Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1881

Death

:

1916

Genre

:

Vocal

 

Frederick Septimus Kelly was a renowned Australian composer and pianist who lived from 29 May 1881 to 13 November 1916. He was born in Sydney, Australia, to a family of musicians. His father, Thomas Kelly, was a well-known violinist, and his mother, Mary Ann Kelly, was a pianist. Frederick Kelly showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of four. He was a prodigious talent and quickly became a skilled pianist. Kelly's family moved to London when he was ten years old, and he continued his musical education there. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and later at Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he became friends with the poet Rupert Brooke, and the two men collaborated on several musical projects. Kelly's early compositions were heavily influenced by the Romantic composers of the time, such as Brahms and Tchaikovsky. However, he also had a keen interest in the music of Debussy and Ravel, and he incorporated elements of their style into his own work. One of Kelly's most significant works is his Elegy for Strings, which he composed in 1914. The piece was written in memory of Rupert Brooke, who had died earlier that year. The Elegy is a hauntingly beautiful work that captures the sadness and loss of Brooke's death. It has become one of Kelly's most famous compositions and is still performed today. Kelly was also an accomplished athlete and competed in the 1908 Olympic Games in London. He won a gold medal as part of the British rowing team and was the only Olympic gold medalist to die in World War I. In 1914, Kelly joined the British Army and served as a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He was killed in action in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. He was only 35 years old. Despite his short life, Frederick Kelly left behind a significant body of work that continues to be admired and performed today. His music is known for its emotional depth and beauty, and his legacy as a composer and athlete is still celebrated in his native Australia and around the world.

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