Jenny Twitchell Kempton
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Jane Elizabeth Kempton (née Twitchell; October 4, 1835 – March 13, 1921) was an American
contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
solo singer who had an active career spanning over fifty years starting in 1850. She sang in hundreds of performances across the United States and Europe during her long career.


Early life and career

Jane Elizabeth Twitchell, nicknamed "Jenny", was born in
Dublin, New Hampshire Dublin is a New England town, town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,532 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is home to Dublin School and Yankee (magazine), ''Yanke ...
, in 1835,"A Successful Career Closed". ''The Golden West'', vol. 2 no. 20, April 1, 1921. p. 7. the oldest of three children born to Reuben Wilder Twitchell (1810–1895) and Hanna Prentice Wight (1815–1842). Her father was a cabinetmaker and musician who volunteered for service in the regimental band of the First Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
from 1861 to 1862, and again from 1863 to 1865 as a musician in the 2nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the XII Corps then the regimental bandleader of the XX Corps of the Union Army. Reuben Wilder Twitchell was the bandleader for General William Tecumseh Sherman and his March to the Sea in 1864. Jenny's brother, John Wight Twitchell (1842–1864), and her father-in-law, Ezra A. Kempton Jr. (1808–1864), died within one week of each other in
Andersonville Prison The Andersonville National Historic Site, located near Andersonville, Georgia, preserves the former Andersonville Prison (also known as Camp Sumter), a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the final fourteen months of the American Civil Wa ...
in August 1864, mere miles from her father and Sherman's Union Army. Jenny Twitchell Kempton came to notice at a very young age as her untrained
vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...
extended from a low C to high C without strain. She came to Boston from
Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. Bath is included in the Brunswick, Maine, Brunswick Micropolitan statistical area, micropolitan area. Bath has a 2024 population of 8,870. It is also the county seat of Sagadahoc County ...
, for a voice education at the age of 14 and soon thereafter sang contralto performances for the
Handel and Haydn Society The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest serving suc ...
in Boston. Her first notice came from her lead in the first performance in the United States"Famous Singer of Olden Days was San Francisco Discovery". ''The San Francisco Chronicle'', March 20, 1921, p. 4. of the
Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...
oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
s '' St. Paul'' and ''
Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...
'' in Boston in early 1850 with the Handel and Haydn Society. In the 1850s she performed solos in and around Boston, including performances with the Sacred Music Society of
Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...
. Kempton sang often in the First Parish Church in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
and entertained in the houses of church members including
James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell (; February 22, 1819 – August 12, 1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the fireside poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets to r ...
,
John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...
, Francis H. Underwood, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.,
Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...
, and
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...
. In particular, she became lifelong friends with Longfellow.Personal letters of Jenny Twitchell Kempton. By 1855, she was described as "the favorite contralto of Boston". By 1857, Kempton moved to New York to study under the contralto Elena D'Angri and would perform many concerts. She then engaged for a multi-year contract with Father Kemp's Old Folks Concerts Company from approximately 1858 to 1861, performing lead solo performances in at least 100 concerts, including performances for President
James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...
and future-President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
while touring the East Coast and Midwestern United States from 1859 to 1860. The positive reviews and accolades given Kempton during her performances with the Old Folks Concerts caused such jealousy and trouble among the other performers that the very successful traveling company dissolved for a time, with Robert 'Father' Kemp siding with Kempton against the other performers.


Later life and career

On May 1, 1860, she married James Monroe Kempton (1833–1898) in New York; the couple had two children. She performed in 41 concerts in New York between October 1862 and July 1864, performing many times in those years and becoming lifelong friends with the Venezuelan pianist
Teresa Carreño María Teresa Gertrudis de Jesús Carreño García (December 22, 1853June 12, 1917) was a Venezuelans, Venezuelan pianist, composer, soprano, and conductor. Over the course of her 54-year concert career, she became an internationally renowned v ...
. During this time, she began being called "The Favorite American Contralto". In 1864, Kempton signed a contract with the Richings-Bernard Opera Company and traveled by steamship to San Francisco to sing many solo performances at Maquire's Academy of Music from 1864 to 1865. During this time, she acquired the nickname "San Francisco's Little Adopted", she was elected an honorary member of the San Francisco Fire Department in 1864, and her voice and success were compared to the famous
Jenny Lind Johanna Maria Lind (Madame Goldschmidt) (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in ...
. Following her commercial success in San Francisco, Kempton returned to New York for a brief time and then embarked on a two-year stay in Europe from 1865 to 1867 to train under
Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...
and to perform in many European capitals. Her European debut came at the Carcano Theater in Milan in a performance of '' Il giuramento''. She eventually performed for King
Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March ...
and
Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was List of Italian royal consorts, Queen of Italy by marriage to her first cousin King Umberto I of Italy. She was the daughter of Prince Ferdinand ...
in Florence, Emperor
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
and Empress Eugenie in Paris, and
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
in London, with whom she was considered to have a striking resemblance. Under the personal direction of Rossini, she was the first American to perform his '' Stabat Mater'' in Paris in 1865.Passed Away
, ''Musical America'', March 19, 1921, p. 51.
She returned to the United States to continue performing concerts in and around Boston and New York from 1867 to 1877, including performances in 1873 at the
World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival The World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival of 1872 took place in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts. Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore directed the festival, which lasted some 18 days. The jubilee honored the ending of the F ...
in Boston, engagements with the Carl Rosa Opera Company and a sixty night engagement with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra. In 1878, Kempton moved to Chicago to give voice lessons and continue to perform and by the 1880s she was primarily a voice teacher of operatic singing. She moved to San Francisco by 1899, and then to Los Angeles in 1905, continuing to give voice lessons until her death in 1921. She was a significant supporter of the
suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
movement to secure the right to vote for women, performing benefit concerts from the 1890s until as late as 1910. She was a founding member of the Dominant Music Club of Los Angeles and was given the title "Mother of Music in Southern California"."Popular Singer of Early Days Dies". ''The Oakland Tribune'', March 14, 1921, p. 7. She died, aged 85, on March 13, 1921, and was interred at the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kempton, Jenny Twitchell 1835 births 1921 deaths 19th-century American women opera singers American operatic contraltos Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery People from Dublin, New Hampshire Singers from New Hampshire American voice teachers American women music educators