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Katherine Emily Eggar (5 January 1874 – 15 August 1961) was an English pianist and composer. Eggar was born and died in London, England, the daughter of Thomas Eggar and Katherine MacDonald. Eggar was active member of the feminist movement especially in terms of opportunities for women in music. At the inaugural meeting of the
Society of Women Musicians The Society of Women Musicians was a British group founded in 1911 for mutual cooperation between women composers and performers, in response to the limited professional opportunities for women musicians at the time. The founders included Katharine ...
, Eggar stated, "The conventions of music must be challenged. Women are already challenging conventions in all kinds of ways… We believe in a great future for women composers." (Katherine Emily Eggar, at the inaugural meeting in 1911 of the Society of Women Musicians which she helped found)


Life

She studied piano in Berlin at the
Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory The Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory (german: Klindworth-Scharwenka-Konservatorium) was a music institute in Berlin, established in 1893, which for decades (until 1960) was one of the most internationally renowned schools of music. It was formed f ...
with
Klindworth Klindworth or Klintworth may refer to the following people: Klindworth: * Johann Andreas Klindworth (1742–1813), German watchmaker and court mechanic ** Carl August Klindworth, 19th century German mechanic and entrepreneur, son of Johann Klin ...
, Brussels at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique with De Greef, and London, and studied composition with
Frederick Corder Frederick Corder (26 January 1852 – 21 August 1932) was an English composer and music teacher. Life Corder was born in Hackney, the son of Micah Corder and his wife Charlotte Hill. He was educated at Blackheath Proprietary School and start ...
at the
Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
, Graduating in 1895. At 19 she became the first woman to perform her own chamber works at a London public concert. With singer Gertrude Eaton and musicologist Marion M. Scott, she co-founded the
Society of Women Musicians The Society of Women Musicians was a British group founded in 1911 for mutual cooperation between women composers and performers, in response to the limited professional opportunities for women musicians at the time. The founders included Katharine ...
in London in 1911 and served as its president in 1914–1915. Eggar ran fortnightly meetings for women composers in the Society. With Marion Scott, she wrote a column in the Chamber Music (a supplement to the periodical The Music Student) called "Women's Doings in Chamber Music." Eggar was also a
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
archivist and the author of the pamphlets "Shakespeare in His True Colors" (1951) and "The Unlifted Shadow" (1954). She later bequeathed her 253 volume collection to
Senate House Library Senate House is the administrative centre of the University of London, situated in the heart of Bloomsbury, London, immediately to the north of the British Museum. The Art Deco building was constructed between 1932 and 1937 as the first phase ...
of the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. Eggar also spent over thirty years researching the life of
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604) was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of ...
, and believed Lord Oxford to be the real author of Shakespeare's work. She planned to publish her writings, but she died before the preparatory work for her book could be made. She was a chairman of the Society of Women Musicians. In an opening address, "she expressed the conviction that a strong body of high-principled women musicians might do a great deal to reform public opinion on music and raise the standard of musical politics." She was very aware of the disadvantages of female composers and musicians, and actively worked to create opportunities for women in the realm of music. In the 1950s, Katharine Eggar was living at 40c Palace Road, Westminster, London. A photos of Eggar is included prefacing a 2022
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video, in which Professors Michele Bozzi, flautist, and Oriella Caianiello, pianist, perform Eggar's Idyll for flute and piano; both musicians teach at the Conservatorio di Musica Niccolo Piccinni of Bari, Italy. Another photo can be found in the June 2008 edition of ''Signature: Women in Music''. In the photo, Eggar is seated alongside Liza Lehmann and Marion M. Scott, respectively the President and a co-founder, with Eggar, of the SWM. Other members of the SWM also appear.


Works

Eggar composed songs and chamber music. Selected works include: Chamber *''Piano Quartet in D minor and major'', 1906 *''Piano Trio in G minor'', 1905 *''Rhapsodic Impression for violin, viola and piano'', 1928 *''String Quartet'', 1931 *''Cello Sonata in C minor'' *''Suite for cello and piano: Prelude, ballade, landler, finale'', 1908 *''Idyll for flute and piano'', 1910 Piano *''Legends of the Norse Gods: Wodin, Thor, Freia, Seater, Sun, Moon, Tiu'' *''A Tarantella'', 1914 *''Four characteristic sketches: The Old Castle, The Wishing Well, Romance, At the Fair.'' *''Moonrise'', 1906 *''Sun in Springtime'', 1935 *''Duets for Fun- eight short pieces for child and pianist'', 1934 Voice and Instruments *''I must go down to the sea tonight', scena for baritone and small orchestra'' *''My Soul is an enchanted boat' words by Percy Bysshe Shelley for voice and piano quintet, or piano and organ.'' *''Trios: 'Autumn Leaves', 'May Wind' for first and second sopranos and alto with accompaniment of piano quartet (also arranged for female choir and piano)'', 1909 *''Pan in a City Stone' for soprano, baritone, with flute and piano accompaniment Six songs from Forbes 'Cantus, and I Fancies' (17thC.)'' Voice and Piano *''Hope of Spring, two part songs for female voices or soprano and baritone with piano'' *''Wolfram's Dirge' with piano and cello ad lib words by Thomas Lovell Beddoes, Cycle of Gaelic love lyrics'', 1906 *''Curtsy to the Moon, words by H Taylor'', 1906 *''Old Gaelic lullaby'' *''A Fairy Barcarolle' (A lake and a fairy boat) words by Thomas Hood'', 1920 *''May Wind' for three voices and piano'', 1909 *''The Purple Moors'', 1908 *''Red Clover'' *''Remember me, my Dear' from Forbes 'Cantus, songs and fancies' 1682- one of six'', 1909 *''Song of the Vagabond'' *''The Holly Bough and the Misletoe – A Christmas Carol words by W E Grogan''Unsung Composers, Katharine Emily Eggar 1874 -1961
at unsungcomposers.com. Retrieved 30 April 2018


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eggar, Katharine Emily 1874 births 1961 deaths People educated at Bedford High School, Bedfordshire 20th-century classical composers British women classical composers English classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century English women musicians 20th-century women composers