Alice Mary Smith

A major female composer of the 19th century, composer Alice Mary Smith wrote works in larger genres, such as symphonies and substantial choral works, in addition to vocal pieces and chamber music. By 1857, Smith had published a song, and her Symphony in C minor, written when she was 24, was performed by the Musical Society of London. In 1865, she wrote an operetta, Gisela of Rüdesheim, and it was performed at the Fitzwilliam Music Society. Among her most celebrated works were large-scale anthems (her Whoso hath this world's goods and By the waters of Babylon were the first works by a female composer performed liturgically in the Church of England). The London Mozart Players recorded her symphonies for the Chandos label in 2005. She is the subject of a biography, The Life and Music of Alice Mary Smith, by Ian Graham-Jones (2010).