Henschel, Sir George

Henschel, Sir George (hĕn`shəl), 1850–1934, German-English conductor, composer, and baritone. His first appearance (1877) in England was as a singer, and there he and his wife inaugurated (c.1880) the song recital. In 1881 he became the Boston Symphony Orchestra's first conductor. He returned to England in 1884 and was professor of singing (1886–88) at the Royal College of Music, London. He founded (1886) the London Symphony Concerts, which he conducted until they ceased in 1897. In his musical compositions, which include operas, songs, choral works, and instrumental music, he was strongly influenced by Brahms and Wagner. He was knighted in 1914. His first wife,

Lillian June (Bailey) Henschel, 1860–1901, was an American soprano. She made her debut in Boston in 1876, then studied (1878) with Viardot-Garcia in Paris and later with Henschel, whom she married in 1881.