Maria Hester Park facts for kids

Maria Hester Park (born Maria Reynolds) was a talented British musician. She was a composer, a pianist, and a singer. Born on September 29, 1760, she lived until June 7, 1813. Maria was also a famous piano teacher. She taught many important people, including the Duchess of Devonshire and her daughters.

Her Amazing Life Story

Before she got married, Maria Hester Park gave four popular performances. Most of these were in the Oxford area. She played both the piano and the harpsichord. Her first public show was when she was 22 years old. This was at the Hanover Square concert series. She played a concerto on the harpsichord.

In April 1783, she played a duet with another musician, Jane Mary Guest. Maria played a concerto again in March 1784. After she married Thomas Park in April 1787, she stopped performing in public. Thomas Park was an engraver who became a writer and expert on old things.

Even though she stopped performing, Maria became even more famous. She was known as a composer and a teacher. Her marriage seemed to be a happy one. Her husband even wrote love poems to her. Maria also wrote letters to the famous composer Joseph Haydn. In 1794, Haydn sent her one of his sonatas. He also sent a thank you letter for two of her musical pieces. Maria died in Hampstead, London, when she was 53. She had been sick for many years. Maria and Thomas Park had five daughters and one son.

What Was Her Music Like?

People said that Maria Hester Park was "hugely popular" in England. Her music was often played in fancy homes in the 1700s. She wrote the kind of music that characters in Jane Austen's books might have played. She is known as "one of the most prolific" women composers of her time. This means she wrote a lot of music.

Her musical pieces are varied and well-made. Experts say her sonatas are "varied and spirited." For example, her Sonata in C sounds a lot like music by Mozart. It is pleasant to listen to and not too hard to play. Her Sonata in F also has parts that sound like Mozart. It has a steady bass line and a clear melody. This melody often has extra musical decorations called ornamentation.

Maria's music also uses simple scale patterns and arpeggios. Most of her pieces are clear and straightforward. They do not have the strong drama that came later in romantic music. Her surviving music covers about 25 years of her life.

Her Compositions

• Op. 1, Sonatas, for harpsichord or pianoforte, with violin, 1785. Dedicated to Countess of Uxbridge.
• Op. 2, 3 Sonatas, for harpsichord or pianoforte, around 1790.
• Op. 3, A Set of Glees with the Dirge in Cymbeline, possibly 1790.
• Op. 4, 2 Sonatas (No. 1 in F, No. 2 in F major), for harpsichord or pianoforte, 1790.
• Op. 6, Concerto in E flat major, for harpsichord or pianoforte and strings, possibly 1795.
• Op. 7, Sonata in C major, for pianoforte, possibly 1796.
• Op. 8, Six easy divertimentos for the harp and piano-forte, including a German minuet and waltz, around 1797.
• Op. 12, Sonata for the Piano-Forte, including Prince Aldolphus's Fancy, around 1800.
• Op. 13, 2 Sonatas, for pianoforte with violin, possibly 1801.
• – Waltz, for pianoforte, possibly 1801.
• – Divertimento, for pianoforte with violin, possibly 1811.