HENRY LEWIS REGINALD DE KOVEN
DE KOVEN, HENRY LEWIS REGINALD, son of a Protestant Episcopal clergyman and educator; graduate of Oxford, England, a student of music in Stuttgart and Frankfort, Germany, in Vienna, Austria, and Florence, Italy, and composer of popular operas and musical plays and of songs and miscellaneous work for the piano and orchestra; was born in Middle town, Connecticut, April 3, 1861. His father, the Reverend Doctor Henry de Koven, was a clergyman and professor of homiletics at Berkeley divinity school, Middletown, Connecticut, a man of culture and refinement. His mother, Charlotte Rutgers (Le Roy) de Koven, was descended from Knickerbocker families prominent in the early history of New York. His grandfather, Henry Lewis de Koven, married Margaret Lebor, and his great grandfather, John de Koven of Connecticut, was descended from Captain de Koven of the British army who came to New England and married the granddaughter of Governor John Winthrop, royal governor of Massachusetts. He is also a descendant of the royal governors, Dudley and Saltonstall, and of Thomas Otis.
He was educated by his father, and was prepared for college at twelve years of age. He was graduated, A.B., at Oxford university, England, in 1881; and he studied at Stuttgart in 1882. He was assistant teller in the National Bank of America, Chicago, Illinois 1882; and was in business in that city until 1889.
His musical education was obtained by study of music under William Speidel at Stuttgart; of harmony and counterpoint with Doctor Huff at Frankfort; vocal music under Signor Vanna Cinni at Florence, Italy, and orchestration under Richard Genee of Vienna. He became musical critic on the "Evening Post" in 1889, on the "New York World" and "Harper's Weekly" in 1891 and on the "New York Journal," 1898. He became a musical composer against the wishes of his parents, but led by an ambition arising from strong natural aptitude. Private study with the guiding influence of his home were the greatest factors in securing success in his profession. He found the best helps in his life-work to be the essays of Edgar Allan Poe, the literary works of Wagner and Berlioz, and the musical
