Mary Anne à Beckett facts for kids

Mary Anne à Beckett

Mary Anne à Beckett (born April 29, 1815 – died December 11, 1863) was a talented English composer. She was best known for writing operas. An opera is a play where the story is told mostly through singing, with music playing a big part.

Mary Anne was married to a writer named Gilbert à Beckett. He wrote the stories (called libretti) for two of her operas. Their children, Gilbert Arthur à Beckett and Arthur William à Beckett, also became writers. Her family had strong ties to the theater. Her brother, Augustus Glossop Harris, was an actor and a theater manager. His son, Sir Augustus Harris, also became a famous theater manager.

Mary Anne à Beckett's Life Story

Mary Anne à Beckett was born in London. She was the oldest daughter of Joseph Glossop and Elizabeth Feron. Her brother, Augustus Glossop Harris, later became a well-known actor and theater producer. His son, Sir Augustus Harris, followed in his footsteps.

Mary Anne's father, Joseph Glossop, managed several famous theaters. These included the Royal Coburg Theatre in London (now called the Old Vic). He also managed La Scala in Milan, Italy, and the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy. Her mother, Elizabeth, was a singer. She performed professionally using her maiden name, "Madame Feron."

In January 1835, Mary Anne married Gilbert à Beckett. He was a writer and also worked as a judge. They had two daughters and four sons. Among their sons were the writers Gilbert Arthur à Beckett and Arthur William à Beckett.

Mary Anne's Musical Works

Mary Anne à Beckett wrote many different kinds of music. She composed songs, piano pieces, and music for plays. She also wrote three operas: Agnes Sorel (1835), Little Red Riding Hood (1842), and The Young Pretender (1846).

Her First Opera: Agnes Sorel

Her first opera, Agnes Sorel, was the most successful. It was called an "operatic farce," which means it was a funny opera. The story was loosely based on the life of Agnès Sorel, who was a famous person in the court of Charles VII of France. Mary Anne's husband wrote the story for this opera.

Agnes Sorel was the first show performed at John Braham's St James's Theatre in London in 1835. A newspaper called The Times said the story was "cold" and "dull." However, they praised some of the music, saying it showed "taste and skill." Mary Anne was asked to conduct the performances herself, but she preferred not to appear in public. Her sister, however, made a very successful debut in this show.

Other Operas and Music

Little Red Riding Hood was her second opera. Its story was also written by her husband. It opened at the Surrey Theatre in August 1842. A reviewer from The Musical World liked the music. They said it was well put together, even if it wasn't completely new. They thought it was better than some other, more "original" works that were less pleasing.

Her last opera was The Young Pretender (1846). Like her first opera, the music was liked more than the story. The story for this opera was written by Mark Lemon. The Times newspaper praised the "pretty pieces of vocal music" in an "Italian style." Another newspaper, The Observer, thought the music wasn't very original. But they criticized Lemon's story even more, calling it "as dreary a production as it is possible to imagine."

The year after The Young Pretender, Mary Anne published The Music Book. This was a collection of twenty original songs, dances, and waltzes. It included her own works and pieces by other British composers of her time.

Mary Anne's husband, Gilbert à Beckett, passed away in 1856. In 1857, Mary Anne received a special payment of £100 each year from the government. This was to recognize her husband's important work as a judge and writer. Mark Lemon, who wrote the story for The Young Pretender, helped manage this payment for her.

List of Compositions

Operas and Music for Plays

• Agnes Sorel, opera. Performed in 1836 at St James's Theatre London.
• Music for Mabel's Curse by Anna Maria Fielding, performed in 1837 at St James's Theatre.
• Music (with George Stansbury) for Wanted, a Brigand, or, A visit from Fra-Diavolo, performed in 1837. This was a musical comedy by Gilbert A'Beckett at St James's Theatre.
• Little Red Riding Hood. A Fairy Opera, performed in 1842 at Surrey Theatre, London.
• The Young Pretender, a musical play with a story by Mark Lemon, performed in 1846 at Haymarket Theatre, London.

Songs and Duets

Piano Pieces

• "The Casino Waltz". 1847.
• "The Ridotto Waltz". 1847.
• "The Royal Nursery Quadrilles, or Popular Nursery Tunes". 1851.

Source: Music und Gender im Internet.

See also

In Spanish: Mary Anne à Beckett para niños