Edward Jakobowski
Illustration — Edward Jakobowski • Illustration — Cover of Jakobowski's Erminie – New York (1887) Edward Jakobowski (17 April 1856 – 29 April 1929) was an English composer, especially of musical theatre, best known for writing the hit comic opera Erminie.
Also recorded as Ed Jakobowski
Edward Jakobowski

Wilson, Francis (1924). Francis Wilson's Life of Himself. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 73 · Public domain
- Born
- 1856 · London.
- Died
- 1929 · London.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation
- composer · writer
- Languages
- German
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Edward Jakobowski • Illustration — Cover of Jakobowski's Erminie – New York (1887) Edward Jakobowski (17 April 1856 – 29 April 1929) was an English composer, especially of musical theatre, best known for writing the hit comic opera Erminie.
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Born In · outgoing
London
Place
Pencil sketch by George Henry Harlow, 1814, http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/largerimage.php?mkey=mw05495

Died In · outgoing
London
Place
Pencil sketch by George Henry Harlow, 1814, http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/largerimage.php?mkey=mw05495
Citizen Of · outgoing
United Kingdom
Place
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q5343715 · wikipedia · Edward Jakobowski
In this article
Life and career
Life and career
Jakobowski was born in Islington, London, the only son of Israel Jakobowski (born c. 1819), a salesman dealing in stationery and cigars, and his wife Fanny (born c. 1834), who were both Viennese of Polish extraction. He had an older sister, Helena (born c. 1855). At age six, he moved to Vienna, Austria, where he lived for some 15 years and was given a musical education. In the late 1870s he lived in Paris for three years. In 1881, he returned to London. Jakobowski's most successful work by far, Erminie, opened in 1885 in London. It was revived extensively and toured internationally, playing with extraordinary success on Broadway from 1886. None of his other works had more than a short run or two, although many of them toured profitably. For two Victorian burlesques, The Three Beggars (1883) and Little Carmen (1884), Jakobowski used the pen name Edward Belville. His principal shows were Dick (1884, based on the story of Dick Whittington; libretto: Alfred Murray), Erminie (1885), The Palace of Pearl (1886), Mynheer Jan (1887; libretto: Harry Paulton), Paola (1889; libretto: Paulton), La Rosiére (1893, in one act), The Queen of Brilliants (1894; libretto: Brandon Thomas, starring Lillian Russell), The Devil's Deputy (1894; libretto: J. Cheever Goodwin), Milord Sir Smith (1898, originally titled Cumpano; libretto O'Day and Adrian Ross), Tarantella (1899; libretto: Alfred Murray) and Winsome Winnie (1903). He was one of eight composers who contributed to Pat in 1892. Two short operettas in 1893 with libretti by B. C. Stephenson, The Improvisatore and A Venetian Singer, made little impact. Jakobowski was married twice, the second time in New York in 1895 to Clara Brown, which ended in a London divorce in 1901. In 1902, he was declared bankrupt with debts of £1,090 (£ in adjusted for inflation). He died at the Infirmary, Friern Barnet, north London, in 1929. His estate was valued at 47 pounds, 8 shillings.
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The following is established of the heading itself.
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. Recorded with the occupation author. The register further records that edward Jakobowski is recorded as a citizen of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is also recorded that edward Jakobowski is recorded with the gender male. Born on 17 April 1856. Institutional cataloguing adds that edward Jakobowski died on 29 April 1929. Institutional cataloguing adds that edward Jakobowski is recorded with the occupation composer.
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5343715: Edward Jakobowski
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Edward Jakobowski”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q5343715: Edward JakobowskiWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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