In a essay entitled What Matters “Most
in Life” Ethel Smythe relates her view of happiness
“… the secret to happiness is to get
your angle to life as sane as the imperfections of your nature will allow… I
think that to keep your spiritual balance true, to get out of yourself the very
best result the Creator had in mind when you where planned is what Voltaire
meant when he told us to ‘cultivate our garden’ Success and happiness are by no
means synonymous but I am certain that cultivating your garden is the sole way
to be happy; only you must dig and plant with all your heart for doing things
by halves is the most boring thing in the world.” (Morris, 2).
This was her life.
In all that she did there was an urgency to be the best and to achieve all that
she could. As a composer and champion
of womens rights it can be said Ethel Smythe succeeded.
Dame Ethel Smythe
entered the world on April 23, 1858.
She was on of a middleclass family of eight (Bernstien, 307). Early on Ethel longed to learn more about
music, but much stood in her way.
First, her family was not well off and had little or no interest in
music themselves. Secondly, she had been born a woman in a society that frowned
on women rising above a certain level of intelligence. Women in her day where supposed to be meek,
and full of delicacy, grace and refinement.
It was not viewed as possible for a woman to produce music at a level
that was “powerful, well crafted, or complex” (Bernstien, 304). The achievements of most woman musicians
ended with performing piano music at private gatherings.
Ethel went against the system of her day
successfully and became a composer, author, conductor, suffragist, feminist, as
well as an avid golfer, hunter, rider, horn player (Wood, 494 &
Frankenfield, 2). Elizabeth Wood notes
that she also raised English sheepdogs (511).
Young Ethel pursued music as much as she
could, often attending concerts in neighboring towns without her parents
permission (Anthology, 156). She
discovered while very young that she had gifts in transposing and playing music
by ear (Morris,3). At the age of 17,
she took lessons from A. Ewing, and taught herself orchestration using
Berlioz’s “Treatise on Instrumentation” (Bernstien, 308).
Ethel was very strong-willed and had
heated discussions with her parents while attempting to gain their approval and
financial support for studying music abroad.
In one of her writings, “Impressions that Remained” she describes how
passionate she was for music. She wrote
“… for towards the end I
struck altogether, refused to go to church, refused to sing at dinner parties,
refused to go out riding, refused to speak to anyone, and one day my fathers
boot all but penetrated a panel of my locked bedroom door.” (Anthology, p.163-
(Impressions That Remained p.108-112)).
When she petitioned her father to allow her
to attend the Conservatory at Leipzig, he replied “I would sooner see you under
the sod” (Anthology).
In the end with the help of friends she
did attend Leipzig Conservatory in 1877 for one year (Bernstien, 308). During that time she studied harmony and
counterpoint with S. Jadassohn, and piano with J. Maas (Bernstien, 308). Ethel
became the first woman to take composition classes at Leipzig, when she attended
classes there by H. Reinecke (Green, 96).
While attending classes here she had the opportunity to meet other
composers like Grieg, Dvorak, and Tschaikovsky (Bernstien, 308).
Seeing little use opportunity for her to
advance at Leipzig Conservatory Ethel dropped out and began taking classes from
private tutor, H. von Herzogenberg, a friend of Brahmns (Bernstien, 308). As a result she was introduced to the circle
of Brahmns and Clara Shumann (Bernstien, 308).
Most of the early works of Ethel Smythe
are not well known to day. Her early
works which include String Quartet (opus 1) and a Sonota for Violin and Piano
(opus 7), and various lieder, exhibit skill in counterpoint and harmony
(Bernstien, 309).
Ethel Smythe experienced her orchestral
debut in London in 1890 when her Serenade, an overture to Antony and Cleopatra,
was performed there (Bernstien, 309).
In 1891 her Mass in D, considered to be her most important work of the
decade was performed (Bernstien, 310).
This work was described as having, “masterful use of rhythmic themes,
orchestration, and development of motives” (Bernstien, 310). Bernard Shaw wrote to her after hearing the
mass,
“It was your music that cured me forever of
the old delusion that women could not do man’s work in art and all other
things… your Mass will stand up in the biggest company! Magnificent!” (Quote
from A Final Burning of Boats Etc.)(Morris, 5).
