Ella Overbeck, pseudonym ''Baroness Ella Overbeck'' or ''Overbach'', also ''Agnes Elisabeth Overbeck'', ''Elizabeth von Overbe(c)k'', or ''Baroness Jo Overbeck'' (nicknamed ''Jimmy'') (10 October 1870 – 12 November 1919) was an Anglo-Russian composer and pianist.

Life and career

Born in Russia, Overbeck was brought to England as a young child by her parents, both Russians. Following their deaths, she was adopted by an English woman, and educated at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

. She was piano accompanist to

Clara Butt Dame Clara Ellen Butt (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English dramatic contralto and one of the most popular singers from the 1890s through to the 1920s. She had an exceptionally fine contralto voice and an agile singing technique, ...

and students of Manuel Patricio Rodríguez García in London. In the 1890s she made friends with

Edith Craig Edith Ailsa Geraldine Craig ( Edith Godwin; 9 December 1869 – 27 March 1947), known as Edy Craig, was a prolific theatre director, producer, costume designer and early pioneer of the women's suffrage movement in England. She was the daughte ...

(1869-1947) and her brother

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

, son and daughter of leading British actress

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

, and wrote the stage music for Edward's adaptation of

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

's ''On ne badine pas avec l'amour'' (as ''No Trifling with Love''), which was performed in

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

in 1894. Overbeck's music was praised by the ''Musical Times''; other early works, such as a violin sonata and various songs, were also positively reviewed by the musical press. A survey of women composers active in 1896 described Overbeck, though a 'baby' song-writer by comparison with the older Cecile Chaminade and Guy d'Hardelot, as possessing "a unique talent", demonstrated through "a boldness, a carelessness, sometimes an almost Eastern flavouring running through her songs —melodies and harmonies—that seem to me to be quite unlike any other woman I know of." In 1898 Overbeck, visiting

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...

(a resort in Sicily, and at the time a popular gay tourist destination) was introduced to Zinaida Hippius. Hippius was married to a writer, Merezhkovsky, but was bisexual, and she and Overbeck began an affair. Overbeck later travelled to join Hippius in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. In the winter of 1902-3 Merezhkovsky's translations of Euripides' ''Hippolytus'' and Sophocles' ''Antigone'' were performed with Overbeck's incidental music at the Alexandrinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. Overbeck later returned to Britain, basing herself in South West England. Her orchestral music became a regular feature of Frank Winterbottom's "Symphony Concerts" in Plymouth, including a performance of her Petersburg stage music in

East Stonehouse East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

on 21 February 1904, which ''Baroness Overbeck'' conducted herself. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

she may have based herself in

Bexhill-on-Sea Bexhill-on-Sea (often shortened to Bexhill) is a seaside town and civil parish in the Rother District in the county of East Sussex in South East England. It is located along the Sussex Coast and between the towns of Hastings, England, Hastings ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

. Overbeck died in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

at age 49.

Work

* ''Eleanore. Song, words by E. Mackay.'' London: C. Woolhouse, 893 * wo Songs.London : R. Cocks & Co, 1894. : ''I've wept in Dreams. Words by Heine.'' : ''A Slave Girl's Song. Words by C. Kingsley.'' * ''Parted. Song, words by T. Hood.'' London: C. Woolhouse, 893* ''Since my Love now loves me not. ong.Words by Heine, translated by F. Johnson.'' London: C. Woolhouse, 893* ''Toi. Old French poetry. ong.' London: C. Woolhouse, 893* ''The Voice of the Beloved. ong.Poetry ... from Marie Corelli's "Soul of Lilith".'' London: C. Woolhouse, 893* ''Four Lyrics.'' London: J. Williams 1903. : 1. ''Les Sanglots longs. With long-drawn Sobs. French words P. Verlaine, English words M. C. Gillington.'' : 2. ''Peu de Chose. Life's a Bubble. French words L. de Montenaeken, English words M. C. Gillington.'' : 3. ''Butterflies, from J. Davidson's adaptation of F. Coppée's "Pour la Couronne".'' : 4. ''Chanson d'Aspiration. Song of Aspiration. French words by E. Overbeck ... English words by M. C. Gillington.'' * ''Sonate pour piano et violon.'' London: Charles Woolhouse . J.* ''A Russian Love Song''. Premiered at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

in 1911.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overbeck, Agnes Elisabeth 1870 births 1919 deaths 19th-century British composers 19th-century German composers 19th-century German women composers 20th-century British composers 20th-century German composers 20th-century German women composers German classical composers German women classical composers German LGBTQ composers British LGBTQ composers LGBTQ classical composers German women pianists Women classical pianists 19th-century women pianists 20th-century women pianists Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom Alumni of the Royal College of Music

Life and career

Work

Further reading

References