Event Title
Moving Out of the Drawing Room and Onto the Stage: The Songs of Maude Valerie White
Date of Publication
3-26-2021
Document Type
Paper
Abstract / Program Notes
With over 200 songs listed among her compositions, Maude Valerie White (1855-1937) was one of the most prolific song writers of the Victorian era. While many of her songs may be considered “drawing room ballads,” her body of song literature provides unique opportunities for study in the studio and performance on the stage. Although she was born in France, White is considered a British composer. She studied composition with George Macfarren at the Royal Academy of Music, and was awarded the prestigious Mendelssohn Scholarship during her final year of study. The harmonies employed in her songs conjure vivid images of the exotic places she visited during her extensive travels. The diverse literature she drew upon for her texts serves as a testament to her understanding of the melding of words and music, and her fluency in several languages strengthened her ability to compose songs to foreign texts. This paper will provide a brief biography of White’s life as well as details of her songs, and will establish a plea for their inclusion into the canon of solo vocal repertoire.
Biography
Elizabeth Blanton Momand is a Professor of Music at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith where she teaches voice, aural skills, and directs the Opera & Musical Theatre Workshop. She received Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from Mississippi College in Clinton, and the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from The University of Texas at Austin. Included among the honors Momand has received for her academic work is a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship for travel and study in India, and a year of fellowship study in Germany. Active in the College Music Society, she has presented her research at regional, national, and international conferences. She currently serves as president-elect of the South Central Chapter of CMS and as Arkansas District Governor of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Keywords
Maude Valerie White, British composer, biography
Moving Out of the Drawing Room and Onto the Stage: The Songs of Maude Valerie White
With over 200 songs listed among her compositions, Maude Valerie White (1855-1937) was one of the most prolific song writers of the Victorian era. While many of her songs may be considered “drawing room ballads,” her body of song literature provides unique opportunities for study in the studio and performance on the stage. Although she was born in France, White is considered a British composer. She studied composition with George Macfarren at the Royal Academy of Music, and was awarded the prestigious Mendelssohn Scholarship during her final year of study. The harmonies employed in her songs conjure vivid images of the exotic places she visited during her extensive travels. The diverse literature she drew upon for her texts serves as a testament to her understanding of the melding of words and music, and her fluency in several languages strengthened her ability to compose songs to foreign texts. This paper will provide a brief biography of White’s life as well as details of her songs, and will establish a plea for their inclusion into the canon of solo vocal repertoire.