Edith Greene and Annie Grimson symphonies?

Started by giles.enders, Thursday 12 July 2012, 10:48

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giles.enders

Does any one know anything about the symphonies these two women wrote.  Edith Greene's was written in 1895.

eschiss1

According to a September 2, 1895 The Musical herald and Tonic Sol-fa reporter, Annie (Maria?) Grimson (1870-1949?) wrote hers at age 17.  No idea at present if either survives. (From an article "The Grimson Family" , page 274, regarding the number of Grimson children - five - awarded scholarships to the Royal College of Music , and describing the family.)

(Hrm. And the Grimson string quartet that several members of the latter family formed in 1902, played- premiered?- works by Frank Bridge and some of them studied under (unrelated to my knowledge, but I like a coincidence) Frederick Bridge or am I misreading? Interesting... Oh, Frank Bridge joined the quartet himself in 1904 when Jessie Grimson was the only Grimson still in it. Now I see. :) And indeed the Grimson Quartet so-constituted did premiere several works of his... (here. Anyhow, back to Edith & Annie's Symphonies, if I can. Right.)

eschiss1

As to Greene, a 1995 source has it that she wrote her symphony in 1895, a 1913 source just that it was performed in 1895 in London. Since the former doesn't follow from the latter, I hope that Mr. Pedigo (the more recent author) has more information on which to base his claim :)

Here... - a symphony and a violin sonata (and, Green(e) claimed, a Mass she didn't manage to finish) that she wrote under Beethoven's direction, she claimed) between 1885 and 1895, premiered April 30 1895. (Truth magazine, May 9 1895, pp.1155 to 1156.) (Name also sometimes given as "Helen Edith Green.") Barger (Elizabeth Stirling and the Musical Life of Female Organists in Nineteenth-Century England, 2007, page 150) writes about it and its reception but not of being able to find the work ("in the absence of objective evidence").

giles.enders

Re; Greene.  Sounds as though there may have been two Greens, if as claimed she wrote under Beethoven's direction or is she like the ? Brown woman who had messages from composers long dead.

eschiss1

May have been though it seems a bit of a coincidence since I think both are credited with a symphony and a violin sonata premiered in London in the same year...