Florence Maude Ewart
Encyclopedia
Florence Maude Ewart was an English
violinist, music educator and composer
who lived and worked in Australia
.
, London
, the daughter of accountant Frederick William Donaldson and his wife Elizabeth Lewis. Ewart studied violin with John Carrodus and made her début as a violinist at age 14 at the Albert Hall
, London
. She won one of the first twelve Birmingham
scholarships to the South Kensington
National Training School, later the Royal College of Music
, and continued her studies in Leipzig
and Berlin
with Joseph Joachim
. After completing her studies, she worked in Birmingham
as a conductor, violinist and music lecturer. In December 1898, she married Alfred James Ewart, whom she had met in Leipzig, at the parish Church of St. Paul, Oxford
. The couple settled in Birmingham and had two sons born in 1900 and 1902.
In 1906 the Ewart family moved to Melbourne
, Australia, and a rheumatic condition ended Florence's career as a violinist. In 1907 she served as co-conductor for the first Australian Women's Work Exhibition, and won first prize for her composition "God Guide Australia".
Ewart traveled abroad, and in 1920-21 visited Italy
and Paris
and became influenced by Debussy's music. She asked for a separation from her husband and studied composition intensively in Europe from 1924-28 with composer Ottorino Respighi
. Her husband petitioned for a divorce, granted in December 1929. Ewart expanded her work as a composer, producing six opera and a number of songs and instrumental works. Her music was performed for the Musical Society of Victoria and at the Melbourne University Conservatorium. Ewart died at her home in South Yarra.
at the University of Melbourne
. Selected works include:
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
violinist, music educator and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who lived and worked in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Biography
Florence Donaldson was born in Kentish TownKentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the daughter of accountant Frederick William Donaldson and his wife Elizabeth Lewis. Ewart studied violin with John Carrodus and made her début as a violinist at age 14 at the Albert Hall
Albert Hall
Albert P. Hall is an American actor.Born in Brighton, Alabama, Hall graduated from the Columbia University School of the Arts in 1971. That same year he appeared Off-Broadway in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and on Broadway in the Melvin Van Peebles musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She won one of the first twelve Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
scholarships to the South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
National Training School, later the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
, and continued her studies in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
with Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
. After completing her studies, she worked in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
as a conductor, violinist and music lecturer. In December 1898, she married Alfred James Ewart, whom she had met in Leipzig, at the parish Church of St. Paul, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. The couple settled in Birmingham and had two sons born in 1900 and 1902.
In 1906 the Ewart family moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia, and a rheumatic condition ended Florence's career as a violinist. In 1907 she served as co-conductor for the first Australian Women's Work Exhibition, and won first prize for her composition "God Guide Australia".
Ewart traveled abroad, and in 1920-21 visited Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and became influenced by Debussy's music. She asked for a separation from her husband and studied composition intensively in Europe from 1924-28 with composer Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...
. Her husband petitioned for a divorce, granted in December 1929. Ewart expanded her work as a composer, producing six opera and a number of songs and instrumental works. Her music was performed for the Musical Society of Victoria and at the Melbourne University Conservatorium. Ewart died at her home in South Yarra.
Works
Ewart composed for voice, orchestra, instrumental performance, and opera. Her papers are archived at the Grainger MuseumGrainger Museum
The Grainger Museum is a repository of items devoted to the memory of the composer and pianist Percy Grainger, located in the grounds of the University of Melbourne, Australia....
at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. Selected works include:
- Ekkart, opera (1926)
- The Courtship of Miles Standish, opera (1931)
- Mateo Falcone, opera
- Nala's Wedding, opera, under the pseudonym "Sonia Aldon"
- A Game of Chess, opera
- Pepita's Miracle, opera (1945)