Born in Stuttgart, Sir Julius Benedict had a long and distinguished career as both pianist and conductor. He worked in Vienna and Naples before finally settling in London, where he gradually gained a reputation as a composer – most notably with his opera
The Lily of Killarney. He studied with Weber and Hummel but his own music is more Italianate; the influence of Rossini was clearly stronger than that of his birthplace.
March of the Templars, with its spiky principal theme and broader second subject, was played in 1887 as Queen Victoria entered Westminster Abbey for her Jubilee Service. This arrangement by W T Best, the celebrated organist of St George’s Hall, Liverpool, is typically flamboyant, reflecting his legendary reputation as a recitalist.
from notes by Stephen Westrop © 1998
