Frederick William Nicholls Crouch (30 July 1808 – 18 August 1896) was an English composer and cellist.
Biography
Crouch was born in Marylebone in the city of Westminster, in London. He emigrated to the United States in 1849 and settled in Richmond, Virginia. During the Civil War, Crouch took up arms for the Richmond Grays and the 1st Richmond Howitzers, Confederacy.
Crouch was noted as a fine cellist, having played in the King's Theatre as well as St Paul's Cathedral in London, before relocating to the United States, but the majority of his compositions were not successful. His most famous song is "Kathleen Mavourneen". He also set a poem Donna Dear a poem by the British poet Katherine Ashton Simpson.
During his years in the United States, Crouch composed two operas and unsuccessfully tried various musical undertakings (i.e., conducting, singing and teaching). Well traveled after the Civil War, Crouch eventually settled in Baltimore, Maryland.
He was married four times, and was the father of 27 children, including the famous French courtesan Cora Pearl.
He died on 18 August 1896 in Portland, Maine, and was buried on Confederate Hill in Baltimore's Loudon Park Cemetery.
References
External links
- Frederick Nicholls Crouch on allmusic
- Frederick Crouch at Find a Grave
- Free scores by Frederick Crouch at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
