Francis Edward Bache ( / ˈ b eɪ tʃ / ; 14 September 1833 – 24 August 1858) was an English organist and composer. He was born in Birmingham as the oldest of seven children to Samuel Bache, a well-known Unitarian minister. He studied with James Stimpson, the Birmingham City Organist, and with violinist Alfred Mellon while attending his father’s school. He played the violin in the 1846 Birmingham festival and went to London in 1849 to study composition privately with William Sterndale Bennett for three years.
In October 1850, Bache became the organist at All Saints, Gordon Square. While continuing his studies with Sterndale Bennett, he composed concertos, overtures, two operettas, a string quartet, a piano trio, and many piano pieces. He made his debut as a concert performer in Keighley, Yorkshire, on 21 January 1851. In June 1852, he played the Allegro of an unpublished piano concerto, and Henry Chorley remarked, “We have met with no Englishman for whom we have so long been waiting than Mr. Bache.” In November 1851, Bache moved to live with Mellon in London. In 1852, he signed a contract with Addison, Hollier, and Lucas to write light piano pieces, creating many of these works. He once said, “I would rather have written my Galop di Bravura than a Sonata that is only printed to sit on a shelf like a dead weight because of its lack of ideas.”
In 1853, on Sterndale Bennett’s recommendation, Bache continued his musical education in Leipzig. He studied there with Moritz Hauptmann, developing negative opinions about the music of Berlioz, Liszt, and Wagner. This contrasted with his brother Walter, who later supported the music of Liszt and Wagner. After visiting Dresden, Bache returned to London through Paris in February 1855. He attended the 1855 Birmingham Festival and reviewed it for local newspapers. Later, he suffered a severe attack of tuberculosis, a disease that had troubled him for years.
Following medical advice, Bache traveled to Algiers in early 1856. There, he gave a concert on 28 March. He then traveled through Paris to Leipzig, arriving in June. From there, he went through Dresden and Vienna to Rome by December 1856. His health worsened again, so he returned home in June 1857. He spent the winter of 1857–1858 in Torquay, where he successfully gave a concert in February 1858. After returning to Birmingham, his illness continued to worsen. He died less than three weeks after a farewell concert of his music on 5 August 1858, at the age of 24.
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, his younger brother, Walter Bache (1842–1888), was a successful pianist and conductor. A memoir of the two brothers, written by their sister Constance Bache, was published in 1901 under the title Brother Musicians.
Selected works
- Andante and Allegro in D major, for organ
- 5 Charakterstücke for piano, op. 15 (pub. 1855)
- Duo brillante for violin and piano
- Flute Concerto (1852)
- 3 Impromptus for piano, op. 1
- 4 Mazurkas de Salon, op. 13 (pub. 1855)
- 6 Melodies, songs for voice and piano, op. 16 (1850)
- Piano Concerto in E major, op. 18 (1856)
- Piano Trio in D minor, op. 25 (c. 1852, pub. 1865)
- Polonaise for piano and orchestra, op. 9 (1854)
- 2 Romances for violin and piano (or cello and piano), op. 21 (pub. 1859)
- Rubezahl, opera (1852)
- Souvenirs d'Italie for piano, op. 19
- Souvenirs de Torquay for piano, op. 26 (pub. 1859)
- String Quartet in F major, (1851)
- Which is Which, opera