Julian Edwards

Julian Edwards (December 11, 1855 - September 5, 1910) was an Anglo-American composer of light operatic music who composed many successful Broadway shows in the Progressive Era. He attempted to introduce new levels of musical sophistication to the genre. Some of his songs achieved popularity at the time.

Edwards was born in Manchester, England and studied in Edinburgh and London. He became conductor of the Carl Rosa Opera Company. He also conducted at the Royal English Opera House, where he met his wife, prima donna Philippine Siedle. He composed a grand opera entitled Victorian in 1884, which was performed at Covent Garden Opera House. The libretto, by J F Reynolds-Anderson, was based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's play The Spanish Student.

He soon turned his attention to lighter music, moving to New York at the invitation of Broadway producer James C. Duff, and creating a number of Broadway shows, beginning with Jupiter (1892), to a libretto by Harry B. Smith. He followed it with 17 more musicals.

His first big success was Madeleine, or the Magic Kiss (1893). This was his first collaboration with playwright and lyricist Stanislaus Stange, with whom he worked on several other projects. They later had an even greater success with Brian Boru (1896), a "Romantic Irish Opera" based on the life of the medieval Irish king.

Among his many other works, he also wrote Jolly Musketeer (1898), Princess Chic (1900),Dolly Varden (1902), When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1902), Love's Lottery (1904), The Gay Musician (1908, with book and lyrics by Chas. J. Campbell and Edward Siedle, his brother-in-law), The Motor Girl (1909) and The Girl and the Wizard (1909). Love's Lottery was intended as a vehicle for the German opera singer Ernestine Schumann-Heink, who withdrew after fifty performances.

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