Cusins had an impressive curriculum vitae. Born in London, he entered the Chapel Royal in his tenth year and studied music in Brussels under François-Joseph Fétis and later at the RAM in London, under Cipriani Potter, William Sterndale Bennett, and Charles Lucas.
He toured widely, in England, Leipzig, Berlin and other places, as a concert pianist and as a composer. He was appointed organist to Queen Victoria's private chapel. He also played the violin in various orchestras in London. In 1851 he became assistant professor at the RAM, and later full professor. In 1867 he succeeded Sterndale Bennett as conductor of the Philharmonic Society and remained in this post until 1883.
He was appointed Master of the Queen's Musick by Queen Victoria in 1870, succeeding George Frederick Anderson, who had retired. He was knighted on 5 August 1892 (the only Master to be knighted during his term of office)
He was not a prolific orchestral composer but he left a symphony and a few other orchestral works.
The two concert overtures Les Travailleurs de la mer (1869) and Love's Labour's Lost (1875) were published together as a pair.
Les Travailleurs de la mer - 1869
(after the novel by Victor Hugo) is set on the Isle of Guernsey, where Hugo lived in exile during its writing. The rugged landscape and the sea's unpredictable nature play a significant role in the story, representing both beauty and danger.
It tells the story of Gilliatt, a solitary fisherman on Isle of Guernsey, who falls in love with Deruchette, the niece of wealthy shipowner Lethierry. When Lethierry's steamship, the Durande, is wrecked, Deruchette promises to marry whoever can salvage the ship's engine. Gilliatt, driven by his love for her, undertakes the dangerous task, battling the sea and his own inner demons, only to discover that Deruchette's affections have unknowingly shifted to the new rector, Caudray. Despite this, Gilliatt selflessly ensures their happiness, ultimately sacrificing himself to the sea.
The opening, slow introduction with it's angular melodies and harmonic disonance could easily have been written in the early 20th century. Contrasted with this is a section where a new theme on the 1st violins is answered on the cellos in canon.
The Allegro begins with a pressing, more urgent idea.
SAMPLE: Les Travailleurs de la mer - start
The storm section builds and the upper woodwind (with piccolo) are used to portray flecks of spray.
SAMPLE: Les Travailleurs de la mer - middle
The storm subsides and the music enters a calmer scene where a new melody is heard, tinged with melancholy which builds to a triumphant finale.
SAMPLE: Les Travailleurs de la mer - end