Dorothea Anne Franchi
Dorothea Anne Franchi (17 February 1920 – 22 August 2003) was a New Zealand pianist, harpist, music educator and composer.
Dorothea Anne Franchi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 February 1920 |
| Died | 22 August 2003 (aged 83) |
| Occupation | Music composer |
Early life and education
Franchi was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1920, the daughter of Peter Rudolph and Gertrude Franchi.[1] She studied at the Auckland Teachers College and the University of Auckland, where she graduated BMus in 1939.[2] She then went to the Royal College of Music in London in 1948.[2] She studied harp, composition and piano accompaniment.[3]
Career
Franchi taught music at Epsom Girls' Grammar School in Auckland before going to study in London.[2] From 1953 to 1958 she took the position of musical director and pianist for the newly formed New Zealand Ballet Company, working with Poul Gnatt.[4] She had a successful career as a pianist and harpist, and her works are performed internationally.[5][4]
Honours and awards
- Lionel Tertis Prize for Viola Rhapsody, 1950
- Philip Neill Memorial Prize, 1947
- The Composers Association of New Zealand KBB Citation for Services to New Zealand Music, 2000[6]
Works
Franchi composed for orchestra, chamber ensemble, voice and instrumental performance. Selected works include:
- A Man of Life Upright for bass and piano
- A Wet Night in Greymouth for voice and piano
- Abel Tasman for voice, piccolo, piano and drum
- Apple-Picking Time for voice and piano
- Concertino for harmonica, harp and strings
- Do-Wack-A-Do (1956) – orchestral suite from the ballet of the same name
- El Bailador Inamorado song cycle for tenor and piano
- Eventide for tenor, string quartet and piano
- Four Pioneer Portraits (1949) – cycle of four songs for mezzo-soprano and piano based on poems by Robin Hyde, Eileen Duggan and Louis Esson[2]
- God Bless You Boy for voice and piano
References
- "Franchi, Dorothea Anne, 1920-2003". National Library of New Zealand. 1 January 1920. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- Dart, William (26 August 2003). "Obituary: Dorothea Franchi". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- Thomson, John Mansfield (1990). Biographical dictionary of New Zealand composers. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-86473-095-0. OCLC 22895790.
- "Dorothea Anne Franchi". SOUNZ. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
- Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian (1994). The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393034875. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
- Dees, Pamela Youngdahl (2004). A Guide to Piano Music by Women Composers: Women born after 1900.
Further reading
- Grant, Alison (2003). "Dorothea Franchi (1920–2003) – a tribute". Canzona. 24 (45): 26–29.