Agnes Tyrrell facts for kids

Agnes Tyrrell (born September 20, 1846 – died April 18, 1883) was a talented composer and pianist. She had both English and Czech family roots.

Agnes Tyrrell

Her Life Story

Agnes Tyrrell was born in Brno, a city in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Her father, Henry Foster Tyrrell, was an English teacher. Her mother, Josefína Kotulánová, was Czech. Agnes grew up speaking English, German, and Czech very well.

She was a child prodigy, meaning she was incredibly talented from a young age. She played her first piano concert when she was only nine years old! At sixteen, she went to study music at the Vienna Conservatory. She learned piano from Adalbert Pacher and composition from Otto Kitzler. Otto Kitzler was also the teacher of the famous composer Anton Bruckner.

Sadly, Agnes had to stop her career as a pianist because of health problems. Instead, she spent her short life focusing on composing music. She passed away at the age of 36.

Her Music

Agnes Tyrrell wrote a lot of music. Even though she lived a short life, she created 39 pieces for solo piano. She also wrote 55 vocal pieces, including songs, choral music, an oratorio, and even an opera. On top of that, she composed several major works for orchestra.

Tyrrell was one of the very few women to compose a symphony before the year 1900. This was a big achievement for a woman at that time!

In 2018, her "Overture in C Minor" was played for the first time in modern history. The Orchester L'anima giusta performed it at a festival in Bern, Switzerland. This performance was recorded, and it is the only known recording of her orchestral music.

Many of Agnes Tyrrell's original music scores are kept safe in the Moravian Museum in Brno. Some of her songs are in Berlin's State Library. The Kapralova Society keeps a list of all her published works.

Types of Works She Composed

Agnes Tyrrell wrote many different kinds of music.

Works for Piano

She composed many pieces for solo piano. Some examples include:

• Andante, op. 6
• Theme and Variations in F Major, op. 8
• Allegro di bravura, op. 9
• Piano Sonata, op. 10
• Impromptu No. 1, op. 11
• Zwölf grosse Studien (12 etudes), op. 48, which she dedicated to the famous composer Franz Liszt.

Chamber Music

She also wrote music for small groups of instruments, known as chamber music.

• String quartet in G Major

Orchestral Works

Agnes Tyrrell composed several pieces for a full orchestra.

• Overture in E flat Major
• Mazurka for orchestra
• Overture in C Minor
• Symphony in C Major

Vocal and Vocal-instrumental Works

She wrote many pieces for voices, sometimes with instruments or orchestra.

Songs

She composed many songs, often for a single voice with piano. Some titles include:

• Die Berge der Heimat, op. 1
• Vöglein im Walde, op. 2
• Ruhe in der Geliebten, op. 21
• Der erfrorene Knabe, op. 30
• Das Mädchen im Radboot, op. 50

Choral Music

Agnes also wrote music for choirs.

• 5 Gesänge für Gemischten Chor (Five Songs for Mixed Choir)
• Schlaflied (Lullaby)
• Auf dem See (On the Lake)

Vocal with Orchestra

She even wrote larger works that included voices and a full orchestra.

• Opera: Bertran de Born
• Oratorio: Die Könige in Israel (The Kings in Israel), which was not finished.