Cicely Foster 1903-2001

[giles.enders]

Cicely Foster

While researching piano concertos, I came across Cicely Foster.  I have edited this rather long obituary.  I wonder if anyone knows anything about her piano concertino ?

Obituary - Cicely Foster Gittes 1903-2002   

Musician, Composer, Teacher, Painter and Traveler. Cicely died peacefully at the Coronado Villa of her son, Anthony. The variety of experiences and different backgrounds of her rich and full life reflected and defined Cicely. She was a woman of extraordinary intellect, creativity and artistic talent. Bom in Florence Italy, of English parents, she grew up in England and India, where her father was a magistrate for the English crown. Her early life was devoted to music. When Cicely Foster was in her teens, she studied at the Conservatory in Rome and later in Brussels.  In Paris she broadened her scope at the Ecole Normale with further coaching under Alfred Cortot and Nadia Boulanger.

She then taught harmony in London at the Matthay School. Upon returning to Paris to teach, she met a young American artist, Archie Gittes. They were married, went to Spain for a honeymoon and remained there for 16 years. Her four sons were born in Mallorca, which despite the trials of the Spanish Civil War, was remembered by them as a paradise. Believing that the children would have better educational opportunities in America, she and her husband decided to bring the family to his home in Melrose. Mass. They had an interesting journey to America via the Canary Islands, shipping on a banana boat from there to England and then to America on the Queen Mary.

Cicely always continued her musical life. Several of her compositions were performed at the Chopin Festivals at Validemosa in Mallorca, where Chopin lived for a time. For many years she taught music at Bradford Jumor College in Haverhill. Mass.
After retiring, she moved back to London where she lived for over 30 years and cultivated a group of artists and musicians as friends. Painting was her second art. Cicely had several of her paintings shown in exhibitiona in Boston USA. She continued to play the piano and paint to the very end of her 99th year. At a later date, the family will scatter her ashes in her beloved gardens of the Cartuja in Valldemosa. Mallorca.

To which I add:  She studied piano & harmony under Alfredo Casella in Rome, harmony under Paul Gilson in Brussels, counterpoint under Nadia Boulanger in Paris and piano under Tobias Matthay in London. She was a close friend of Manuel de Falla, George Copland and Nin-Culnel.

She composed a piano concertino, viola sonata and 3 ballets: Fiesta, Jack in the Green & The Trees. Plus songs and piano music.  There is also a Poem for mixed chorus and piano and Variations on 'Cant des orcells' for chorus and orchestra.

[jimsemadeni]

Thanks, Giles, always intriguing to hear about someone I hadn't heard of before, then ache to hear their music, sounds like this concertino would be pretty interesting, certainly an interesting life. Where is that lottery win I need to produce recordings of little forgotten tidbits?

[eschiss1]

Of her music I see one of her songs at a few libraries ("I Saw a Ship" (pub. Curwen, 1932); + a Buxtehude arrangement, also), but that's only after few simple searches using one database; they might be in private collections, in libraries not covered by Worldcat, under pseudonyms, or etc. ... (to give 3 of many reasons why only one work - or two? there's a hint of another- turns up.)

[eschiss1]

Correction: the José Limón collection of Manuscript Music Scores at New York Public Library seems to have something of hers too, my bad. ("The Olive Pickers", [82] p., for orchestra, holograph in ink ... includes scenario for parts 1-3 -- also they have an arrangement of the same for 2 pianos and percussion by the composer.)

(Oooh, lots of interesting stuff in the PDF description of this collection, though much of it by composers like Roy Harris who we have officially cast to the outer darkness (joking, joking.)) As Limón produced ballet, the material in the collection, if not written for ballet (the Mozart works mostly not), at least used in his ballets. Ah. And you did mention 3 ballets above. Bingo.

[eschiss1]

One other thing- subject header has 2001. Obituary you quote and "GITTES, CICELY F. was born 25 February 1903, received Social Security number [XXX-XX-XXXX] (indicating Massachusetts) and, Death Master File says, died 11 March 2002" from Social Security etc. has 2002.

(Sorry, just xing out there...)

There is an extremely brief mention of Cicely and her husband @ Pazzis Sureda @ Spanish Wikipedia. Actually, they were married in the 1920s, so it should refer to them as married already since this reference occurs in the 1930s.

[giles.enders]

With reference to the obit.  I edited it down but have not changed any of the facts which are in it, including the dates.

[eschiss1]

Sorry, I do seem to have suggested otherwise but did not mean to. Actually, now I look over it, I was referring to the -subject- line (of the post) ("Re: Cicely Foster 1903-2001".) I hope I am being clearer...

[Alan Howe]

A quick reminder, if I may. We need to know the style of her music - after all, her dates fall well beyond our remit. So, unless someone can come up with some solid information, we may have to close this thread...

[eschiss1]

No clue unfortunately, unless someone finds a copy of "I Saw A Ship" (which may be uncharacteristic, as a unison song, "traditional", published in Choruses for Equal Voices series by Curwen)... or finds and typesets that ballet in the Limon collection (less likely); the other music is referred to but I at least have no idea where it -is-

[Alan Howe]

We do need some evidence, please...

[giles.enders]

With all the musical minds on this forum, I had hoped that someone might give us a clue.

[Alan Howe]

We'll leave it open - for now.

[giles.enders]

Thanks. It will live or die by the interest shown.

[Mark Thomas]

I appreciate that we have yet to establish the style in which Cecily Foster wrote her music, but I have recently received this email from a relative of hers, Isabelle Jubinville:

I saw  a discussion about the composer Cicely Foster. If you like to have more information about her, we have a ton of documents about her in our place. My husband, her grand-son, had a great relationship with her and he have a lot of letters from her, and compositions too. I hope you dont mind if I wrote here, and excuse my english (I am from Montreal).

If anyone is interested in following this up please email or PM me and I'll forward your message to her.

[giles.enders]

This just goes to show how widely this site is read.  I will follow this lead up. Even if the music is not relevant for this forum, it is important to keep track of it.  Over the years I have seen so much music discarded and lost for ever.