Born in England 1862 Lived & worked in Florida, Germany, Norway & France Died in France 1934 Buried in England 1935 Fritz Theodor Albert Delius was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, on 29 January 1862 to parents who had come to England from Bielefeld, Germany. Julius, his father, was a prosperous businessman in one of Yorkshire's great Victorian industries, wool. The home was a musically cultured one, and, as a boy, Fritz learned to play both violin and piano proficiently before he reached his teens. After attending Bradford Grammar School (1874-8), he spent two years studying at the International College near London, and then some apprentice years in his father's business. These were characterised by a growing frustration with business life, and in March 1884, Fritz persuaded his father to let him try his hand at cultivating oranges in Florida, USA. His plantation, Solano Grove, was some hours upstream from Jacksonville on the banks of the St. John's River. Once there, he quickly secured a piano and found a local source for theory lessons, a Jacksonville organist named Thomas Ward, an important early influence. He also absorbed the sounds of the singing of negro workers, which were to be documented in his Florida Suite of 1886-7. Delius stayed there for a year and a half, before moving on to Danville, Virginia, with sufficient confidence to teach music in his own right. Julius Delius now gave in to his son's request for a full musical education and Fritz enrolled at <b>...</b>
Frederick Delius
Dance
Air (music)
Violin
Classical
string orchestra
classical music
