Mary Anne à Beckett (29 April 1815 – 11 December 1863) was an English composer, primarily known for opera. She was the wife of the writer Gilbert à Beckett, who provided the libretti for two of her operas. Their children included the writers Gilbert Arthur à Beckett and Arthur William à Beckett. Her theatrical connections included her brother, the actor and producer impresario Augustus Glossop Harris, and his eldest son, also an impresario, Sir Augustus Harris.

Biography

Mary Anne à Beckett was born in London, the eldest daughter of Joseph Glossop and his wife, Elizabeth, ''née'' Feron. Among their other children was the future actor and producer Augustus Glossop Harris, whose elder son was the impresario Sir Augustus Harris.Knight, Josep
"Harris, Augustus Frederick Glossop (1826–1873)"
rev. Nilanjana Banerji, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, retrieved 21 April 2014 Glossop, a man of doubtful financial means, was at various times lessee of the Royal Coburg Theatre (now called

the Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. It was established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

), and manager of La Scala, Milan, and the Teatro San Carlo in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. His wife, the daughter of an ''émigré'' from the French Revolution, sang professionally under her maiden name, "Madame Feron". In January 1835 Mary Anne married Gilbert à Beckett, a writer and magistrate.à Beckett, p. 54 They had two daughters and four sons, including Gilbert Arthur à Beckett and Arthur William à Beckett. Mary Anne à Beckett composed songs, piano pieces, incidental music, and three operas: ''

Agnes Sorel Agnes or Agness may refer to: People *Agnes (name), the given name, and a list of people named Agnes or Agness * Agnes (surname), list of people with the surname * Agnes (case study) (born 1939), pseudonym for one of the first studied transgender ...

'' (1835), ''Little Red Riding Hood'' (1842) and ''The Young Pretender'' (1846). The most successful of these was the first, described as "an operatic farce", loosely based on the life of

Agnès Sorel Agnès Sorel (; 1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet ''Dame de beauté'' (Lady of Beauty), was a favourite and chief mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore four daughters. She is considered the first officially ...

, mistress of

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

. The piece, with words by the composer's husband, was the first production at John Braham's

St James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham (tenor), John Braham; it lost mone ...

in London in 1835. The anonymous reviewer in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' dismissed the libretto as "cold, dull and comfortless", but praised some of the music as "evinc ngno inconsiderable share of taste and skill"."The St James's Theatre", ''The Times'', 15 December 1835, p. 5 The composer turned down the suggestion that she should conduct the performances herself, declining to make public appearances, but her sister, Emilie Glossop, made her debut, very successfully, in this production. ''Little Red Riding Hood'', with libretto by Gilbert à Beckett, opened at the Surrey Theatre in August 1842. A reviewer in ''The Musical World'' praised the music, and commented that though it was not conspicuously original it was "adroitly put together, and … is consequently preferable to some loftier doings in loftier places, which, in their aim to be very original, are far less pleasing in their material, and far more clumsily dovetailed." The music for the last of her three operas ''The Young Pretender'' was, like that of its 1835 predecessor, better received than the libretto (which was by

Mark Lemon Mark Lemon (30 November 1809, in London – 23 May 1870, in Crawley) was the founding editor of both ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' and ''The Field (magazine), The Field''. He was also a writer of Play (theatre), plays and verses. Biography ...

). ''The Times'' praised "some pretty pieces of vocal music in light Italian style"; the reviewer in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' considered the score, "not original in its melodies nor scientific in its construction", but reserved his severest censure for Lemon's libretto: "as dreary a production as it is possible to imagine in any work professing to be a drama". The following year she published ''The Music Book'', a collection of twenty original songs, quadrilles and waltzes by her and her male British contemporaries. Gilbert à Beckett died in 1856, and in July 1857 his widow was given a civil list pension of £100 in recognition of her husband's contributions to society as a magistrate and writer. Lemon was one of the trustees of the pension.

Compositions

Operas and incidental music

*''

'', opera. 1836, St James's Theatre London *Incidental music to ''Mabel's Curse'' by Anna Maria Fielding, 1837, St James's Theatre *Incidental music (with George Stansbury) to ''Wanted, a Brigand, or, A visit from Fra-Diavolo'', 1837. Musical burletta in one act by Gilbert A'Beckett, St James's Theatre. *''Little Red Riding Hood''. A Fairy Opera, 1842, Surrey Theatre, London *''The Young Pretender'', musical play with libretto by Mark Lemon, 1846, Haymarket Theatre, London.

Songs and Duets

*"Vainly to me of love you speak". Duet. Words by Gilbert A'Beckett. c 1840 *"Farewell dear scenes". Ballad. 1842 *"Wherefore maiden art thou straying?" .Rondo.1842 *"Tis not the sparkling diadem". Ballad. 1842 *"When mem'ry through the mist of tears". 1843 *"Dear scenes of happier hours". Ballad. 1845 *"My home must be where'er thou art". Words by Mark Lemon, 1846 *"I dream of thee". Song. Words by Barry Cornwall. 1847 *"Love me if I live". Song. Words by Barry Cornwall. 1847 *"My home must be where'er thou art". Song. Words by Mark Lemon. 1847 *"Lightly won is lightly held". Duett. Words by Mark Lemon. 1847 *"A maiden from her lonely bow'r". Ballad. Words by Mark Lemon. 1847 *"One kindly word before we part. Ballad. Words by Mark Lemon. 1847 *"Ne'er think that I'll forget thee". Words by the composer. Ballad. 1850 *"It is o'er, that happy dream". Ballad. Words by Bertie Vyse. 1851 *"Do not smile". Ballad. Words by J D Douglas. 1851 *"And must we then in silence meet". Ballad. Words by the composer. 1851 *"Dear scenes of happier hours". Ballad. Words by Gilbert A'Beckett. 1854 *"Oh! come again sweet summer time". Ballad. Words by William A'Beckett. 1854 *"Take back thy gift". Ballad. Words by Gilbert A'Beckett. 1854 *"Dear scenes of happier hours" .Ballad . Words by Gilbert A'Beckett.1854 *"Dear Italy". Ballad. Words by Gilbert A'Beckett. 1856 *"Dear old England". A patriotic song . Words by Mrs V Roberts. 1859

Piano pieces

*"The Casino Waltz". 1890 *"The Ridotto Waltz". 1847 *"The Royal Nursery Quadrilles, or Popular Nursery Tunes". 1854 ::Source: ''Music und Gender im Internet''."Mary Anne A'Beckett"
Musik und Gender im Internet (in German), retrieved 21 April 2014

Notes and references

;Notes ;References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abeckett, Mary Anne 1815 births 1863 deaths English opera composers English women classical composers Composers from London 19th-century English classical composers 19th-century English musicians British women opera composers 19th-century English women composers À Beckett family