Natalie Hannau Townsend (1866 – July 26, 1962)
was an American composer who was also known for organizing musicales in Washington, D.C.. She is listed in some sources as Pearl Dea Etta Townsend, and sometimes published her music as Madame Lawrence Townsend.
Townsend was born in France to American parents. She came to the United States in 1881. On March 8, 1886, she married
Lawrence Townsend, who served as an American minister to Belgium from 1899 to 1905. They had three children, Yvonne, Lawrence Jr., and Reginald.
She studied voice with
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 ...
and Burton Thatcher.
After returning from Belgium, the Townsends lived at 1416 20th Street NW, Washington, D.C. Townsend organized at least 123 musicales over 19 years at the
Mayflower Hotel
The Mayflower Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., located on Connecticut Avenue NW. It is two blocks north of Farragut Square (one block north of the Farragut North (Washington Metro), Farragut North Washington Metro, Metro ...
in Washington, D.C., and in private homes. The musicales included performances by
Mario Basiola,
Lucrezia Bori
Lucrezia Bori (24 December 1887 – 14 May 1960) was a Spanish operatic singer, a lyric soprano and a tireless and effective fundraiser for the Metropolitan Opera.
Biography
Lucrezia Bori was born on 24 December 1887, in Valencia, Spain. ...
,
Frederick Bristol
Frederick E. Bristol (4 November 1839 in Brookfield, Connecticut – 1932 in N.Y. City, New York) was a celebrated American voice teacher who operated private studios in Boston and New York City during the second half of the 19th century and early ...
, Eddy Brown,
Anna Case
Anna Case (October 29, 1887 - January 7, 1984) was an American operatic soprano. She recorded with Thomas Alva Edison, who used her voice extensively in "tone tests" of whether a live audience could tell the difference between the actual singer ...
,
Richard Crooks
Richard Alexander Crooks (June 26, 1900 – September 29, 1972) was an American tenor and a leading singer at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Biography
He was born the second son of Alexander and Elizabeth Crooks on June 26, 1900 in Trenton, N ...
, Yelly d'Aranyi, André D'Arkor,
Giuseppe De Luca
Giuseppe De Luca (25 December 1876 – 26 August 1950), was an Italian baritone who achieved his greatest triumphs at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He notably created roles in the world premieres of two operas by Giacomo Puccini: Sha ...
,
Beniamino Gigli
Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer (lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation.
Early life
Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a shoem ...
,
Robert Goldsand,
Louis Graveure
Louis Graveure (18 March 1888 – 27 April 1965) was an English actor and baritone singer known as "The Mystery Man".
Biography
He was born on March 18, 1888, in London, England, as Wilfrid Douthitt. He trained under Clara Novello Davies. He m ...
, Rudolph Gruen,
Myra Hess
Dame Julia Myra Hess, (25 February 1890 – 25 November 1965) was an English pianist best known for her performances of the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann.
Career Early life
Julia Myra Hess was born on 25 February 1890 to a Jew ...
, Carroll Hollister,
José Iturbi
José Iturbi Báguena (28 November 189528 June 1980) was a Spanish conductor, pianist and harpsichordist. He appeared in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, notably playing himself in the musicals ''Thousands Cheer'' (1943), '' Music for Mill ...
,
Hans Kindler
Johannes Hendrikus Philip Kindler (January 8, 1892 – August 30, 1949) was a Dutch American cellist and conductor who founded the National Symphony Orchestra. He was married to painter Alice Kindler and Persis Chase Myers.
Kindler as ...
,
Paul Kochanski
Paul Kochanski (born Paweł Kochański; 30 August 1887 – 12 January 1934) was a Polish violinist, composer and arranger active in the United States.
Training and early career
Paweł Kochański was born in Odesa to Polish-Jewish parents a ...
,
Frank La Forge
Frank La Forge (October 22, 1879 – May 5, 1953) was an American pianist, vocal coach, teacher, composer and arranger of art songs.
Biography
He was born on October 22, 1879 in Rockford, Illinois.
La Forge was a boy soprano. He first stud ...
,
Lotte Lehmann
Charlotte "Lotte" Lehmann (February 27, 1888 – August 26, 1976) was a German soprano who was especially associated with German repertory. She gave memorable performances in the operas of Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Ludwig van Beethoven, ...
,
Lauritz Melchior
Lauritz Melchior (20 March 1890 – 18 March 1973) was a Danish-American opera singer. He was the preeminent Wagnerian tenor of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s and has come to be considered the quintessence of his voice type. Late in his career, Me ...
,
Grace Moore
Mary Willie Grace Moore (December 5, 1898January 26, 1947) was an American operatic soprano and actress in musical theatre and film.Obituary ''Variety'', January 29, 1947, page 48. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee Nightingale." Her films helped ...
,
Guiomar Novaes
Guiomar Novaes (February 28, 1895 – March 7, 1979) was a Brazilian pianist known for individuality of tone and phrasing, singing line, and a subtle and nuanced approach to her interpretations.
Biography
Born in São João da Boa Vista (in the a ...
,
Maria Olszewska, Emma Otero, Milan V. Petrovic,
Rosa Ponsell, Alberto Salvi, Harry R. Spier,
Grete Stueckgold,
Conchita Supervia Conchita is originally a diminutive for the Spanish feminine given name Concepción. Conxita is the Catalan equivalent. ''Conchita'' is also the diminutive of ''concha'' ( seashell).
Conchita may refer to:
People
* Conchita Cabrera de Armida (1 ...
, Nina Verez-Dansereau, and
Carlo Zecchi
Carlo Zecchi (8 July 190331 August 1984) was an Italian pianist, music teacher and conductor.
Zecchi was born in Rome. A pupil of F. Baiardi for piano and of L. Refice and A. Bustini for composition, he began his career as a concert pianist at o ...
. Programs from Townsend's musicales are archived at the Library of Congress.
The Townsends also had a home in St. Petersburg, Florida, where Natalie Townsend died in 1962.
Commercial recordings of Townsend's music include:
*Columbia A-1766
*NAXOS Historical 8.112055
*Victor B-12727
*Victor B-15418
*Victor 64319
Townsend's music was published by
Chappell & Co
Chappell & Co. was an English company that published music and manufactured pianos. Founded by pianist Samuel Chappell, the company was one of the leading music publishers and piano manufacturers in Britain until 1980 when Chappell sold its reta ...
.,
G. Schirmer, Inc.,
Le Figaro, and
Casa Ricordi
Casa Ricordi is a publisher of primarily classical music and opera. Its classical repertoire represents one of the important sources in the world through its publishing of the work of the major 19th-century Italian composers such as Gioachino Ro ...
.
Her compositions include:
Chamber
*''Berceuse, opus 9'' (violin and piano)
Piano
*''Aubade Printaniere (Chattering Birds)'' (for one or two pianos)
*''Sandringham March''
Vocal
*"Belgium Forever!" (text by Yvonne Townsend)
*"Forward, Belgium"
*"Petite Pensee"
*"Spanish Girl's Love Song" (text by Helen Huntington)
*"Spirit of Liberty: A Patriotic Marching Song" (text by Yvonne Townsend)
*"Thought of You" (text by Helen Huntington)
*"Two French Songs" (text by
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
and L. Montenaken)
*"Vous!...Toi!" (text by Arturo Fabricotti)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Natalie
American women composers
1866 births
1962 deaths
American salon-holders
American expatriates in France