History:...
.
He was married to Ella Gillis, a ballet dancer.
Career
Ralph Lyford assisted Claude DebussyClaude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
in preparing his Le martyre de Saint Sébastien
Le martyre de Saint Sébastien
Le martyre de Saint Sébastien, L 124 is a musical work by the French composer Claude Debussy.Written in 1911, the work—a five-act musical mystery play on the subject of Saint Sebastian -- was produced in collaboration with Gabriele d'Annunzio and designed as a vehicle for Ida Rubinstein...
for its premiere. He served as assistant conductor in the US for the San Carlo Opera Company
San Carlo Opera Company
The San Carlo Opera Company was the name of two different opera companies active in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century.-History:...
under the management of Henry Russell
Henry Russell (impresario)
Henry Russell was an English impresario, conductor, opera director, and singing teacher.-Biography:Henry Ronald Russell was born in London. He was the son of Henry Russell, a composer, pianist, and baritone, and his wife Hannah...
. Lyford was associate conductor of the Opera Company of Boston
Opera Company of Boston
The Opera Company of Boston was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active during the late 1950s through the early 1990s. The company was founded by American conductor Sarah Caldwell in 1958 under the name Boston Opera Group. At one time, the touring arm of the...
from 1908–1914, working as a member of Max Rabinoff's
Max Rabinoff
Max Rabinoff was a Russian-born, naturalized American opera and ballet impresario and international economic advisor. By the time he had become a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1898 he had already started an international import-export company focusing on encouraging American-Russian commerce...
staff and for a short time assisted in the opera department at the New England Conservatory. Later he conducted 3 seasons from 1912-1915 of over 200 presentations of operas with the Aborn Opera Company
Aborn Opera Company
The Aborn Opera company was an American opera company that was active from 1895 through 1922.-History:Founded and operated by brothers Milton Aborn and Sargent Aborn , the company was based out of New York City but spent most of its time on the road touring the United States...
.
In 1912, Lyford conducted Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
at the Opera Company of Boston
Opera Company of Boston
The Opera Company of Boston was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active during the late 1950s through the early 1990s. The company was founded by American conductor Sarah Caldwell in 1958 under the name Boston Opera Group. At one time, the touring arm of the...
.
He was hired in 1916 to organize the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which is now part of the University of Cincinnati.The...
and served as the head of that program. In 1920, he founded the Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera is an American opera company based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second oldest opera company in the United States .-History:...
, which is the 2nd oldest Opera in the United States. In 1925, he was appointed associate conductor under Fritz Reiner
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:...
. During his tenure, he produced and conducted 234 performances of 30 operas including Martha
Martha (opera)
Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond is a 'romantic comic' opera in four acts by Friedrich von Flotow, set to a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese and based on a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges....
and Hänsel and Gretel.
Lyford died in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in 1927 on September 3 of heart disease.
During his tenure at the Cincinnati Opera Company Lyford also mentored John Jacob Niles
John Jacob Niles
John Jacob Niles was an American composer, singer, and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers", Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, with Joan Baez, Burl Ives, and Peter, Paul and Mary, among others,...
. Niles said, "Ralph Lyford was a great conductor, teacher, humorist and accompanist. He helped me greatly with the problems I had in playing accompaniments."
Works
Ralph Lyford wrote mainly orchestraOrchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l music, including a piano concerto
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
. He wrote the opera Castle Agrazant
Castle Agrazant (opera)
Castle Agrazant is an opera composed by Ralph Lyford. It premiered on 29 April 1926 with Forrest Lamont performing, in Cincinnati. Castle Agrazant won a Bispham Memorial Medal Award in 1926....
, which won a Bispham Memorial Medal Award
Bispham Memorial Medal Award
The Bispham Memorial Medal Award was an award for operas written in English which was presented annually by the American Opera Society of Chicago from 1921-1932. The award was named for baritone David Bispham, who was a great proponent of performing opera in English in the United States. It was...
in 1926.
Education
Lyford was a graduate of the New England Conservatory of MusicNew England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
, and studied under Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch ; 12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London and - most importantly - Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
.
Important Events in the life of Ralph Lyford
| 1882 | Born |
| 1894-1900 | Studies at the New England Conservatory of Music New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of... , graduates 1900 |
| 1908-1914 | works as assistant conductor of the Opera Company of Boston Opera Company of Boston The Opera Company of Boston was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active during the late 1950s through the early 1990s. The company was founded by American conductor Sarah Caldwell in 1958 under the name Boston Opera Group. At one time, the touring arm of the... |
| 1916 | Hired to organize the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Cincinnati Conservatory of Music The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which is now part of the University of Cincinnati.The... |
| 1916-1927 | works in Cincinnati at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Cincinnati Conservatory of Music The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which is now part of the University of Cincinnati.The... |
| 1920 | Founded the Summer Opera Association, progenitor of the Cincinnati Opera Cincinnati Opera Cincinnati Opera is an American opera company based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second oldest opera company in the United States .-History:... |
| 1925 | Appointed associate conductor of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Cincinnati Conservatory of Music The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which is now part of the University of Cincinnati.The... |
| 1926 | won a Bispham Memorial Medal Award Bispham Memorial Medal Award The Bispham Memorial Medal Award was an award for operas written in English which was presented annually by the American Opera Society of Chicago from 1921-1932. The award was named for baritone David Bispham, who was a great proponent of performing opera in English in the United States. It was... for Castle Agrazant (opera) Castle Agrazant (opera) Castle Agrazant is an opera composed by Ralph Lyford. It premiered on 29 April 1926 with Forrest Lamont performing, in Cincinnati. Castle Agrazant won a Bispham Memorial Medal Award in 1926.... |
| 1927 | Died |