Fanny Ayton (1806–1891) was an English

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

known for her operatic performances in London in the late 1820s.

Career

She was born in

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

. She was taught singing by Manielli at Florence. Her first public appearance, in Italy, was so successfully that

John Ebers John Ebers (baptised 1778 – 8 December 1858) was an English operatic manager, notable for his promotion of Italian opera in London in the 1820s. Early life Ebers was born in Hertford, and was baptised there at St. Andrew's Church on 24 July 177 ...

engaged her for the season of 1827 at the King's Theatre, at a salary of £500. She made her appearances there in two

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

operas, as Ninetta in '' La gazza ladra'' (3 February) and as Fiorilla in ''

Il Turco in Italia ''Il turco in Italia'' (English: ''The Turk in Italy'') is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The Italian-language libretto was written by Felice Romani. It was a re-working of a libretto by Caterino Mazzolà set as an opera (w ...

''. In the same year she sang at

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks ...

in an English version of ''Il Turco'' and as Rosetta in ''

Love in a Village ''Love in a Village'' is a ballad opera in three acts that was composed and arranged by Thomas Arne. A pastiche, the work contains 42 musical numbers of which only five were newly composed works by Arne. The other music is made up of 13 pieces bo ...

''. She also played in the provinces, and sang in concerts with fair success. In 1829 she sang at the

Birmingham Festival The Birmingham Triennial Musical Festival, in Birmingham, England, founded in 1784, was the longest-running classical music festival of its kind. It last took place in 1912. History The first music festival, over three days in September 1768 ...

in opera with Maria Malibran and Michael Costa. In 1831 she sang again at the King's Theatre for the season, as Creusa, in Simon Mayr's ''

Medea in Corinto ''Medea in Corinto'' (''Medea in Corinth'') is an 1813 opera in Italian by the composer Simon Mayr. It takes the form of a ''melodramma tragico'' in two acts. The libretto, by Felice Romani, is based on the Greek myth of Medea and the plays on t ...

'', she appeared for two nights, 20 and 23 December, on the Lincoln Circuit, at Grantham Theatre, and she played Isabel in a version of '' Robert le diable'' (''The Dæmon, or the Mystic Branch'', 21 February 1832).

Reception

According to Henry Chorley, she had considerable execution, a piquancy and taste of her own, a certain ease on the stage, and a great fluency in Italian. But she had the misfortune to compete with some of the greatest Italian singers, and her intonation gave way after her first season. Sir Walter Scott mentioned her visiting his house with her father in December 1827. He wrote, "A very sweet pretty looking young lady, the Prima Donna of the Italian Opera, now performing here, by name of Miss Ayton, came to breakfast this morning with her father...Miss Ayton talks very prettily, and I dare say, sings beautifully, though too much in the Italian manner, I fear, to be a great favourite of mine. But I did not hear her, being called away". A portrait of her, drawn and engraved by Benjamin Holl, was published on 1 July 1828.

Family life

Ayton married James Barlow in Liverpool in July 1833. In the 1861 Census of Lewisham she is living at 1 Park Road, Lewisham with her husband and daughter Adele Fanny Barlow. Ayton was described as a widow in the 1871 Census of Marylebone. She died in Dover on 21 May 1891 aged 89.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayton, Fanny English operatic sopranos People from Macclesfield 1806 births 1891 deaths