Ethel Smythe’s most well-known works are
her operas. Her operas depict the
struggle between men and women, and suffering, oppression ending in triumph
(Wood, 500). Most of them resemble
German romantic opera as a result of her schooling and the environment she
learned music in (Wood, 494). Her early
operas where made to fit librettos by Harry Brewster, who she also had an
affair with at one time (Bernstien, 318).
Ethel’s first opera “Fantasio” performed
in 1898 based on a libretto from an A. de Musset comedy was not well received
at first. Ethel also lost interest in
the work and publicly burned all the published scores that she could find
(Wood, 495).
Undaunted Ethel began work on another “DeWald”. “DeWald” was a romantic magic work that
incorporated the Wagnerian theme of salvation through death (Wood, 495). This opera, written in German, used musical
means to present conflicting themes like good vs. evil or the class
warfare. Finished in 1902 the opera was
performed in the Metropolitan Opera House of New York in 1903 (Bernstien,
311). This was the first time an opera
composed by a woman was performed there, and it was also the last time for
another 80 years (Green, 100).
The opera was praised by all sides and
received a ten-minute standing ovation in New York (Green, 100). The “New York Times” lauded the work
stating, “…She uses vocal and orchestral resources with masculine energy and is
not afraid of employing the most modern means of dramatic expression.”
(Bernstien, 311).
Smythe’s third opera, Wreckers, which
she finished in 1904, was a 3-act drama in grand opera style (Bernstien,
312). This opera, considered her best
work was originally written in French, but never performed, then translated to
English and performed in London in 1908 (Bernstien, 312). According to one critic Wreckers was,
“possibly the most distinguished English opera of the 20th century before
Benjamin Britten..” (Wood, 495).
Sometimes the Wreckers is compared to the opera by Britten, Peter Grimes
(Bernstien, 313). It is definitely a
work of art and displays the mature techniques of Smythe clearly (Wood,
497).
Wreckers is an opera where the main
characters, 2 lovers, are facing a wicked community that wrecks ships by having
false lights on the their coastline (Bernstien, 313). Smythe uses the characters and setting of the opera as examples
of many themes like oppression, crime, punishment, self-sacrifice and redemption
(Wood, 496). Her typical driving
intensity is very clear in the opera, and she uses drama, the chorus, and the
orchestra masterfully (Bernstien, 313).
In 1913 Smythe moved to Egypt where she
composed the Boatswain’s Mate. This
opera is probably her most popular opera (Bernstien, 314). It is written in
English ballad style, and resembles opera seria in some ways (Wood, 497). This opera exhibits Smythe’s ability to set
English text an opera.
The Boatswain’s Mate begins with spoken
dialogue in the first act, which introduces the opera (Wood, 497). In the second act sung dialogue is used as
the action begins (Wood, 497). The
libretto is taken from a story by W.W. Jacobs (Bernstein, 316). Ethel’s portrayal of her characters is
skillful and often humorous (Wood, 497).
Mixed into the music of the opera are a lot of popular folk tunes, and
even nursery rhymes (Wood, 497).
At this time of her life Ethel Smythe
began to go deaf (Bernstien, 317). She
composed two more operas, “Fete Galante” and “Entente Cordiale”. “Fete Ganante” uses some of the
neo-classicalism of Stravinsky in its story, while keeping a romantic style
(Bernstien, 317). The opera is “one act
fantasy on fickleness, betrayal, and love-strife.” (Bernstien, 317). Another notable work of hers during this
time period is an orchestral work mamed “The Prison” which is based on a text
by Brewster who composed the libretto for some of here early operas (Bernstien,
317).
Ethel Smythe helped clear the way for
women in music by gaining recognition, but she also strived to gain recognition
for women in other areas of life. Virginia Woolf describes her quite well when
she says,
“She drew the enemies fire and left behind
her a pathway… she smashed, and broke, and toiled, and drew upon herself hostility
and ridicule in order that it might not be wicked… or disgraceful for women
now… who come after her.” (Wood, 499).
The First World War prevented the
performance of many of Ethel’s works and she turned from music to writing, and
feminism championing the cause of women (Bernstien, 319).
