Albert, Eugen (Eugène Francis Charles) d' (1864-1932)

French-English (later Germanized) composer and pianist, son of C L N d'Albert. He appeared with great success as a pianist, notably performing the works of Bach, Liszt, and Beethoven, and later went to Vienna for further study under Hans Richter, finishing with a course under Liszt. During World War I he repudiated his British birth, declaring himself to be entirely German. Of his 20 operas, only Tiefland (1903) has had any real success. The rest of his considerable output has largely fallen into neglect.

Although born in Scotland, he came from Newcastle upon Tyne, and after being taught by his father as a precociously gifted child, he went as Newcastle scholar to the National Training School in London (later the Royal College of Music). In 1892 he married Teresa Carreño, but they were divorced in 1895 (d'Albert married six times). In 1907 he succeeded Joseph Joachim as director of the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin.

Works Opera Der Rubin (after Hebbel; Karlsruhe, 1893), Ghismonda (Dresden, 1895), Gernot (Mannheim, 1897), Die Abreise (Frankfurt, 1898), Kain (Berlin, 1900), Der Improvisator (Berlin, 1902), Tiefland (Prague, 1903), Flauto solo (Prague, 1905), Tragaldabas (Der geborgte Ehemann) (Hamburg, 1907), Izeÿl (Hamburg, 1909), Die verschenkte Frau (Vienna, 1912), Liebesketten (Vienna, 1912), Die toten Augen (Dresden, 1916), Der Stier von Olivera (Leipzig, 1918), Revolutionshochzeit (Leipzig, 1919), Scirocco (Darmstadt, 1921), Mareika von Nymwegen (Hamburg, 1923), Der Golem (Frankfurt, 1926), Die schwarze Orchidee (Leipzig, 1928), Die Witwe von Ephesus, Mister Wu (unfinished, completed by L Blech).

Other Der Mensch und das Leben, choral work in six parts (1893); symphony in F; overtures Esther and Hyperion; two string quartets; piano suite and sonata.