Ann Valentine (11 January 1762 – 13 October 1842 or 13 October 1845) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, part of a talented family of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

musicians.

Life

Ann Valentine was born on 11 January 1762 in Leicester and christened on 15 March. Her father John Valentine (1730–91) was a great-nephew of the composer Robert Valentine. John Valentine was a composer, music teacher, and musician. He played viola in the memorial concerts (the Handel Commemoration) held for

George Frederic Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, Han ...

in London in 1784; his son, Ann's brother Thomas Valentine (1759 – c. 1800) was a second violinist in the same concerts, and performed in London for at least the next decade. Another uncle, Henry Valentine, was an oboist and ran a music shop in Leicester. Ann's younger sister Sarah (1771–1843) was an organist at St Martin's Church in Leicester from 1800, and composed at least one work, ''The British March and Quickstep for the Pianoforte''. Ann made her concert debut on the harpsichord in a family concert in 1777, at the age of fifteen. From c. 1785 to at least 1834 she was the organist at St Margaret's Church, Leicester. In 1790 she published a set of ten sonatas for harpsichord or piano with violin or flute accompaniment. She continued to publish music, although only some of it has survived; the ten sonatas and an arrangement of the strathspey ''Monny Musk'' are available in a modern edition.''Women Composers: Music Through the Ages,'' ed. S. Glickman and M. Schleifer (8 vols) (New York: G. K. Hall/Macmillan, 1996– ), vol. 3, pp. 148–56.

Works (partial list)

*''Ten Sonatas'' for the pianoforte or harpsichord and violin or flute (1790) *''Monny Musk'' for keyboard (c. 1798)

References

1762 births 1840s deaths 18th-century English people 19th-century English people English Classical-period composers English classical composers English women classical composers English classical pianists English women pianists Musicians from Leicester 18th-century English keyboardists 19th-century English women composers 18th-century women composers 18th-century English women 19th-century English women 19th-century British women pianists {{UK-composer-stub