Mary Louisa White (2 September 1866 – January 1935) was a British composer, pianist, and educator who invented a Letterless Method of musical notation. Her parents were Robert and Louisa Makin White. Mary Louisa, known to her family as "Louie," was the oldest of their four children. She also had a half brother and a half sister from her father's first marriage. White studied music with John Farmer in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and gave frequent concerts in London and Paris, including at the

Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities such ...

in London. She taught piano at Kensington High School at the turn of the 20th century, and worked at the

Girls' Day School Trust The Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) is a group of 25 independent schools, including two academies, in England and Wales, catering for girls aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each ye ...

with her sisters Jessie and Winnie from 1902 to 1903. At the time, Kensington High School was administered by the Girls' Day School Trust. White invented the "Letterless Method" of teaching music to beginners. The Letterless Method used metal clefs, rings, disks, and black and white buttons for notes, which children could manipulate for tactile learning. White's papers, including scrapbooks about her musical career created by her mother and sisters, are archived at

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. Her compositions were published by Joseph Williams and

Alfred Novello Joseph Alfred Novello (12 August 1810 – 17 July 1896) was an English music publisher. He was the eldest son of Vincent Novello, and the creator of Novello and Company Ltd as a revolutionary force in music publishing. Life J. Alfred Nov ...

, both of London. White's compositions include:

Operetta

*Babes in the Woods, opus 42 *Beauty and the Beast, opus 41

Orchestra

*Transvaal War Symphony

Piano

*Ballade in G flat *Dances No 1 and 2, Opus 47 *Impromptu in E flat, Opus 54 No 2 *Minuet in A flat *Nocturne in D flat *Novelette in c minor, Opus 36 No 2 *Prelude in D flat *Rhapsody in b flat minor *Short Lyrics *Sketch Book (Gavotte, Hunting Song, March, Minuet, Pastorale, Waltz) *Spinning Wheel *Tiny Tunes for Young Musicians *Two Waltzes *Without Octaves

Vocal

*Hush-a-bye *Jubilate (trio for treble voices) *Maypole *Night's Rhapsody (duet) *Prelude of Spring *School Song for Girls *Secret of the Sea *Sleep, Little Baby, Sleep *Sleep, Sweetly Sleep *Song of the Water Sprite *There be None of Beauty's Daughters *To the River *Twelve Easy Duets *When First I Sang to my Darling

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Mary Louisa British women composers 1866 births 1935 deaths British music educators Musical notation