Elizabeth Stirling Explained

Elizabeth Stirling a.k.a. Elizabeth Bridge (26 February 1819 – 25 March 1895) was an English organist and composer.

Biography

Elizabeth Stirling was born in Greenwich, London, and studied piano and organ at the Royal Academy of Music with Edward Holmes and W. B. Wilson, and harmony with James Alexander Hamilton and Sir George Macfarren. In 1837 she performed a recital at St. Katherine's Church, Regent's Park, which was reviewed by The Musical World.^[1]

In 1839 she took a position as organist at All Saints Church, Poplar,^[2] where she remained until 1858. In that year, she successfully competed for the post of organist at St Andrew Undershaft, a position she filled until 1880.^[3] As an organist, she was noted for her exceptional pedal playing. She published two grand voluntaries, six pedal fugues, eight slow movements and other organ-pieces, over fifty songs and duets, and arrangements of the works of Bach, Mozart and Handel.^[3] Her most popular song was "All Among the Barley".^[4]

In 1863, she married Frederick Albert Bridge ('F.A. Bridge'), photographer, choirmaster of St Martin-in-the-Fields and organist and choirmaster of St Martin, Ludgate.^[4] She died in 1895 at the age of 76.

Works

Selected works include:

Choral

• The Dream, SSTB, piano
• All Among The Barley, SATB
• The Forester, SATB, piano
• Back From the Brink, SATB, piano

Organ

• Moderato and Maestoso, organ
• Romantic Pieces for Organ
• Six Fugues for Organ On English Psalm Tunes.^[5]
• Soft Voluntary^[6]

External links

• Hanna Bergmann, Art. "Sterling, Elizabeth". In: Lexikon "Europäische Instrumentalistinnen des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts", hrsg. von Freia Hoffmann, 2009.

Notes and References

1. Book: Fuller, Sophie . The Pandora Guide to Women Composers : Britain and the United States, 1629–present . Pandora . 1994 . 978-0-04440-897-0 . London; San Francisco . 298 . registration.
2. Web site: Romantic Pieces for Organ. 12 November 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101130085652/http://vivacepress.com/324.html. 30 November 2010. dead.
3. Book: The American History and Encyclopedia of Music, Vol. 2. 356. Frederick albert bridge.. W. L. Hubbard. 1908. Irving Squire, New York.
4. Web site: Bridge, Frederick Albert. 18 December 2015. 30 May 2016. https://archive.today/20160530071614/http://www.photolondon.org.uk/pages/details.asp?pid=946. dead.
5. https://web.archive.org/web/20160724013713/http://www.vivacepress.com/323.html Modern edition by Barbara Harbach
6. Web site: Fowle . T. L. . Fifty Easy Voluntaries: fifty new compositions by English composers, No. 40. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240519030654/https://imslp.org/wiki/50_Easy_Voluntaries_(Fowle,_Thomas_Lloyd) . 19 May 2024 . F. Pitman, n.d. . London . 5th.