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Auction: 21156 - Spink Numismatic e-Circular 12: British and World Coins and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 8108

Royal Academy of Music, AR Award Medal, awarded to Leo Livens, 1913, Apollo bust right, harp, rev. ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC INSTITUTED 1822, within wreath LEO LIVENS PIANOFORTE 1913, with suspension loop and riband, 41mm, 41.27g, the mount loose, otherwise brilliant and beautifully toned, extremely fine accompanied by biographical information and a letter from the Royal Academy of Music describing the history of the Academy's medals, dated 1988.

Leo Livens (1896-1990), Composer, Pianist and Teacher. His most well known works are the nursery rhymes Sing A Song Of Sixpence and Little Polly Flinders.

Livens was born in 1896 to the artist Horace Mann Livens and Gertrude Evangeline Brock. His father was a personal friend of Vincent Van Gogh and had even painted a portrait of the artist when both were at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts, Antwerp, around 1855.

Livens was a pupil of the Tobias Matthay School of Pianoforte Playing in London. Matthay is regarded as the most influential piano teacher and writer of piano technique in the English speaking world. In 1910, Matthay presented Two Invitation Pianoforte Recitals at the Bechstein (later Wigmore) Hall, London. Included in the programme were Leo and his sister Evangeline, who also attracted a great deal of interest as a pianist and composer. From a young age Livens composed works and by the age of 14 he had written pieces good enough for recital.

During his time at the Royal Academy of Music he received a number of awards and scholarships. In 1915, he was awarded The Oliveria Prescott Prize, awarded to distinguished composition students as well as the Philip L. Agnew prize for pianoforte.

He was conscripted into the British Army in 1916. An appeal was made against being sent to active service due to his occupation, however this was denied. In 1919 he returned to his studies at the Royal Academy of Music and in the following year he was elected by the Royal Academy of Music committee.

Ill health however impacted his career and during several periods from 1926-1934 Livens was hospitalised at Napsbury's hospital, a mental health facility in Hertfordshire. During this time he was visited regularly by his artist-father who is known to have made sketches of his son and fellow patients.

Works by Livens include:

Allegretto Semplice - Prelude No.1 of four Preludes for Pianoforte
Presto ma non troppo - Prelude No.2 of Four Preludes for Pianoforte
Quasi allegretto soave - Prelude No.4 of Four Preludes for Pianoforte
Dance of the Insects
Flying Moments
Harebell
Impressions for Pianoforte
Litte Star
Peter Piper
Seven Impressions
Sonata in C Major
Sunset
Sylvia
Tanta (in the native quarters)
The Hobby Horse
Three Studies - 1 The Naiads 2 Heat Waves 3 A Hailstorm
Three preludes
Two musical Rhymes - 1 To Banbury Cross 2 Little Pollly Flinders
Sing a song of sixpence
Zagazig (Egyptian Dance)

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Estimate
£200 to £250

Starting price
£200