Elsie Muriel Southgate (23 January 1880 – 5 May 1946) was a British violinist and composer[1] who toured England as a classical musician, played in vaudeville in the United States and Canada, and recorded commercially accompanied by her sister, organist and composer Dorothy Southgate (1889 - 1946).[2] [3]

Southgate was born in London to Violet and Frank Sewell Southgate, a singing teacher.[4] She married Charles Edward Pearse in 1904 and they had two daughters, Olga Odin-Pearse (1908) and actress Daphne Odin-Pearse (1909).[1]

Southgate studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music with Émile Sauret. She made her debut as a violin soloist in 1901, performing at the Promenade Concerts in 1905[5] and throughout Europe in recitals.[6][4] She played at Buckingham Palace and for the Shah of Iran and the King of Italy on her Guarneri violin.[7][8][9]

Southgate stopped performing briefly after her marriage. When her husband died sometime before 1911, she resumed performing to support her two small daughters. In addition to playing classical violin music, she played in music halls and vaudeville theatres, touring the United States and Canada in 1926.[10]

Southgate made several commercial recordings on Zonophone records, often accompanied by her sister Dorothy on organ. Her compositions included:

References

  1. ^ a b "Deaths ODIN-PEARSE". The Times. No. 50445. London. 7 May 1946. p. 1.
  2. ^ a b c Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). International Encyclopedia of Women Composers. Books & Music (USA). ISBN 978-0-9617485-1-7.
  3. ^ Advertising World. Industrial Newspapers. 1918.
  4. ^ a b Who's who in Music: A Biographical Record of Contemporary Musicians. Pitman. 1913.
  5. ^ Bentley, Leonard (1 July 1910), Piccadilly Circus: 1910, retrieved 22 January 2022
  6. ^ "The Strad 125 Years: Pioneering Female String Players". The Strad. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  7. ^ "ELSIE SOUTHGATE'S FIDDLE". Ultima and Chillingollah Star. 13 December 1918. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  8. ^ "A 1916 diary....In the news (February 15-21, 1916)". Irish Examiner. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  9. ^ Who's who in Music: A Biographical Record of Contemporary Musicians. Pitman. 1913.
  10. ^ "Elsie Muriel Southgate (1880-1946) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 22 January 2022.

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