Joan Izott Elwes (1895-1961) was an English soprano and music teacher.

Biography

She was born in

Woolbeding Woolbeding is a village and ecclesiastical parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England, north-west of Midhurst and north of the River Rother and A272 road. The civil parish of Woolbeding with Redford has a land area of . Th ...

, West Sussex, daughter of Edward Elwes (1848-1930) and his wife, born Emily Fownes Somerville. Her father was educated at Eton and Oxford, and ordained in 1872, becoming Chancellor of

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of the ...

in 1914. She was a cousin of singer

Gervase Elwes Gervase Henry Cary-Elwes, DL (15 November 1866 – 12 January 1921), better known as Gervase Elwes, was an English tenor of great distinction, who exercised a powerful influence over the development of English music from the early 1900s up un ...

. Elwes studied music in London: cello at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

and singing with the Polish tenor

Jean de Reszke Jean de Reszke (14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a musically inclined family. His mother gave him his first singing lessons and provided a home that was a recognized music centre. His sister Josep ...

. She made her recital debut relatively late, at the age of 27, and continued to sing in recital and oratorio until the late 1930s. Elwes was one of Edward Elgar's favourite interpreters, and in October 1930 he dedicated a song to her ''

It isnae me "It isnae me" is a poem by Sally Holmes which was set to music by the English composer Edward Elgar in 1930. The poem was first printed in '' Country Life'' magazine, and the song published in 1931 by Keith Prowse & Co. Ltd, London. It was writ ...

'', and soon afterwards wrote for her his last song which he mysteriously called "

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...

" ("Ecstasy"). Joan Elwes was a singing teacher (she enjoyed teaching children) and had a distinguished career as a recitalist, radio broadcaster and festival singer. She specialised in Bach and other early music. She was admired by composers Elgar and

Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

. She was described as having a voice "of considerable power, fresh and sweet". A series of recitals she promoted in 1935 was devoted to the songs of Bach, and she gave few recitals after this. But in 1947 she sang five of Elgar's songs at a concert in London in aid of the Elgar Memorial Fund set up by the Elgar Birthplace Trustees.

Personal life

Joan Elwes married a lawyer, Lindsay Millais Jopling on 24 February 1931''The Times'', 25 February 1931 and they had three children together. He was the son of painter Louise Jopling.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elwes, Joan 1895 births 1961 deaths English sopranos Alumni of the Royal College of Music People from Chichester District 20th-century English women singers 20th-century English singers