Jane Van Etten (1869 – April 17, 1950), also known by her married name, Jane Van Etten Andrews, was an American composer and singer. She was one of the first female composers in the United States to have an opera produced by a regular opera company.

Biography

Van Etten was a native of

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, the daughter of Isaac Van Etten, a prominent local lawyer and politician, and Jane Oakes Van Etten. She was descended from the Van Etten family of New York. She studied music and opera singing in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and

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. Among her teachers was

Mathilde Marchesi Mathilde Marchesi (; 24 March 1821 – 17 November 1913) was a German mezzo-soprano, a singing teacher, and a proponent of the bel canto vocal method. Biography Mathilde Graumann was born in Frankfurt. Her aunt was the pianist Dorothea von Er ...

. Her stage debut came as Siébel in ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

in 1895. She returned to the United States to concertize. By 1901 her reputation was good enough that Benton Harbor's orchestra was advertising itself using Van Etten's name, despite no formal connection or performances. In 1901 she married architect Alfred Burritt Andrews and settled in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

. After her wedding she gave up singing to concentrate on composition, though she later worked as a teacher of voice in Chicago. Her teachers of composition included Alexander von Fielitz and

Bernhard Ziehn Bernhard Ziehn (January 20, 1845 – September 8, 1912) was a German-American music theory, music theorist and music teacher. Biography Ziehn was born in Erfurt, Germany.Winthrop Sargeant, "Bernhard Ziehn, Precursor," ''Musical Quarterly'' 19, ...

. She composed ''Guido Ferranti'', a one-act opera to a libretto by Elsie M. Wilbor based on the play ''

The Duchess of Padua ''The Duchess of Padua'' is a five-act tragedy by Oscar Wilde, set in Padua and written in blank verse. It was written for the actress Mary Anderson (stage actress), Mary Anderson in early 1883 while Wilde was in Paris. After she turned it down, ...

'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

. It was premiered on December 29, 1914, in

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by the Century Opera Company at the

Auditorium Theater The Auditorium Theatre is a music and performance venue located in the Auditorium Building at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, Illinois. Inspired by the Richardsonian Romanesque Style of architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was ...

. Hazel Eden was Beatrice and Worthe Faulkner Guido Ferranti; the opera was conducted by

Agide Jacchia Agide Jacchia (5 January 1875 – 29 November 1932

. The piece received the

Bispham Memorial Medal Award The Bispham Memorial Medal Award was an award for operas written in English which was named for baritone David Bispham David Scull Bispham (January 5, 1857 – October 2, 1921) was an American operatic baritone. Biography Bispham was born on J ...

. It was said that Van Etten had not studied orchestration, harmony or counterpoint prior to the composition of the opera. The opera won great critical acclaim, but appears not to have been performed again after its premiere. Its music has been described as "tuneful in the Puccini mode". Van Etten died in

Punta Gorda, Florida Punta Gorda (; ), a city located in Southwest Florida, is the county seat of Charlotte County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 19,471, up from 16,641 at the 2010 census ...

on April 17, 1950. She is interred in her family plot in St. Paul's Oakland Cemetery. Two of her songs have been recorded.

Selected compositions

Songs

* ''Rose'', words by Austin Dobson * ''A Vow'', words by R. de Peyster Tytus * ''Jealousy'', words by Carrie Blake Morgan * ''Destiny'', words by William Richard Hereford * ''The Joy of Life'', words by

William Ernest Henley William Ernest Henley (23 August 1849 11 July 1903) was a British poet, writer, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, th ...

* ''Just for Luck'', words by Anonymous * ''Your Kiss, Beloved'', words by

Gouverneur Morris Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the ...

* ''It was a Lover and his Lass'', words by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

* ''The Night has a Thousand Eyes'', words by

F. W. Bourdillon Francis William Bourdillon (22 March 1852 at Runcorn, Cheshire, England – 13 January 1921 at Buddington, Midhurst) was a British poet and translator. He is known also as a bibliophile. Life Born at Trinity Parsonage, Halton Road, Runcorn, Chesh ...

* ''Pablo's Song'', words by

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

(from ''The Spanish Gypsy'')

Opera

* ''Guido Ferranti'', libretto by Elsie M. Wilbor * ''Ghouls''

Choral

* ''Behold, the Master Passeth By'', offertory hymn, words by W. W. How * ''Nymph's Reply to the Passionate Shepherd'', words by Walter Raleigh * ''Lord be Gracious Unto Us''

Instrumental

* ''Moods'', for violin & piano

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Etten, Jane 1871 births Year of death unknown American opera composers American operatic mezzo-sopranos 19th-century American women opera singers 19th-century American classical composers 20th-century American classical composers Musicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota American women opera composers Singers from Minnesota 20th-century American women opera singers Classical musicians from Minnesota 20th-century American women composers 19th-century Austrian women composers