Women in Music


  • Equinox
    • Equinox Publishing Home
    • About Equinox
    • People at Equinox
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Statement
    • FAQ’s
  • Subjects
    • Archaeology & History
    • Linguistics & Communication
    • Popular Music
    • Religion & Philosophy
  • Journals
    • Journals Home Page
      • Archaeology and History Journals
      • Linguistics Journals
      • Popular Music Journals
      • Religious Studies Journals
    • Publishing For Societies
    • Librarians & Subscription Agents
    • Electronic Journal Packages
    • For Contributors
    • Open Access and Copyright Policy
    • Personal Subscriptions
    • Article Downloads
    • Back Issues
    • Pricelist
  • Books
    • Book Home Page
    • Forthcoming Books
    • Published Books
    • Series
      • Advances in CALL Research and Practice
      • Advances in Optimality Theory
      • Advances in the Cognitive Science of Religion
      • Allan Bennett, Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya: Biography and Collected Writings
      • Applied Phonology and Pronunciation Teaching
      • British Council Monographs on Modern Language Testing
      • Collected Works of Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen
      • Collected Works of Ruqaiya Hasan
      • Communication Disorders & Clinical Linguistics
      • Comparative Research on Iconic and Performative Texts
      • Comparative Islamic Studies
      • Contemporary and Historical Paganism
      • Culture on the Edge
      • Discourses in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Studies
      • Discussions in Functional Approaches to Language
      • Eastern Buddhist Voices
      • Equinox English Linguistics and ELT
      • Equinox Textbooks and Surveys in Linguistics
      • Frameworks for Writing
      • Functional Linguistics
      • Genre, Music and Sound
      • Global Philosophy
      • Icons of Pop Music
      • J.R. Collis Publications
      • Key Concepts in Systemic Functional Linguistics
      • Middle Way Philosophy
      • Monographs in Arabic and Islamic Studies
      • Monographs in Islamic Archaeology
      • Monographs in Mediterranean Archaeology
      • Music Industry Studies
      • NAASR Working Papers
      • New Directions in Anthropological Archaeology
      • Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies Monographs
      • Popular Music History
      • Pragmatic Interfaces
      • Reflective Practice in Language Education
      • Religion and the Senses
      • Religion in 5 Minutes
      • Southover Press
      • Studies in Ancient Religion and Culture
      • Studies in Applied Linguistics
      • Studies in Communication in Organisations and Professions
      • Studies in Egyptology and the Ancient Near East
      • Studies in Phonetics and Phonology
      • Studies in Popular Music
      • Studies in the Archaeology of Medieval Europe
      • Text and Social Context
      • The Early Settlement of Northern Europe
      • The Study of Religion in a Global Context
      • Themes in Qur’anic Studies
      • Transcultural Music Studies
      • Working with Culture on the Edge
      • Worlds of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean
    • For Authors
    • E-Books
    • Textbooks
    • Book Trade
  • Resources
    • Events
    • Rights & Permissions
    • Advertisers & Media
  • Search
  • eBooks
Equinox Publishing
Books and Journals in Humanities, Social Science and Performing Arts
RSSTwitterFacebookLinkedInGoogle+

Dora Bright

Her Life and Works in the Public Eye

Anthony Bilton [+–]
Independent Scholar
Anthony Bilton built a successful career as an IT Risk and Audit Consultant working with some of the largest management consultancies and banks in the UK. However, throughout his career he maintained his keen interest in music (sparked by his teacher, the organist at Beverley Minster), both playing and researching. Two particular strands to his musical life – his research into Romantic piano concertos and his exploration of Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s music – led Anthony Bilton to Dora Bright’s piano concerto and thence to this biography, which will offer the first full-length study of Bright’s inspirational life and work.

Dora Bright was a ‘stage star’ before the term ‘star’ had even been invented. After a successful period at the Royal Academy of Music, reports of her ability circulated the globe from America, across Europe and as far as Australia. She became known as one of the finest pianists of her generation and was the first woman to be invited to perform at a Philharmonic Society concert in 1892, where she performed her newly composed Fantasia No. 2. A woman of considerable determination and stamina, she was at the forefront of the English Musical Renaissance at the turn of the twentieth century, and an avid supporter of the music of her friends and colleagues. Marriage did not prevent her from performing and composing, but the death of her husband made her turn away from public view for a time as she mourned his loss. Returning to the stage, she became friends with Adeline Genée, and together they returned English ballet to the centre of London Theatre, and were key to the creation of the Royal Academy of Dancing. This book takes the reader from the arrival of Dora Bright’s grandfather in Sheffield in 1769 through to her death in 1951 providing, through a rich variety of archival materials, a public perspective on the life of this important, but now little-known, musician and composer.

