Mary Shaw (contralto)
Encyclopedia
Mary Shaw was an English classical contralto
who had an active international career in concerts and opera
s during the 1830s and 1840s. She is best remembered today for creating the role of Cuniza in the world premiere of Giuseppe Verdi
's first opera Oberto
at La Scala
in 1839.
, Shaw entered the Royal Academy of Music
in London in 1828. She studied there through 1831 and was a singing pupil of George Smart
at the school. She made her professional singing debut in 1834 as a concert singer, and was highly active as a concert and oratorio
singer in her native country for the next five years. In 1835 she married the painter Alfred Shaw and thereafter appeared under the name Mary Shaw. That same year she performed at the Concerts of Ancient Music in London and at the York Festival. In 1836 she sang at the festivals in Norwich and Liverpool, the latter in the English premiere of Felix Mendelssohn
's oratorio St. Paul
on 3 October 1836. In 1837 she appeared in several concerts in London sponsored by the Royal Philharmonic Society
and the Sacred Harmonic Society. She also performed at the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival
. In 1838-1939 she appeared as a soloist with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
in 12 concerts under Mendelssohn's baton at the Gewandhaus
in Leipzig, Germany.
Shaw began her opera career in Italy in 1839, making her first stage appearance at the Teatro Nuovo di Novara as Arsace in Gioachino Rossini's Semiramide
. She also sang the role Malcolm Groeme in Rossini's La donna del lago
at that house later that year. On 17 November 1839 she made her debut at La Scala
as Cuniza in the world premiere of Giuseppe Verdi
's first opera Oberto
. She then returned to her native country where she was the first to report to England the excellence of Verdi, and managed to draw musicologist and critic Henry Chorley's interest in the new Italian composer. She was active at the Royal Opera House
and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
in London during the early 1840s, singing such roles as Arsace, Fidalma in Domenico Cimarosa
's Il matrimonio segreto
, and Graeme Malcolm. In 1844 she performed in the world premiere of Julius Benedict
's The Brides of Venice at Drury Lane. Her career was cut short later that year when her husband went insane. The strain of the event effected her physically, and she was thereafter unable tp sing in tune. After the death of her husband in 1847, she married the lawyer J.F. Robinson. She never performed again after this. She died at Hadleigh Hall in Suffolk in 1876.
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
who had an active international career in concerts and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s during the 1830s and 1840s. She is best remembered today for creating the role of Cuniza in the world premiere of Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's first opera Oberto
Oberto (opera)
Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio is an opera in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on an existing libretto by Antonio Piazza probably called Rocester....
at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in 1839.
Life and career
Born Mary Postans in KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, Shaw entered the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London in 1828. She studied there through 1831 and was a singing pupil of George Smart
George Thomas Smart
Sir George Thomas Smart was an English musician.Smart was born in London, his father being a music-seller. He was a choir-boy at the Chapel Royal, and was educated in music, becoming an expert violinist, organist, teacher of singing and conductor...
at the school. She made her professional singing debut in 1834 as a concert singer, and was highly active as a concert and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
singer in her native country for the next five years. In 1835 she married the painter Alfred Shaw and thereafter appeared under the name Mary Shaw. That same year she performed at the Concerts of Ancient Music in London and at the York Festival. In 1836 she sang at the festivals in Norwich and Liverpool, the latter in the English premiere of Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
's oratorio St. Paul
St. Paul (oratorio)
St. Paul , Op. 36, is an oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn.The libretto was begun in 1832 by the composer with Pastor Julius Schubring, a childhood friend, pulling together passages from the New Testament and Old Testament...
on 3 October 1836. In 1837 she appeared in several concerts in London sponsored by the Royal Philharmonic Society
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
and the Sacred Harmonic Society. She also performed at the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival
Birmingham Triennial Music Festival
The Birmingham Triennial Musical Festival, in Birmingham, England, founded in 1784, was the longest-running classical music festival of its kind. Its last performance was in 1912.-History:...
. In 1838-1939 she appeared as a soloist with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is one of the the oldest symphony orchestras in the world...
in 12 concerts under Mendelssohn's baton at the Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, Germany. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. The first Gewandhaus was built in 1781 by architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe. The second opened on 11 December 1884, and was destroyed in the...
in Leipzig, Germany.
Shaw began her opera career in Italy in 1839, making her first stage appearance at the Teatro Nuovo di Novara as Arsace in Gioachino Rossini's Semiramide
Semiramide
Semiramide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon...
. She also sang the role Malcolm Groeme in Rossini's La donna del lago
La donna del lago
La donna del lago is an opera by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on The Lady of the Lake, a poem by Sir Walter Scott.This opera was the first to be based on Scott's romantic works...
at that house later that year. On 17 November 1839 she made her debut at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
as Cuniza in the world premiere of Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's first opera Oberto
Oberto (opera)
Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio is an opera in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on an existing libretto by Antonio Piazza probably called Rocester....
. She then returned to her native country where she was the first to report to England the excellence of Verdi, and managed to draw musicologist and critic Henry Chorley's interest in the new Italian composer. She was active at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
in London during the early 1840s, singing such roles as Arsace, Fidalma in Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...
's Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto is an opera in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick...
, and Graeme Malcolm. In 1844 she performed in the world premiere of Julius Benedict
Julius Benedict
Sir Julius Benedict was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career.-Life:...
's The Brides of Venice at Drury Lane. Her career was cut short later that year when her husband went insane. The strain of the event effected her physically, and she was thereafter unable tp sing in tune. After the death of her husband in 1847, she married the lawyer J.F. Robinson. She never performed again after this. She died at Hadleigh Hall in Suffolk in 1876.