Dorothea Anne Franchi

Dorothea Anne Franchi
Born17 February 1920 (1920-02-17)
Died22 August 2003 (2003-08-23) (aged 83)
OccupationMusic composer

Dorothea Anne Franchi (17 February 1920 – 22 August 2003) was a New Zealand pianist, harpist, music educator and composer.

Early life and education

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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

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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

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Works

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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

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ a b c d Dart, William (26 August 2003). "Obituary: Dorothea Franchi". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b "Dorothea Anne Franchi". SOUNZ. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  5. ^ Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian (1994). The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393034875. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  6. ^ Dees, Pamela Youngdahl (2004). A Guide to Piano Music by Women Composers: Women born after 1900.

Further reading

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  • Grant, Alison (2003). "Dorothea Franchi (1920–2003) – a tribute". Canzona. 24 (45): 26–29.
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