Horace Wadham Nicholl 1848-1922

[giles.enders]

Horace Wadham Nicholl (H.Wadam Nicholl) Born 17.3.1848 Tipton, nr. Birmingham   Died 10.3.1922 New York

He was initially taught music by his father and then had lessons with the organist Samuel Prince in Birmingham.  In 1870 he emigrated to the USA where he took the post of organist at St.Pauls Cathedral in Pittsburg.  In 1878 he moved to New York where he became organist at several churches. In New York he also worked as editor for two publishing firms; Schuberth and G Schirmer.  Between 1901 and 1904 he was in Leipzig.  He then returned to New York.

Orchestral

Symphony No.1 in G minor  'The Nation's Mourning' Op.8
Symphony No.2 in C  Op.12  1888
Symphony Fantasia  Op.5
Symphony Fantasia  Op.7
'Tartarus' Symphonic Poem  Op.11
'Hamlet' Symphonic sketch  Op.14
Scherzo-fugue in G for small orchestra  Op.15
Piano Concerto in D Op.10  1888

Chamber

Piano Trio in B minor  Op.34 1901
String Quartet in C  Op.39  1901
Violin Sonata in D Major  Op.21  1891
Three pieces for viola and piano  Op.44
Cello Sonata in A  Op.13   pub. by Edward Schuberth & Co
Six melodic short pieces for harmonium and piano  Op.40. 1.Nocturne, 3.Romance, 5 Scherzino.   pub. by C F Peters

Piano

Nocturne in C major    pub. by Kunkel Bros.  1870
Suite in A  Op.3
Sentiments poetiques  Op.21
Twelve Etude Melodiques  Op.26
Twelve concert preludes and fugues  Op.31   pub. by Schirmer
'Cradle Song' Berceuse in G major  piano 4 hands    pub. by Oliver Ditson & Co.
Seven short piano duets  Op.9
Eight Character pieces for piano 4 hands  Op.23

Harmonium

Six short melodic studies  Op.43

Organ

Twelve Concert preludes and fugues  Op.30
Six Preludes and fugues Op.33
Six Melodic pieces  Op.37   pub. by C F Peters  1900
Praludium and fugue Op.35   pub. by C F Peters
Three Offertories  Op.36    pub. by C F Peters
Symphonic Fantasy on Psalm 130  Op.38   pub. by C F Peters
Six Pedal studies for organ  Op.47   pub. by C F Peters
'Die Plejaden' Op.40   pub. by C F Peters
'Life' (Das Leben) Symphonic poem  Op.50   pub. by C F Peters

Song

Three songs  Op.2

Oratorios

'Adam'  Op.16
'Abraham'  Op.17
'Isaac'  Op.18
'Jacob'  Op.19  - incomplete

Cantatas

'Elsie or The Golden Legend'  for soloists, chorus and piano  Op.4   Words by W H Longfwllow
'A Cloister Scene'  for soloists, chorus, organ and piano.  Op.6

Choral

Mass in E flat  for soloists, chorus and organ  Op.1

[semloh]

Gracious me, Giles, you keep on amazing me with these finds - yet another prolific composer, completely unknown (to me at least!). I wonder if I can find any recordings...

[Alan Howe]

There are, of course, umpteen forgotten composers. We've barely scratched the surface here - especially if we transfer our attentions to the continent...

[giles.enders]

Sadly, I have only managed to trace less than half his opus numbers. Alan makes a good point, we have only really scratched the surface.  I have posted on this site, information on over 170 relatively obscure composers.  I'm happy to say that in some cases it has aroused sufficient curiosity to result in recordings and performances. 

[Alan Howe]

...which is excellent, Giles. Thank you.

[edurban]

I believe we had a Nicholl discussion here some years back mostly in connection with the piano concerto, which was championed for a while by William Sherwood, a Liszt pupil.  I wrote the Nicholl article for American Grove's back in 1984, and truly he is a wonderful composer.  A fair amount of his organ music was published, but much of his output remains in ms at nypl.  My first wife, the cellist Diane Chaplin gave what we believe was the first public performance of his cello sonata at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1986, iirc.  It's a marvelous piece, though somewhat awkwardly laid out for the cellist. A year before that his wedding march was the exit music at our wedding. It's very late here, though, so I'll have to continue in this vein tomorrow...thanks for mentioning one of my early unsung causes, Giles!   Best, David

[giles.enders]

Thank you, I would be interested to have more details of Nicholl's Wedding March as I have no knowledge of it. If you are able to fill in any other gaps that would be helpful.

[Alan Howe]

Indeed. He sounds a really interesting figure.

[Gareth Vaughan]

As far as I can see, the Nicholl archive at nypl (JOB 04-22), contains only one complete work: score and parts of a symphony. A relatively small quantity of printed music, no major orchestral works, is available in the main library collection.

[Alan Howe]

Do you know which symphony, Gareth?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Symphony No. 2 in C major.

[Alan Howe]

Thank you. How intriguing.

[edurban]

The Nicholl Collection was in the Americana Division nypl.  The Division has been renamed since my days there.  Several of Nicholl's major works were never orchestrated: Symphony No. 1 exists only as a 2 hand piano score, of the Cycle of Dramatic Oratorios, only the first, Adam,  was orchestrated.  No orchestral scores survive for Abraham or Isaac, and only the Funeral March of the Three Patriarchs was orchestrated from Jacob, Op. 17 (performed Ny, 1891).  The cantata A Cloister Scene, op. 6, was performed with orchestra in Pittsburgh in 1889, but no orchestral score survives.  The wedding march I mentioned was from the cantata Elsie or The Golden Legend, of which only the said march and final chorus were orchestrated (for a ny performance in 1888) Full scores survive for the Suite Op.3 (premiered by Asger Hamerik at a Peabody Orchestra concert in Baltimore in 1877, and one of Nicholl's few big public successes.  Btw, this piece appears on Gile's list as a piano piece), the symphonic poems Tartarus, op 11 and Hamlet op14 (described as a Psychic Sketch.  Hamlet was actually announced for performance by the ny phil, then under Anton Seidel, but the performance did not take place.  This may have had something to do with Nicholl's arrogant and irascible personality, but I don't know.  Also surviving is the Scherzo-Fugue Op. 15, for orchestra, which was originally the scherzo (later replaced) of the Second Symphony.  Incidently, Seidel performed the first movement of the Second Symphony several times under the title Heroic Overture.   Best, David

[edurban]

For Giles' list:   Violin Sonata in D major, op.21 (1891); Trio for piano, violin, cello in b minor op. 34 (1901); 3 pieces for viola and piano, op.44 (my notes indicate that 1 and 2 are not extant, but no details); Six Short Melodic Studies for harmonium and piano op.43 (published Leipzig 1902)

[edurban]

 Nicholl's op.2 is 3 Songs.  These date from 1875-79 and were published separately.