Caroline Reinagle facts for kids

Caroline Reinagle (born Caroline Orger) was an amazing English classical composer, a talented pianist, and a writer. She lived from 1817 to 1892. Even though she wrote a lot of music, only some of her works are still around today.

Caroline was born in London on May 1, 1817. Her father was Dr. Thomas Orger, and her mother, Mary Ann Orger, was a famous comic actress. In the 1840s, Caroline started to get her music published and performed. One of her pieces, a piano trio, was first played in 1842. She also wrote a piano concerto, which was published in 1842. Caroline herself performed this concerto in 1843 at the Hanover Square Rooms in London.

In 1846, Caroline married Alexander Robert Reinagle (1799-1877). He was an organist at St Peter-in-the-East, Oxford and also a composer. He wrote the well-known hymn tune called "St Peter." Caroline Reinagle passed away in Tiverton, Devon, in 1892.

Her Musical Works

Caroline Reinagle wrote many pieces of music, but sadly, not all of them have survived to this day. The music we still have includes some lovely songs and two special pieces for the piano: a lively tarantella in E minor and a beautiful sonata in A. These two piano works have even been published again by a company called Vivace Press, so new generations can enjoy them!

Caroline wasn't just a composer; she was also a writer. In 1862, she wrote two articles for a magazine called Musical Times. These articles were titled A Few Words on Piano Playing, sharing her thoughts and tips on how to play the piano.

She also composed other pieces that might be lost now. These include at least one piano quartet and a cello sonata, in addition to the piano concerto and piano trio mentioned earlier.