Sir Hamilton Harty, Born, Hillsborough, Co. Down 4 Dec 1879. Organist in Belfast and Dublin by age 12, moving to London in 1900 where he became a sought-after pianoforte accompanist and conductor. In addition to giving many recitals with his wife, the soprano Agnes Nicholls (1877-1959), he became known as a conductor in concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra. From 1920 to 1933 he was conductor of the Halle Orchestra in Manchester. A composer in the Romantic Tradition, his works include a violin concerto, a tone poem, With the Wild Geese (1910), and the Irish Symphony (1924). He was knighted in 1925. He died on Feb. 19, 1941, Hove, Sussex, England.
From the guide to the Hamilton Harty Papers, 20th century, (Queen's University, Belfast)
