A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Cusins, William

CUSINS, William George, was born in London, Oct. 14, 1833, and in his tenth year entered the Chapel Royal, as so many good English musicians have done before him. In 1844 he entered the Brussels Conservatoire under Fétis for the study of the piano, violin, and harmony. In 47 he gained the King's Scholarship at the R. A. M. of London, where his Professors were Potter, Sterndale Bennett, Lucas, and Sainton. In 49 his scholarship was prolonged for two years and he made his first appearance in public as a piano player in Mendelssohn's D minor Concerto, and as composer with a MS. overture. In 49 he was appointed organist to the Queen's Private Chapel, and entered the orchestras of the Royal Italian Opera and the principal concerts of London, in which he played the violin for about five years. In 51 he was appointed Assistant Professor at the R. A. M. and afterwards Professor. In 67 he became Conductor of the Philharmonic Society, vice Sir W. Sterndale Bennett resigned. In 70 he was appointed Master of the Music to the Queen; in 75 succeeded Bennett as examining Professor at Queen's College; and in 76 became joint examiner, with Mr. Hullah and Mr. O. Goldschmidt, of scholarships for the National Training School of Music. Besides these posts Mr. Cusins has been often before the public as a player and concert giver, having amongst other places performed at the Gewandhaus Leipzig, and at Berlin, as well as the Philharmonic [App. p.602 "he resigned the Philharmonic appointment in 1883"] and Crystal Palace at home. His works, if not numerous, are all on an important scale:—Royal Wedding Serenata (1863); Gideon, an oratorio (Gloucester, 1871); two Concert overtures, 'Les Travailleurs de la Mer' (1869), 'Love's Labour's Lost' (1875); Piano Concerto in A minor; besides marches, songs, etc.