Maria Frances Parke Explained

Maria Frances Parke (26 August 1772 – 31 July 1822) was an English soprano, pianist and composer of keyboard works.^[1]

Parke was born in London. Her father was the oboist John Parke, while her uncle was the oboist and composer William Thomas Parke.^[1]

She made her debut as a pianist and singer at the age of nine.^[2] At ten she performed a Clementi duet with Maria Hester Park née Reynolds (1760–1813),^[3] with whom she is sometimes confused.

As soprano soloist, Parke performed at the Handel Commemorations, at the Hanover Square Rooms, and at the Salomon concert series (1791-1795) in which Joseph Haydn also participated. Haydn directed a symphony at one of her benefit concerts. Her compositions, performed at the Vauxhall Gardens, included keyboard and vocal works.^[4] The Three Grand Sonatas for the piano forte with additional keys, op. 1, were published in 1799.^[5]

In 1815 she married John Beardmore, following which she retired from music. She died in London in 1822.^[1]

Works

Selected works include:

• A Divertimento and Military Rondo for the Piano
• Grand Sonata in F Major for Solo Piano
• Grand Sonata in E-flat Major for Solo Piano
• Grand Sonata in D Major for Solo Piano^[1]

Notes and References

1. Encyclopedia: Baldwin . Olive . Wilson, Thelma . Sadie . Stanley . New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians . Maria Frances Parke . 2001 . Macmillan . 19 . London . 0-333-60800-3 . 128–129 .
2. Web site: EDITIONS: PIANO/PIANO FORTE. 27 November 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110707211809/http://www.barbaraharbach.com/iframes/editions_piano.html. 7 July 2011.
3. Encyclopedia: Baldwin . Olive . Wilson, Thelma . Matthew . H.C.G. . Harrison . Brian . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Park (née Reynolds), Maria Hester (1760–1813) . 2004 . Oxford University Press . 42 . Oxford . 0-19-861392-X . 636–637 .
4. Historical Dictionary of English Music ca. 1400–1958 ed. by Charles Edward McGuire, Steven E. Plank (2012), p. 230
5. Barbara Garvey Jackson. Say Can You Deny Me: A Guide to Surviving Music by Women from the 16th Through the 18th Centuries (Fayetteville, AR, 1994)