Edith Mary Swepstone | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1862-01-04)4 January 1862 |
| Died | 5 February 1942(1942-02-05) (aged 80) |
| Alma mater | Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
| Occupations | Composer, teacher of music |
| Employer | City of London School |
Edith Mary Swepstone (4 January 1862 – 5 February 1942) was an English composer and music teacher.[1] She was born in Stepney, London, the daughter of a London solicitor.[2] She studied music at the Guildhall School and later worked as a lecturer at the City of London School.[1] She died in Tonbridge, Kent.[3]
Career
She studied music at the Guildhall School in London, England[1] and later worked as a lecturer at the City of London School.[4] In 1895 she was giving music lectures at the City School of London.[2]
As a composer, Swepstone wrote early 20th-century orchestral music, chamber music, and songs.[2] During the first quarter of the 20th century, she had many of her orchestral works performed by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra under Dan Godfey, the most by a single composer.[5] Though the music is not located, 14 of Swepstone’s orchestral works were presented in a total of 24 performances, between 1899 and 1933. There are only three recorded instances of her orchestral music having been performed elsewhere. The minuet and rondo of her Symphony in G minor were performed in Leyton on 10 March 1887 with the composer conducting the Aeolian Ladies' Orchestra, and the opening movement at the Guildhall School of Music on 7 December 1889 as part of a concert of student works.[5] Her overture Les Tenebres was performed at Queen's Hall, London in February 1897.[2]
At the South Place Concert Series, a weekly chamber music concert series in London, between 1887–1987, 1,121 works were performed and women composers make up for only 13 of those compositions.[2] Swepstone’s Piano Quintet in E minor was performed a total of four times at the concert series.[6] Swepstone’s influence is apparent in that, of all the pieces played at the series and written by women, over half were her compositions.[2]
In total, seven of her chamber music compositions were performed at the series.[2] In addition to Piano Quintet E Minor, played four times, the following works were each performed once: Quintet D Hn & String Quartet, Quintet E-flat Pf and Wind, String Quartet Lyrical Cycle, Piano Trio D minor, Piano Trio G minor, Piano Trio A minor.[2]
Works
Selected works include:[7]
Orchestral
- Symphony in G minor (1887, first complete performance Bournemouth, 3 February 1902)
- Les Tenebres overture (fp. Queen's Hall, 1897, Bournemouth 1903)
- Daramona, symphonic poem (fp. Bournemouth, 26 October 1899)
- The Ice Maiden, suite (fp. Bournemouth, 26 November 1900)
- A Vision, tone poem (first performed Bournemouth, 1903)
- Paolo and Francesca, prelude (fp. Bournemouth, February 1906)
- Mors Janua Vitae, funeral march (fp. Bournemouth, April 1906)
- The Wind in the Pines, symphonic poem (fp. Bournemouth, 1909)
- The Horn of Roland, overture (fp. Bournemouth, 1910)
- Moonrise on the Mountains, symphonic poem, (fp. Bournemouth, 26 November 1912)
- Woods in April, symphonic poem, (fp. Bournemouth, 1914)
- The Roll of Honour, march (fp. Bournemouth, June 1916)
- Morte d’Arthur, symphonic poem, (fp. Bournemouth, 1920)
- The Four Ships, suite (fp. Bournemouth, 3 September 1924)
Chamber
- Foreshadowings, with cello accompaniment
- Horn Quintet in D
- Lament for Violin and Piano
- Piano Quintet in E minor
- Piano Quintet in F minor
- Quintet for piano and wind in E flat
- Requiem for cello and Piano
- String Quartet Lyrical Cycle
- Piano Trio in A minor
- Piano Trio in D minor
- Piano Trio in G minor
- Une Larme, for clarinet and piano[8]
Choral and song
- The Crocuses' Lament, Two-Part Song for female voices
- Foreshadowings
- The Ice Queen, cantata, female voice
- Idylls of the Morn, cantata, female voice
- 'O may I join the Choir invisible', text George Eliot[9]
- Robert Louis Stevenson's Songs for Children Set to Music
- A Song of Twilight text by A.R. Aldrich
- Three-Part Song for female voices, with Pianoforte Accompaniment, text by F.R. Haverga
References
- ^ a b c Foreman, Lewis (2018). "Swepstone, Edith". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.2021378. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Beck, Jessica Claire (2018). The women musicians of South Place Ethical Society, 1887-1927 (Ph.D. thesis). Manchester Metropolitan University in collaboration with Conway Hall Ethical Society.
- ^ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995. 1942. p. 474.
- ^ Hyde, Derek (1998). New found voices : women in nineteenth century English music. Internet Archive. Aldershot ; Brookfield, Vt., USA : Ashgate. ISBN 978-1-85928-349-3.
- ^ a b Stephen Lloyd. Sir Dan Godfrey: Champion of British Composers (1995), p. 45, 62-63
- ^ Elson, Arthur (1904). Woman's work in music; being an account of her influence on the art, in ancient as well as modern times; a summary of her musical compositions, in the different countries of the civilized world; and an estimate of their rank in comparison with those of men. Music - University of Toronto. Boston, L.C. Page.
- ^ "'Edith Swepstone' [WorldCat.org]". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ recorded by John Bradbury and Ian Buckle, MPR 117 (2024)
- ^ Haight, Gordon S.; VanArsdel, Rosemary T., eds. (1982). George Eliot, a centenary tribute. Internet Archive. Totowa, N.J. : Barnes & Noble. ISBN 978-0-389-20252-3.
