His mother was a music teacher, and his father a professional chorister at Westminster Abbey, where also
Edward Lloyd became a choir boy at age 11. He stayed for four years, eventually becoming head soloist. He would never
receive any further vocal training beyond his choir boy period, although he later studied violin.
As a young adult, he sang as a soloist in a London church choir without any professional ambitions, but soon was engaged as
a full-time chorister to Trinity College, Cambridge (in 1866). His next post was at St. Andrew's Church in London, and
before long, he was appointed a member of the Royal Chapel. When he was hired to sing Bach at the Gloucester Festival, his
career really started: he became England's most famous concert tenor for decades.
He never sang opera on stage, by request
of his wife, although impresario Carl Rosa tried hard to convince him. But he sang all kinds of oratorios and cantatas at
every possible British music festival, he sang in Gounod's Mors et vita under the composer's own baton in Paris
and Brussels, he gave concerts at Albert Hall, at Queen's Hall and at Crystal Palace (all in London), and once a year, he
was called to participate in the State Concerts at the royal Buckingham Palace. He also traveled to the US several times
(Cincinnati and Chicago, among others). And he regularly sang operatic excerpts, even entire acts, in concert –
Wagner, particularly.
He bid farewell to the public in late 1900 at Albert Hall, shortly after having scored huge success in the world premiere
of Elgar's The dream of Gerontius. But until 1915, Lloyd came out of his retirement to sing the
occasional concert. All his recordings, as well, were made when he was officially retired (1904–11).
Reference 1: The Strand Magazine, January to June 1907; reference 2; reference 3: Kutsch & Riemens
Anton Bieber has provided the Elijah and Sing me to sleep label scans and recordings as
well as the catalogue scan. Thank you!
