Ba U
A fiery English conductor-composer who championed modern music and met a dramatic fall from grace in Australia.
1887–1963 (age 76)·Former President of Burma·Birthday: May 26·The Lost Generation
Biography
Eugene Goossens was a dynamo of 20th-century music, his career a blend of artistic audacity and personal scandal. From a dynasty of musicians, he first made his mark as a composer of lush, post-impressionist works and as a violinist in Thomas Beecham's orchestra. His true power emerged on the podium. As conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic and later the Cincinnati Symphony, he transformed ensembles, expanded repertoires with contemporary works by Stravinsky and Schoenberg, and demanded—and received—unprecedented respect. His ambitious zenith came in 1947 as Director of the NSW State Conservatorium and chief conductor in Sydney. He spearheaded the campaign for a landmark opera house, selecting the site and envisioning its future. His downfall was equally spectacular: in 1956, he was caught importing illicit materials, a scandal that forced his immediate resignation and exile, casting a long shadow over a formidable musical legacy.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Ba was born in 1887, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ba Was Born
The biggest hits of 1887
Ba's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1887Born
President: Grover Cleveland
1892Started school
President: Benjamin Harrison
1900Became a teenager
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1903Could drive
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Could vote
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Turned 21
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1917Turned 30
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 40
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 50
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 60
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 70
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1963Died at 76
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
Key Achievements
- As conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (1931-1947), he greatly elevated its prestige and recorded extensively.
- Was a tireless advocate for modern music, premiering works by composers like Arthur Bliss and his own brother, Léon Goossens.
- Played a pivotal role in the early conception of the Sydney Opera House, choosing Bennelong Point as its site.
- Composed a substantial body of work, including two symphonies, operas, and the evocative "Oboe Concerto."
Did You Know?
He was knighted in 1955, just one year before the scandal that ended his Australian career.
Goossens had a keen interest in the occult and was a friend of Aleister Crowley, which fueled gossip after his scandal.
He commissioned the fanfare that became the theme for the "Huntley-Brinkley Report," a major US news program.
His sister, Marie Goossens, and brother, Léon, were both celebrated harpist and oboist, respectively.
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