As early as 1910 Ethel was active in the
woman’s suffrage movement in England.
She had been called on by Constance Lytton for help (Bernstien, 313).
She pledged 2 years of her life to the movement after hearing a speech by E.
Pankhurst, and made an impression with her candid outspoken manner and firm
writing (Bernstien, 314). Using her
musical abilities, she composed a song that was adopted as the anthem of the
Women’s Social Political Union.
Shout, Shout, up with your
song! Cry with the wind for the dawn is breaking;
March, march,
swing you along, Wide blows our banner and hope is waking.
Song with its story, dreams
with their glory, Lo! They call, and glad is their word!
Loud and louder it
swells, Thunder of freedom, the voice of the Lord.
This passionate,
zealous song was sung over and over again by optimistic women of the day. Ethel was imprisoned in 1912 for breaking a
window during a demonstration. After serving
the movement for two years, Ethel moved to Egypt where she continued
composing.
Ethel felt very strongly about the
rights of women especially in music. At one time, she wrote,
“The whole English attitude towards women in
the fields of art is ludicrous and uncivilized. There is no sex in art.
How you play the violin, paint, or compose is what matters.” (Bernstien,
319).
Smythe’s literary work especially
championed the rights of women. In her
autobiography entitled “Female Pipings in Eden” which she finished in 1933,
Ethel explains in detail the problems that women encountered in the world of
music (www.spartacus). After finishing she states, as if mocking with the
public opinion of the world during her day,
Of all this the public knows nothing, and mildly says from
time to time ‘Strange there are no great women composers!’”(Antholody).
She
was encouraged by her friend Virginia Woolf to write more and she did,
compiling 10 books after WWI (Bernstien, 318).
Woofe instructs,
“What you must do is to continue. You can’t in justice to posterity anhd the
present let your great fountain bottle itself up. To tell you the truth I’m obsessed with the desire that you
should paint me: not a desire I often
feel…”(Morris, 7).
Although she was no longer active in the suffrage movement
Ethel did everything she could to help women in music, like working and
lobbying on the behalf of women orchestra players that had lost their jobs
after the war (Citron, 140).
Smythe’s was honored in 1910 when she received an honorary
Doctorate of Music from Durham University (Morris, 4). In 1922, Smythe receive the Dame of the
British Empire (BDE) for her achievement (Morris, 4).
Ethel Smythe died at the age of 86 after achieving what no
woman was thought to be able to achieve.
Her ashes where scattered on the golf course opposite her home according
to her wishes (Wood, 500).
This sometimes crude woman who liked to
dress like a man and smoked cigars is very important in the history of
music. She once said, when she began to
compose comic opera,
“… my object is to set life to music as I myself hav seen
and over heard it, in trains, in buses, in my own village, on my own golf
course.” (Morris, 10).
This can be applied
to all of her music, she incorporated life into music no matter what form she
used to harness it.
Works Cited
Books
Bernstien, Jane A. “Shout, Shout up with your
song!” Dame Ethel Smythe and the Changing Role of the British Woman Composer.”
(p.304-324) Women Making
Music: The Western Art Tradition. Ed. Jane Bowers and Judith Tick. U. of
Illinois Press, 1986.
Citron, Marcia J. “European Composers and
Musicians” Women and Music: A
History 2nd Edition Ed.
Karin Pendle. Indiana U. Press. 2001
Green, Lucy.
Music, Gender, Education. Cambridge University Press. 1997
Wood, Elizabeth. “Gender and Genre in Ethel Smyth’s Operas” The Musical Woman: An International
Perspective V.II 1984-1985 Ed.
Judith Lang Zaimont. Greenwood Press, NY 1987
“Ethel Smyth: The Woman Composer Question Revisited” Women in Music: An Anthology of Source Reading From the Middle
Ages to the Present N.E. University
Press. 1996
Internet Sources
Morris, Valerie. Ethel Smyth Skyblue
Productions 1996 www.skyblueproductions.com
Frankenfield, Anne. “Lesbian Musicology and the Music of Dame Ethel Smyth” Woman
In Music: Composers Swarthmore
College Music 10 Fall 1996 Professor Ann K. McNamee.
Ethel Smyth. www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jsmythe.htm