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Mary Helena Synge

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Mary Helena Synge
Born(1840-07-08)8 July 1840
Died5 February 1917(1917-02-05) (aged 76)
Occupations
  • Composer
  • singer
InstrumentPiano

Mary Helena Synge (8 July 1840 – 5 February 1917)[1] was an Irish composer,[2] pianist,[3] and singer[4] who spent many years in England, where she died.

Synge was born in Parsonstown to Margaret Jemima Saunders, Edward Synge, and a family of musicians and writers descended from the Archbishop Edward Synge.[5] Her cousin was the author John Millington Synge. Some of their correspondence is archived at Trinity College Dublin.[6]

Synge studied piano and singing at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.[7] She gave piano recitals throughout Ireland and England. A recital in London on 10 July 1883, received favourable reviews. She performed in Cork later that year,[5] and at the Antient Concert Rooms in Dublin in 1893.[8]

Synge’s music was published by Ashdown & Parry, Weekes & Company, and Year Book Press of London.[9] Her compositions include:

Piano

[edit]
  • Album Leaves (collection)[9]
  • Danse Caprice[9]
  • Impromptu[9]
  • Kalakaua Gavotte[9]
  • Royal Marine Artillery Gavotte[9]

Vocal

[edit]
  • “Eternity” [10]
  • “Farewell” (text by Miss E. Barnard)[9]
  • “Fate”[7]
  • “Happy Children” [11]
  • “Spring” (for three voices)[12]
  • “Spring Story” (text by Emmoren)[9]
  • “Time” [10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mary Helena Synge 1840-1917 - Ancestry®". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. ^ Hixon, Donald L. (1993). Women in music : an encyclopedic biobibliography. Don A. Hennessee (2nd ed.). Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-2769-7. OCLC 28889156.
  3. ^ British Biographical Archive: Series 2. K.G. Saur. 1991. ISBN 978-3-598-33630-0.
  4. ^ Stern, Susan (1978). Women composers : a handbook. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-1138-3. OCLC 3844725.
  5. ^ a b Brown, James Duff; Stratton, Stephen Samuel (1897). British Musical Biography: A Dictionary of Musical Artists, Authors, and Composers Born in Britain and Its Colonies. S.S. Stratton.
  6. ^ Synge, Mary Helena (6 May 1893). "Letter to J.M. Synge from Mary Helena Synge". Library of Trinity College Dublin. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). International encyclopedia of women composers (Second edition, revised and enlarged ed.). New York. ISBN 0-9617485-2-4. OCLC 16714846.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ Syngge, Mary Helena (1900). "Photograph of Mary Helena Synge". Digital Collections, Library of Trinity College Dublin. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Synge, Mary Helena. "worldcat.org". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b Stewart-Green, Miriam (1980). Women composers : a checklist of works for the solo voice. Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall. ISBN 0-8161-8498-4. OCLC 6815939.
  11. ^ "ShorChor". www.shorchor.net. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  12. ^ Laurence, Anya (1978). Women of notes : 1,000 women composers born before 1900 (1st ed.). New York: R. Rosen Press. p. 51. OCLC 3844781.