Ellen Dickson facts for kids

Ellen (Elizabeth) Dickson (born 1819, died 1878) was a talented English composer. She wrote many popular songs called ballads. People also knew her by her special pen name, Dolores. Ellen was born in Woolwich, England, which is southeast of London. She was the third daughter of a general named Sir Alexander Dickson.

From a young age, Ellen had a physical disability. Her chosen name, Dolores, is a Latin word that means "sorrows" or "bodily pains." This name showed a part of her personal life. Ellen was very smart, just like her father. She was good at math and thinking deeply about things. She lived most of her life and died in Lyndhurst, England.

Ellen Dickson's Musical Career

Ellen Dickson started to become well-known in the late 1850s. She wrote "drawing-room ballads," which were popular songs played in people's homes. Her style was similar to another composer named Maria Lindsay. She began by setting poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to music in 1854.

After that, Ellen Dickson published many songs. She often used her pen name, Dolores. Famous music companies in London published her works. About 65 of her songs still exist today. These songs used poems from writers like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Adelaide A. Procter, Percy Bysshe Shelly, and Alfred Tennyson. Ellen Dickson became very famous with her song "The Bridge." The words for this song were written by Longfellow. It was first published in 1857.

What Made Her Songs Special?

Ellen Dickson's songs often had unique musical patterns. She used "broken chord patterns," which are like playing parts of a chord one note at a time. She also used "grace notes" in a delicate way. Grace notes are small, quick notes that add decoration to the main melody.

Her song "The Brook" (published in 1857) is a good example. It used grace notes to sound like rippling water. Dolores often used different kinds of broken-chord patterns for the music that went along with the singing. These patterns were often surprising and not always what you would expect. Her song "The Land of Long Ago" shows this very well.

Another song, "Clear and Cool," shows how she combined beautiful melodies with fancy musical accompaniments. When the words in the song needed to sound loud, the accompanying music was kept at a good pitch. This made sure the whole song sounded balanced. The words for "Clear and Cool" came from Charles Kingsley's book "The Water Babies." They were uplifting and meant for a mother and child.

Dolores also released a songbook called "Dream." This book contained her musical versions of Anne Procter's poems. It was published in Philadelphia in 1867.

Ellen Dickson mostly wrote "parlor music." This was the main type of music that was socially acceptable for women composers to write during her time. Here are some of her other works:

• Good night, beloved (Words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
• Old clock on the stairs (Words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
• The bridge (Words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
• The brook (Words by Lord Alfred Tennyson)
• The open window (Words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
• Turn, fortune, turn (Words by Lord Alfred Tennyson)
• Vivien's song (Words by Lord Alfred Tennyson)