Born: May 21, 1877 - Hampstead, London, England
Died: February 7, 1957 - London, England

The English pianist, pedagogue, and composer, George Herbert Fryer, was the only son of three children, born to Clara and George Henry Fryer. Herbert was initially educated at Merchant Taylor's School. Finding that music was his ‘calling’, he began serious musical studies in London with Beringer at the Royal Academy of Music (1893-1895) and with Franklin Taylor at the Royal College of Music (1895-1898). He had further studies with the great Italian pianist and composer/conductor, Ferruccio Busoni in Weimar (1898).

Herbert Fryer made his London debut on November 17, 1898, and subsequently toured in Europe. Performing, composing, festival adjudicating and examining were all a major part of his life. In 1914 he made his first tour of North America. He taught at the Royal Academy of Music from 1905 to 1914. After teaching at the Institute of Musical Art in New York from 1915 to 1917, he was on the faculty of the Royal College of Music in London from 1917 to 1947. He continued to tour, and his international performing career took him all over Europe, Canada, the USA (one performance was for the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society, May 6, 1949), Australia, South Africa, the Far East and the Indian sub-continent. in Europe, and also played in Canada and the Far East. He continued teaching pianoforte above Bluthner's piano showroom until his sudden death in 1957.

Recordings were made both in 78 rpm (Chopin’s Nouvelle Etudes & Prelude, Op. 28 and The Prophet Bird by Schumann) and numerous in piano roll format. Herbert Fryer was given an entry in the Who’s Who in Music Book, 1949. He published Hints on Pianoforte Practice (New York, 1914) and composed piano pieces and songs.

Source: Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997), English Pianists Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (July 2007)

Bach-Fryer: Herbert Fryer | Works | Recordings

Links to other Sites

Herbert Fryer: A Biography and personal recollections by his last PUPIL, Richard Smith (English Pianists)

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