Frederick Delius was an English composer born in 1862 in Bradford, England. His father owned a wool company and hoped that he would join the business. But he never had imagined that Delius will forge a unique version of the Impressionist musical language of the early 20th century. Delius wanted to study music which his father never approved music as a profession but he neither did discourage it as a past-time activity and hence he learned the piano and the violin. But as was destiny, he used to miss schools for attending concerts and opera performances. After finishing school he did though joined his father for the family business.
Later he left England for Florida in the year 1884 and worked there as an orange grower on a plantation. Along with his work he studied music with the great musician and teacher from Jacksonville, Thomas Ward. He had always wanted to be a musician and hence he proved to be a failure as an orange grower and so his father in the year 1886 arranged for him to spend a year and a half studying music at the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany. His stay here proved quite beneficial despite his little learning as he met Grieg here. It was this man who became a fried forever and convinced his father to allow him to become a composer. It was then that he could move... show more

Frederick Delius was an English composer born in 1862 in Bradford, England. His father owned a wool company and hoped that he would join the business. But he never had imagined that Delius will forge a unique version of the Impressionist musical language of the early 20th century. Delius wanted to study music which his father never approved music as a profession but he neither did discourage it as a past-time activity and hence he learned the piano and the violin. But as was destiny, he used to miss schools for attending concerts and opera performances. After finishing school he did though joined his father for the family business.
Later he left England for Florida in the year 1884 and worked there as an orange grower on a plantation. Along with his work he studied music with the great musician and teacher from Jacksonville, Thomas Ward. He had always wanted to be a musician and hence he proved to be a failure as an orange grower and so his father in the year 1886 arranged for him to spend a year and a half studying music at the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany. His stay here proved quite beneficial despite his little learning as he met Grieg here. It was this man who became a fried forever and convinced his father to allow him to become a composer. It was then that he could move to Paris to live a life of an artist.
Delius started composing as soon as he reached Paris and completed two of his operas; the Magic Fountain and Irmelin were completed here by the end of the 19th century. The first decade of 20th century proved fruitful for him as he married Jelka Rosen, the painter and produced many important works like Romeo Juliet, A Village, the large scale choral works Appalachia and the one based on Nietzsche’s writings A Mass of Life, a piano concerto and a variety of songs and chamber pieces. Delius was very successful up until World War I as his music was well-received throughout Europe. But it was during the war that he was forced to leave France and head to England. He was actually unknown in his native country besides of the fact that Continental Europe made him famous. He faced a lot of difficulties staying at his native land and it was only after the war that he could get back to France. But another misfortune was ready there as the syphilis he had contracted in Florida caused him to become blind and paralyzed. But as luck could have it his fame increased as and when he became infirm. Actually the credit for all this should be given to Sir Thomas Beecham, the English composer and the one who championed the music by Delius and also organized a Delius Festival in the year 1929. Delius gradually became terribly ill but his wish for composing was still alive and in the year 1928 he enlisted the services of Eric Fenby, the English musician. He used to dictate music to Fenby who would later write a book about Delius.
The later years of life brought Delius the honor of becoming the Companion of Honor by King George V of England. He was also awarded an honorary degree in music by Oxford University. Delius was such an artist by heart that before his death in Grez-sur-Loing, France, in 1934, he could hear music on radio and on record. But besides all this accomplishments he died in seclusion because of the terrible fall down of his health.
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