Teresa Clotilde del Riego

Born in England, Teresa Clotilde Del Riego wrote chamber, orchestral, and piano works but is best known for her hundreds of vocal works, which she created over a span of approximately 60 years. Many of her vocal tunes were adored, especially her sentimental ballads and sacred pieces; her well-known songs titles include Homing (1917), O Dry Those Tears (1901), Slave Song (1899), and Lead Kindly Light (1909). This musician of Spanish and English background studied with Sir F. P. Tosti and Marie Withrow, and her education at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and the West Central College of Music in London formed the foundation of her songwriting peak, to which she reached after the turn of the century. Shortly after this period, the composer lost her husband, F. Graham Leadbetter, to World War I, and like many other musicians of that time such as Dame Clara Butt, Del Riego was highly involved in wartime charity concerts. She passed away at the age of 91 in London, the place of her birth. Del Riego can be remembered for the popularity her songs maintained throughout the twentieth century (from the early 1920s onward); they have been recorded under the Hyperion, EMI, Romophone, Pearl and RCA labels.