Marian Arkwright

Marian Ursula Arkwright (25 January 1863 – 23 March 1922) was an English composer. She was the second woman in England to earn a Bachelor of Music, in 1895, and the first woman to earn a doctorate in music, which she gained in 1913. Arkwright worked as an orchestral musician, composer and conductor, and received a prize for an orchestral work from the The Gentlewoman.

Marian Arkwright

Life

Marian Arkwright was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England on 25 January 1863.^[1] She earned a Bachelor of Arts in music at Durham University in 1895, and then earned her doctorate in music at the same university in 1913,^[2][1] making her the first English woman to gain a PhD in music.^[3][4] After completing her studies, she worked as an orchestral musician and composer and conducted orchestras including the Newbury Amateur Orchestral Society. She played the viola and double-bass.^[2] She served as secretary of the English Ladies' Orchestral Society, and was a leader of the Rural Music Schools movement.^[5] She received a prize from The Gentlewoman for an original orchestral work The Winds of the World.^[6][7] She composed a piece, Suite for strings, for the 1907 Australian Exhibition of Women's Work, which was held in Melbourne.^[1]

Her brother was the musicologist Godfrey Edward Pellew Arkwright.^[8]

She died unexpectedly on the 23 March 1922 at Highclere, a few hours after performing in the orchestra for a Newbury Choral Society performance of The Messiah.^[1][5][9]

Works

She published three volumes of violin and piano duets and two Concert Pieces for viola and piano.^[10] She took an interest in folk music and her Japanese Symphony contained airs that she had noted down herself.^[2] Nigel Burton considers her The Dragon of Wantley, a ballad for three voices, to be her best children's work.^[1][11] Her Requiem of 1914^[12][13] was well received.^[9] Arkwright was noted for unusual instrument combinations. Selected works include:

• Quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
• Trio for piano, oboe and horn
• Trio for pianoforte, oboe and viola
• Scherzo and Variations for piano, clarinet and bassoon
• Rêveries for piano, oboe and viola