Ellen Riley Wright (24 December 1859 – 3 August 1904) 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 ...

composer of music for popular songs.

Biography

Ellen Riley was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the daughter of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

engineer George Riley, and married an attorney. She began to compose with no instruction and published her first songs in 1891. Encouraged by her success, she studied harmony with

Henry Gadsby Henry Robert Gadsby (15 December 1842 – 11 November 1907) was an English composer, music educator and church organist. Life Born in Hackney, London, on 15 December 1842, he was son of William Gadsby. From 1849 to 1858 he was a chorister boy a ...

and orchestration with

Francis William Davenport Francis William Davenport (9 April 1847, Wilderslowe, near Derby - 1 April, 1925, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough) was an English people, English musician and composer. In 1879 was appointed professor, at the Royal Academy of Music. Th ...

and expanded her career as a composer.

Works

Her compositions include: *"Lovesight" (Text:

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

) *"Morgens send' ich dir die Veilchen" (Text:

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

) *"Violets" (Text: Julian Fane after Heinrich Heine) *"She Walks in Beauty" *"Queen of My Days" *"Had I but Known" *"Love's Entreaty" *"The Dawn of Life," with orchestral accompaniment

References

1859 births 1904 deaths 19th-century English classical composers English women classical composers 19th-century English musicians 19th-century English women composers {{UK-composer-stub