[or Josef Charles]. English musical composer, born at Croydon on the 5th of July 1878, his father being an able pianist, his Scottish mother a professional singer. He spent his early years in travelling around the country with his father and various entertainers. But on his father obtaining an engagement as pianist at Collins’s music-hall in Islington, and a little later at the Bedford music-hall, the family settled in London, where Josef became a chorister at St. Ann’s, Soho; he also attended the church school. During this period he was taught both the violin and the piano, so that when, in 1893, he entered the Royal Academy of Music he was already well trained as pianist and musician with a good knowledge of the classics. Holbrooke’s somewhat fitful career at the R.A.M. was ended in 1896, he having accumulated many medals and prizes and one or two scholarships. On leaving the R.A.M. he became conductor and pianist to a touring company, which was unsuccessful, and he then returned to London and took pupils. A turning point in his career came through the characteristic generosity of Sir (then Mr.) August Manns, who played Holbrooke’s symphonic poem, The Raven, at a Saturday concert at the Crystal Palace on March 3, 1900. From about that time compositions flowed unceasingly from his prolific pen. Queen Mab and a Byronic poem appeared in 1904 and 1906; The Bells in 1907; Homage to Poe in 1908; Apollo and the Seaman (symphonic music to Herbert Trench’s poem) 1908. The opera of Children of Don was given at the London Opera House in 1911; Dylan at Drury Lane two years later; Bronwen completed, and The Wizard produced, during Holbrooke’s visit to the United States at Chicago, in 1915. The opera-ballet, The Enchanted Garden, dates from 1915. Besides a great mass of music for orchestra Holbrooke wrote concertos for pianoforte (“The Song of Gwyn ap Nudd”) and violin, some five quartets, a horn trio, three quintets, four sextets, and dramatic scenes for voice with orchestra.
See George Lowe, Josef Holbrooke and his Work (1920).
