Dorothea Anne Franchi

Dorothea Anne Franchi (17 February 1920 – 22 August 2003) was a New Zealand pianist, harpist, music educator and composer.

Dorothea Anne Franchi
Born	17 February 1920 (1920-02-17)
Died	22 August 2003 (2003-08-23) (aged 83)
Occupation	Music composer

Early life and education

Franchi was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1920, the daughter of Peter Rudolph and Gertrude Franchi.^[1] She studied at the Auckland Teachers College and the University of Auckland, where she graduated BMus in 1939.^[2] She then went to the Royal College of Music in London in 1948.^[2] She studied harp, composition and piano accompaniment.^[3]

Career

Franchi taught music at Epsom Girls' Grammar School in Auckland before going to study in London.^[2] From 1953 to 1958 she took the position of musical director and pianist for the newly formed New Zealand Ballet Company, working with Poul Gnatt.^[4] She had a successful career as a pianist and harpist, and her works are performed internationally.^[5][4]

Honours and awards

• Lionel Tertis Prize for Viola Rhapsody, 1950
• Philip Neill Memorial Prize, 1947
• The Composers Association of New Zealand KBB Citation for Services to New Zealand Music, 2000^[6]

Works

Franchi composed for orchestra, chamber ensemble, voice and instrumental performance. Selected works include:

• A Man of Life Upright for bass and piano
• A Wet Night in Greymouth for voice and piano
• Abel Tasman for voice, piccolo, piano and drum
• Apple-Picking Time for voice and piano
• Concertino for harmonica, harp and strings
• Do-Wack-A-Do (1956) – orchestral suite from the ballet of the same name
• El Bailador Inamorado song cycle for tenor and piano
• Eventide for tenor, string quartet and piano
• Four Pioneer Portraits (1949) – cycle of four songs for mezzo-soprano and piano based on poems by Robin Hyde, Eileen Duggan and Louis Esson^[2]
• God Bless You Boy for voice and piano