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Scan 79
Grove's Dictionary of music and musicians, 1927
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1Beigel he was under that master for nearly three years. The success in store for him as a Bach tenor was foreshadowed early in his career, as he had not been long in London before singing for Sir Walter Parratt in a performance of the St. John 'Passion' at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The work was done in German, and Adams, knowing at that time scarcely a word of the language, had to get up his part in ten days. His first big engagement in London was with the Bach Choir for César Franck's 'Beatitudes.' Since then he has been engaged by the Bach Choir very frequently, singing in both 'Passions' and the 'Mass in B Minor.' He was at the Leeds Festival in 1922—the resumption after the war—and has sung for the Royal Choral Society, the Liverpool Philharmonic, the Glasgow Choral Union, etc. S. H. P.
3ADAMS, SUZANNE (b. Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A., Nov. 28, 1872), operatic soprano; studied under Bouhy in Paris; married in 1898 the late Leo Stern, the well-known violoncellist, and subsequently J. L. McKay. After a successful début at the Paris Opéra in 1894, as Juliette, she was re-engaged for three seasons; then appeared for the first time at Covent Garden (1898) in the same character, winning decided favour. She studied both Juliette and Marguerite with Gounod, who greatly admired her brilliant yet flexible tone and admirable vocal method. Maurice Grau, then impresario both in London and New York, secured her for the Metropolitan Opera House, where her début took place, Jan. 4, 1899. Until 1906 she sang on both sides of the Atlantic with invariable success, shining less perhaps as an actress than as a singer. Her Euridice in Gluck's 'Orfeo' was a charming performance, and she created the part of Hero in Stanford's 'Much Ado About Nothing' when produced at Covent Garden. Her Donna Elvira was another impersonation of exceptional merit. As an oratorio singer she earned distinction both in England and America, her rendering of the soprano music in the 'Messiah' at Carnegie Hall in 1904 being described as the finest heard in New York since Tietjens sang it there. She has lived in London since her retirement. H. K.
5ADAMS, (1) THOMAS (b. London, Sept. 5, 1785; d. there, Sept. 15, 1858), a successful organist, remembered for his performances on the APOLLONICON (q.v.).
7He began to study music, under Dr. Busby, at eleven years of age, and held appointments in succession at Carlisle Chapel, Lambeth (1802), St. Paul's, Deptford (1814), St. George, Camberwell (1824). In 1833 he was appointed organist of the then newly rebuilt church of St. Dunstan-in-the-West, Fleet Street, which post he held, conjointly with that of Camberwell, until his death. From their beginning, Adams for many years superintended the annual evening performances on the Apolloni-con. For a period of upwards of a quarter of a century Adams occupied a very prominent position as a performer, and was commonly called 'the Thalberg of the organ.' Excelling in both the strict and free styles, he possessed a remarkable faculty for extemporising. Even in so small a field as the interludes then customary between the verses of a psalm tune, he would exhibit this talent to an extraordinary degree. Adams was a composer for, as well as a performer on, his instrument. He published many organ pieces, fugues and voluntaries, besides 90 interludes, and several variations on popular themes. He also published numerous variations for the pianoforte, and many vocal pieces, consisting of short anthems, hymns and sacred songs. The Mus. T. of Sept. 1899 contains an account of his organ recitals, and a set of harmonies to the 'Old Hundredth,' an amusing burlesque of the tortuous style of treatment then coming into fashion. Some of Adams's organ pieces have been edited recently for modern use by John E. West, and published by Novello.
9His youngest son, (2) EDGAR (d. May 2, 1890), followed the profession of his father and held for many years the appointment of organist of the church of St. Lawrence, Jewry.
11W. H. H., rev. with addns.
13ADAMS, THOMAS JULIAN (b. London, Jan. 28, 1824; d. Eastbourne, May 7, 1887), composer and conductor.
15He studied under Moscheles; also at Paris. In 1851 he brought together an orchestra with which he gave a series of weekly concerts at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Greenock. After giving concerts in Paris in 1853 he formed another touring orchestra in 1855, giving high-class concerts in the principal English towns. After residing for some time as conductor at Scarborough, Tynemouth and Buxton, he settled in 1877 at Eastbourne as conductor of the Devonshire Park concerts. He introduced Debain's harmonium into England, for which he published a Method in 1855.
17According to Brown and Stratton, he wrote compositions for the pianoforte and also for orchestra.
19E. v. d. s.
21ADAMUS DORENSIS (ADAM OF DORE, DOOR or DOWR), from the British Dûr, the site of a Cistercian abbey in Herefordshire, of which Adam was abbot c. 1200, under King John. He was skilled in music as well as in arts and sciences, and wrote a Treatise on the Elements of Music (Hawkins, ii. p. 183). Mendel and Reissmann say: 'He was born at Dover at the beginning of the 12th century.' E. v. d. s.
23ADAPTATION, see ARRANGEMENT.
25ADDISON, JOHN (b. London, c. 1766; d. there, Jan. 30, 1844), a player on the double bass and composer of light dramatic works; in conjunction with his wife, a noted singer, took considerable part in the musical life of his time.
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