MURIEL HERBERT - UK -
DIED 1 MAY
Muriel Emily Herbert was a British composer of the early 20th century. Much of Herbert's work is for solo voice and piano, with art song settings of texts by English and Irish poets such as James Joyce, Thomas Hardy, Ben Jonson, Robert Herrick and W.B. Yeats.
Muriel received the Liverpool scholarship and attended the Royal College of Music in London. She studied with Irish composer, Charles Stanford, and when World War I ended she stayed near London, taught at Wycombe Abbey School for girls, gave private lessons, and performed recitals, and continued developing her musical abilities.
In the early Twenties she met Roger Quilter, who viewed her works favourably and recommended them to the publisher Augener, even signing the contract as a witness. In 1923, Augener published the songs 'Beauty', 'Cradle Song', 'Loveliest of Trees', 'Renouncement' and 'When Death to Either Shall Come'. A further three songs, 'Autumn', 'Most Holy Night' and 'Have you seen but a white lily grow', were published by Augener in 1926. Later, some of Herbert's other art songs and two works for violin and piano ('Giboulée' and 'Enchanted April') were published by Robert Elkin.
Although Muriel Herbert had received an honorary A.R.C.M. by the Royal College and had given occasional broadcasts of her vocal music for the BBC, much of her music has remained rarely performed.
Through the efforts of a former student, Bill Lloyd, and Muriel's daughter Claire Tomalin, her music has begun to be performed and recorded. In 2008, 36 of her art songs for voice and piano were recorded by James Gilchrist, tenor, Ailish Tynan, soprano, and David Owen Norris, piano with Linn Records.
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SOPHIA DUSSEK - SCOTLAND
BORN 1 MAY
Sophia Giustina Dussek was a Scottish singer, pianist, harpist, and composer of Italian descent.
In 1792, Dussek married the composer Jan Ladislav Dussek. Following Jan's death in 1812, Sophia married the violist John Alvis Moralt. The couple lived in Paddington, where she founded a music school.
The opus 2 sonatas were published in at least 3 editions in the 1790s by the Corri-Dussek company in London as by Madame Dussek, and there is no reason to doubt that the 6 sonatas of opus 2, including the famous C minor sonata published and misattributed by Schott as by JL, are anything but the work of Sophia. Paris editions of opus 2 published by Pleyel only bear the name Dussek, leading Zabaleta to his misattribution, but nobody actually claimed opus 2 as the work of JL rather than Dussek before the mid-20th century.
Sophia Dussek was born into the Corri family. She studied voice with her father, composer, music publisher, and impresario Domenico Corri. Her uncle was composer Natale Corri and her cousin was soprano Fanny Corri-Paltoni. Her father provided Sophia with vocal instruction and had her performing from a young age. She was well known as a soprano and composer of songs.
After moving to London in 1788, she studied with Luigi Marchesi and Giovanni Battista Cimador. Dussek was a highly accomplished performer and she had her London debut at the prestigious Salomon concerts in 1791 with Haydn directing from the harpsichord, and afterwards sang quite a bit of the series, taking part in the first performance of Haydn’s The Storm.
She also played a big role in the introduction of Mozart's music to London. She was a soloist in the London premiere of the Requiem, given at John Ashley's Lenten Oratorios, Covent Garden, on 20 February 1801. In 1792 she married Jan Ladislav Dussek. She had been performing, singing and playing the piano and harp with him for some time before that. Their daughter, Olivia, was also a pianist, harpist, and composer.
After Jan Ladislav's death in 1812 Sophia married the viola player John Alvis Moralt. They lived in Paddington, where she established a music school. She published sonatas, rondos, variations, and numerous arrangements for the piano or harp.
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Sonata for Harp in C minor by Sophia Dussek
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