Hinton received his early education at Shrewsbury School. Defying his parents' wish to go into business, he chose to study composition at the Royal Academy of Music, where he later became a sub-professor. His earliest work that survives from this period is the Romance for Violin and Orchestra dated 1889.
During the early 1890s he studied in Germany with Josef Rheinberger and after his death, Karel Navratil. Hinton's first major work to get a hearing in Germany was his First Symphony, which was premiered in August 1894 and conducted by the composer. Encouraged by the success of this event, Hinton completed his Second Symphony in 1901; it was performed at the Royal College of Music in 1903.
Hinton met the pianist Katherine Goodson while he was in Vienna, and after returning to England they married in 1903 and it was his wife who gave the first performance of the Piano Concerto in D minor on 1 November 1905 at the Queen's Hall. Although sharing a close marriage, both of them travelled widely for their respective careers and there were no children.
Hinton's name and work began to be met with increased attention - not only in Europe, but as far afield as the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. His compositional activity slowed down as he took on more responsibilities as an examiner for the Associated Board.
Lancelot and Guinevere (1892)
This Suite for Orchestra is an early work written at roughly the time Hinton went to Germany. It is in three movments. Each movement is prefaced by lines from Tennyson. The second movement marked Molto Andante has this:
"And I will love thee to the death" is a paraphrase of Tennyson's famous line, "And I will love thee to the death out beyond into the dream to come" from his elegy "In Memoriam A.H.H."
This central movement is ABA in form but overall it is has the feel of a rhapsody. The opening melody heard on the oboe sets the tone for the movement.
This movement lasts for about 7 minutes and here is every glorious moment of it all!
SAMPLE: Lancelot and Guinevere - 2nd mov