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Maria Frances Parke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maria Frances Parke (26 August 1772 – 31 July 1822) was an English soprano, pianist and composer of keyboard works.[1]

Parke was born in London. Her father was the oboist John Parke, while her uncle was the oboist and composer William Thomas Parke.[1]

She made her debut as a pianist and singer at the age of nine.[2] She is known to have played the harpsichord for a concert in 1781.[1] At ten she performed a Clementi duet with Maria Hester Park née Reynolds (1760–1813),[3] with whom she is sometimes confused.

As soprano soloist, Parke performed at the Handel Commemorations, at the Hanover Square Rooms, and at the Salomon concert series (1791-1795) in which Joseph Haydn also participated. Haydn directed a symphony at one of her benefit concerts. Her compositions, performed at the Vauxhall Gardens, included keyboard and vocal works.[4] The Three Grand Sonatas for the piano forte with additional keys, op. 1, were published in 1799.[5]

In 1815 she married John Beardmore, following which she retired from music. She died in London in 1822.[1]

Works

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Selected works include:

  • A Divertimento and Military Rondo for the Piano
  • Grand Sonata in F Major for Solo Piano
  • Grand Sonata in E-flat Major for Solo Piano
  • Grand Sonata in D Major for Solo Piano[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Baldwin, Olive; Wilson, Thelma (2001). "Maria Frances Parke". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 19. London: Macmillan. pp. 128–129. ISBN 0-333-60800-3.
  2. ^ "EDITIONS: PIANO/PIANO FORTE". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  3. ^ Baldwin, Olive; Wilson, Thelma (2004). "Park (née Reynolds), Maria Hester (1760–1813)". In Matthew, H.C.G.; Harrison, Brian (eds.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 42. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 636–637. ISBN 0-19-861392-X.
  4. ^ Historical Dictionary of English Music ca. 1400–1958 ed. by Charles Edward McGuire, Steven E. Plank (2012), p. 230
  5. ^ Barbara Garvey Jackson. Say Can You Deny Me: A Guide to Surviving Music by Women from the 16th Through the 18th Centuries (Fayetteville, AR, 1994)
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