Series: Women in Music

Table of Contents

Prelims

Preface [+–]
The Author provides the background to how he first found Dora Bright and her music. The chapter goes on to outline how the research and book coalesced and how Dora Bright’s works remain an important part of early twentieth century music.

Introduction

Introduction [+–]
The chapter considers Dora Bright’s role in the renaissance of English music in the late nineteenth century and provides an initial consideration of how she approached the ambiguous and changing views of women in Victorian/Edwardian England.

Chapter 1

Contemporaries [+–]
The lives of two women composers, Adelina De Lara and Dorothy Howell are outlined in brief, reflecting on the contrasts and similarities with Dora Bright, revealing the common challenges faced by women, but also the significant differences between them as individuals.

Chapter 2

The Brights of Sheffield [+–]
The origins of the Bright family are outlined with some of the more interesting and colorful stories relating to the family to give a perspective on some of the influences which would have shaped Dora Bright’s early development.

Chapter 3

The Bright Family [+–]
The lives of Dora Bright’s direct family, Father, Mother and Sister, are considered in some detail together with an overview of Dora’s own early life. Her initially happy childhood ends with her father’s death and the ensuing years lead her away from her native Sheffield to a life of music in London and beyond.

Chapter 4

The Early Years 1880-1891 [+–]
These ten years are pivotal to our understanding of Dora Bright and through her place at the Royal Academy of Music and her close friendships, we begin to see her drive and determination to succeed as she becomes an accomplished concert performer and composer.

Chapter 5

Mrs. Knatchbull 1892-1900 [+–]
Dora Bright reaches the first high point in her career as a composer, as she becomes the first woman to be asked to compose and play her own work by the London Philharmonic Society. In the same year she married and became a part of the English landed gentry, although unlike many women, marriage did not prevent her from continuing her career as a performer and composer.

Chapter 6

The Dancing Girl 1900-1907 [+–]
Undeterred by the death of her husband, Dora Bright reconsidered her musical options and after a number of unsuccessful forays into more ‘popular’ musical genres, she achieved renewed acclaim through her association with the composer Maurice Moszkowski and her new ballet work, The Dryad.

Chapter 7

London Calling 1908-1920 [+–]
Through her association with the ballet dancer Adeline Genée, Dora Bright reached the pinnacle of her career and took the music halls of England by storm. Her charitable works continued and she established herself as a Lady of some stature in London and at home in Somerset.

Chapter 8

Return to the Country 1920-1939 [+–]
The retirement of Adeline Genée brought about the end of an era for Dora Bright, who returned to her Somerset home to take on the role of Country lady and charitable benefactor. In the same period Dora discovered the radio and how it could become a new way of reaching her audience with her newly composed music.

Chapter 9

Swansong 1940-1951 [+–]
The war years did not significantly impact Dora Bright’s lifestyle or drive, as she turned her attention to the musical press, becoming the radio critic for the magazine, Musical Opinion. She continued to entertain in London and Somerset, but in 1951 passed away mostly forgotten, as was her music.

Chapter 10

Women in Music Today [+–]
The current role of woman and the challenges they face is considered. Despite the ensuing 150 years since Dora Bright’s birth, the rise of feminism and the focus on equality and diversity, the author concludes that in many ways the world of music remains biased against women.

Chapter 11

Major Works [+–]
A selection of the key works from Dora Bright’s catalogue including some which had become lost or forgotten. Snippets of the scores are included where the music remains in print, and for others the outline of the work or the words from songs and scores are included from the news reports of the day.

Chapter 12

Catalogue Raisonné 2021 [+–]
The ‘complete’ listing of the works of Dora Bright.

Appendices

Appendix 1- Dora Bright Family Tree
Appendix 2 – Music Written by Maurice Delara Bright (1825-1902)
Appendix 3 – Royal Academy of Music Prizes
Appendix 4 – Dedicated Works
Appendix 5 – Recorded Works

ISBN-13 (Hardback)
9781800502802
Price (Hardback)
£25.00 / $35.00
ISBN (eBook)
9781800502819
Price (eBook)
Individual
£25.00 / $35.00
Institutional
£25.00 / $35.00
Publication
01/05/2023
Pages
224
Size
234 x 156mm
Readership
students, scholars and general readers
Illustration
84 black and white figures

Related Journal

Related Interest

  • Search Equinox

  • Subjects

    • Archaeology & History
      • Food History
      • Journals
    • Linguistics & Communication
      • Spanish & Arabic
      • Writing & Composition
      • Journals
    • Popular Music
      • Jazz
      • Journals
    • Religion & Philosophy
      • Buddhist Studies
      • Islamic Studies
      • Journals
  • Tweets by @EQUINOXPUB
We may use cookies to collect information about your computer, including where available your IP address, operating system and browser type, for system administration and to report aggregate information for our internal use. Find out more.