Dora Estella Bright (Knatchbull) Born 16.8.1862 Sheffield, England Died 16.11.1951 Babington, Somerset, England
Her father, Augustus, was an excellent amateur musician from whom she received her initial training. Later a pupil at the Royal Academy, London from 1881-88. She studied piano under Walter Macfarren and harmony and counterpoint under Ebenezer Prout. As a concert pianist she was the first to give concerts of exclusively English music. She wrote a series of ballets for Adelina Genee. From 1931 she resided in Hendon, Middlesex until a few weeks before her death when she returned to her late husband's estate in Somerset..
She married Wyndham Knatchbull 1829-1900, an army captain on 22.3.1892 at St. Andrews Church, West Kensington.
Orchestral
Concertstuck in C# for piano and orchestra 1885
Piano Concerto No.1 in A minor 1888 (played at Crystal Palace concert 1892)
Air with variations for orchestra 1890
Suite for orchestra 1891
Fantasia in G minor for piano and orchestra 1892
Piano Concerto No.2 in D minor 1892
Liebeslied for orchestra 1897
Theme and Variations for piano and orchestra 1909
Concertstuck for six timpani and orchestra 1915
Suite Bretonne for flute and orchestra 1917
Suite of Eighteenth century dances for piano and orchestra 1918
Suite of Russian Dances for orchestra
Variations on an original theme for orchestra
Chamber Music
String Quartet 1888
Romance and Seguidilla for flute and piano 1891 pub. by Rudall, Carte & Co.
Five pieces for violin and piano 1891 pub. by Edwin Ashdown Ltd.
Piano Quintet in D 1891
Piano Quartet in D 1893
Two pieces for violin and piano 1931
Suite for flute and piano pub. by Rudall & Carte
Piano
Two sketches for piano 1884 pub. by Stanley Lucas, Weber & Co.
Three pieces - 1. Berceuse 2. Liebeslied 3. Tarantella 1889 also arranged for flute & piano pub. by Edwin Ashdown Ltd.
Romanza and Scherzetto 1889 pub. by Edwin Ashdown Ltd.
'La Camargo' four pieces from the ballet: Gavotte, Passpied, Sarabande & Flemish Dance. pub. by Elkin & Co.
Eighteen variations on an original theme, for two pianos pub. by Edwin Ashdown Ltd.
Song
'Wither' words by Longfellow pub. by Shepherd & Kilner
Six songs from the Jungle Book - 'Night song in the Jungle, 'Seal Lullaby', 'The Mother Seal's song', 'Tiger, Tiger !', 'Road song of Bandar-log', The song Toomai's Mother', 'Song to the Baby' words by Kipling pub. by Elkin & Co.
'The Ballad of the Red Deer' words by F H 1903 pub. by Elkin & Co.
'Messmates' baritone soloist with male voice obligato words by H Newbolt 1907 pub. by Elkin & Co.
'To Daffodils' words by R Herrick 1903 pub. by Elkin & Son
'I know a lady sweet and kind' words by R Herrick 1913 pub. by Chappell
'The Donkey' words by G K Chesterton 1936 pub. by Elkin & Co.
'When all the world is young, lad' words by Charles Kingsley
'Finland Love Song' words by Thomas Moore
'Colinette' - chansonette from 'The Portrait' 1911words by Dora Bright pub. by Joseph Williams Ltd.
Ballet
The Dryad 1907 (Danced by Adeline Genee in 1907) pub. by Elkin & Co.
The Faun 1911
La Danse 1912 (Premiered at The Metropolitan Opera, New York)
La Camargo Gavotte, Passepied, Sarabande, Flemish Dance. 1912 pub. by Edwin Ashdown Ltd
The Princess and the Pea 1915
A Dance Adventure 1915
The Dancing Girl and the Idol
The Love Song 1932
Stage - Incidental music
Uncle Silas 1893
Scrooge 1901
The Portrait 1910
Mime drama - The Abbe's Garden 1911
Music Drama - In Haarlem there dwelt 1912
Opera
There are three operas
Alas, none of her orchestral music seems to have survived, apart from the 1st piano concerto and the Theme and Variations for piano and orchestra (MSS in the RAM) and the 2-piano version of the Macfarren variations. Very disappointing.
Incidentally Rudall, Clarke & Co. should read "Rudall, Carte & Co." as, similarly, later, "Rudall & Carte".
The tragedy is that she has only been dead for just over sixty years. At least we know what we are looking for if anything should appear. She had family and surely they had some sort of responsibility or does it all come down to money and immediately realisable assets!
The piano concerto and also the Variations for Piano and Orchestra were recorded on the SOMM label, along with Ruth Gipps' piano concerto. https://somm-recordings.com/recording/piano-concertos-by-dora-bright-and-ruth-gipps/
I was told that the heir was so furious when he discovered that Dora had spent all the income from the estate on music projects, rather than maintenance of the house, that he destroyed as many manuscripts as he could. Current family are more interested, but they don't have anything. So alas, money and assets - for once - don't come into it. Not now, at any rate.
several articles have been written about her that also include erroneous facts. I have corrected them (to my knowledge) in my article about her based on my research. https://www.trubcher.com/blog/dora-bright
There have been several performances of her Romance & Seguidilla, although none has yet been recorded, so the audio sample that you can hear from the link in the page is only a sampled one.
Quoteerroneous facts
or maybe 'alternative facts'? ;)
Oh, please. Let's not go there.
No, quite!
QuoteI was told that the heir was so furious when he discovered that Dora had spent all the income from the estate on music projects, rather than maintenance of the house, that he destroyed as many manuscripts as he could.
My contempt for such people is unfathomably profound and very, very bitter. I will say no more.
And, what a productive soul she was. I love the last line of the list of works... "there are three operas"!
The two works on Somm are most enjoyable. The liner notes say that it appears much of her music is lost, and Gareth wrote that none of her orchestral music seems to have survived. If it is just the Concerto and the Variations, that is a tragedy.
I'm afraid so. A tragedy indeed - and all due to the pointless spite of a selfish relative.
Would you elaborate on that Gareth?
See piano888's post above (https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,2752.msg85650.html#msg85650), Feby.