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September 1866. In the following autumn he went to Berlin, where he was under Kiel, at Stern’s conservatorium. A symphony and a piano concerto were given in St James’s Hall in 1869, and from that time Cowen has been recognized as primarily a composer, his talents as a pianist being subordinate, although his public appearances were numerous for some time afterwards. His cantata, The Rose Maiden, was given in London in 1870, his second symphony by the Liverpool Philharmonic Society in 1872, and his first festival work, The Corsair, in 1876 at Birmingham. In that year his opera, Pauline, was given by the Carl Rosa Company with moderate success. In 1884 he conducted five concerts of the Philharmonic Society, and in 1888, on the resignation of Sullivan, became the regular conductor of the society, resigning the post in 1892. In the year of his appointment, 1888, he went to Melbourne as the conductor of the daily concerts given in connexion with the Exhibition there. In 1896 Cowen was appointed conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society and of the Manchester orchestra, in succession to Sir Charles Halle. In 1899 he was reappointed conductor of the Philharmonic Society. His works include:— Operettas: Garibaldi (1860) and One Too Many (1874); operas: Pauline (1876), Thorgrim (1890), Signa (Milan, 1893), and Harold (1895); oratorios: The Deluge (1878), Rt Ursula (1881), Ruth (1887), Song of Thanksgiving (1888), The Transfiguration (1895); cantatas: The Rose Maiden (1870), The Corsair (1876), The Sleeping Beauty (1885), St John's Eve (1889), The Water Lily (1893), Ode to the Passions (1898), besides a large number of short cantatas for female voices; an enormous number of songs, ranging from the popular “ballad” to really artistic lyrics, anthems, part-songs, duets, &c.; six symphonies, among which No. 3, the “ Scandinavian,” has had the greatest success; four overtures; suites, The Language of Flowers (1880), Ln the Olden Times (1883), Ln Fairyland (1896); four English dances (1896); a concerto for piano and orchestra, and a fantasia for the same played by M. Paderewski (1900); a quartet in C minor, and a trio in A minor, both early works; pianoforte pieces, &c. Cowen is never so happy as when treating of fantastic or fairy subjects; and whether in his cantatas for female voices, his charming Sleeping Beauty, his Water Lily, or his pretty overture, The Butterfly's Ball (1901), he succeeds wonderfully in finding graceful expression for the poetical idea. His dance music, such as is to be found in various orchestral suites, is refined, original, and admirably instrumented; and if he is seldom as successful in portraying the graver aspects of emotion, the vogue of his semi-sacred songs is a thing that cannot be ignored. That none of his operas has been permanently successful is a mischance which they share with most of the serious dramatic music of Great Britain; but even in more favourable conditions their lack of the great qualities, of the sincere emotion that comes from the heart and goes to the heart, wTould seriously impede their popularity. Charmingly melodious as he always is in his lighter moods, Cowen often contents himself with musical ideas that are less than beautiful in writing for the stage. Cowen, Joseph (1831-1900), English politician, son of Sir Joseph Cowen, a prominent citizen and mineowner of Newcastle-on-Tyne, was born in 1831, and was educated at Edinburgh University. In 1874 he was elected member of Parliament for the borough on the death of his father, who had held the seat as a Liberal since 1865. Joseph Cowen w7as at that time a strong Radical on domestic questions, an advocate of co-operation, an admirer of Garibaldi, Mazzini, and Kossuth, a sympathizer with Irish Nationalism, and one who in
speech, dress, and manner identified himself with the North-country mining class. Short in stature and uncouth in appearance, his individuality first shocked and then by its earnestness impressed the House of Commons; and his sturdy independence of party ties, combined with a gift of rough but genuine eloquence (of which his speech on the Royal Title Bill of 1878 was an example), rapidly made him one of the best known public men in the country. He was, moreover, an Imperialist and a Colonial Federationist at a time when Liberalism was tied and bound to the Manchester traditions; and, to the consternation of the official wire-pullers, he vigorously supported Disraeli’s foreign policy, and in 1881 opposed the Glad stonian settlement with the Boers. His independence (which his detractors attributed in some degree to his alleged susceptibility to Tory compliments) brought him into collision both with the Liberal caucus and with the party organization in Newcastle itself, but Co wen’s personal popularity and his remarkable powers as an orator triumphed in his own birthplace, and he was again elected in 1885 in spite of Liberal opposition. Shortly afterwards, however, he retired both from Parliament and from public life, professing his disgust at the party intrigues of politics, and devoted himself to conducting his newspaper, the Newcastle Daily Chronicle, and to his private business as a mine-owner. In this capacity he exercised a wide influence on local opinion, and the revolt of the Newcastle electorate in later years against doctrinaire Radicalism was largely due to his constant preaching of a broader outlook on national affairs. He continued behind the scenes to play a powerful part in forming North-country opinion until his death on 17th February 1900. (h. ch.) Cowes, or West Cowes, a town, railway station, and seaport in the Isle of Wight parliamentary division of Hampshire, England, on the north coast of the island, west side of the Medina estuary, 114 miles south-south-east of Southampton, and in daily communication with the mainland. A new esplanade has been formed, and a new public pier constructed. At East Cowes, on the opposite side of the Medina, a recreation ground has been opened, and a home for aged seamen provided. Each town forms a parish under an Urban District Council (1894). Area of West Cowes, 576 acres. Population (1891), 7690; (1901), 8654. Area of East Cowes, 510 acres. Population (1891), 2934; (1901), 3180. The harbour between the two towns is now subject to an elective body of commissioners. The registered shipping at the end of 1899 amounted to 258 vessels of 11,284 tons. In 1899, 25,984 vessels of 2,483,969 tons entered, and 25,929 of 2,480,093 tons cleared. Cowpens, a village of Spartanburg county, South Carolina, U.S.A., situated in the northern part of the state. It was here, in 1781, during the Revolution, that General Morgan defeated the British under Colonel Tarleton, when the latter lost 800 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners, and the Americans 72. Cox, Rev. Sir George William, 14th Bart. (1827-1902), English historian, son of Mr G. H. Cox, and nephew of the thirteenth baronet, was born 10th January 1827 at Benares, India, and was educated at Rugby and Trinity College, Oxford. In 1850 he was ordained, and worked as a curate till 1860, when he took a mastership at Cheltenham College, which he only held for a year. He had already contributed to the Edinburgh Review, and had published (1850) Poems, Legendary and Llistorical (with Edward A. Freeman), and (1853) a Life of St Boniface. In 1861 he became literary adviser to Messrs Long-
