Dame Ethel Smyth, 1858-1944

Ethel Mary Smyth (1858-1944) was one of the more notable figures in English musical life during the earlier part of the twentieth century; as well as being probably the first Englishwoman to achieve fame as a composer, she wrote several autobiographical books and was a supporter of the Women's Suffrage Movement (for whom she composed the March of the Women). Her wish to follow a musical career met with considerable family opposition, but she overcame this and began her full-time musical training by enrolling as a student at the Leipzig Conservatory in 1877. Soon afterwards she chose instead to take private tuition from Heinrich von Herzogenberg, and she spent much of her time on the continent during the following decade or so. Some of her early chamber music was publicly performed in Germany around this time, and her works began to be played in this country from 1890 onwards. Her first major English success came with the performance of the Mass in D at the Albert Hall in January, 1893, and she went on to compose several operas and choral works as well as smaller pieces. She received the honorary degree of DMus. from Durham University in 1910, and was created DBE in 1922.