Alexander Smyth

Dame Ethel Smyth (1858–1944) was a prominent English composer and a dedicated activist in the women's suffrage movement. Despite facing marginalization as a "woman composer," her extensive musical output, including operas, orchestral works, and chamber music, earned her significant recognition, including being the first woman granted a damehood.

Smyth's involvement in the suffrage movement was passionate; she composed the anthem "The March of the Women" and was imprisoned for her participation in acts of protest, such as breaking windows. Her musical career, though marked by critical challenges related to her gender, saw her work performed and celebrated, even as she faced personal hardships like complete deafness. Beyond music, Smyth also became a successful author later in her life.

Ethel Smyth's musical journey began with early promise, composing her first hymn at age 10 and pursuing formal studies in Leipzig and privately. She navigated a challenging environment where her compositions were often judged through the lens of her gender. Critics sometimes labeled her music as too masculine for a woman, while more delicate pieces were deemed insufficient compared to male contemporaries. Despite this, her opera "The Wreckers" is considered a landmark English opera, and "Der Wald" was notably the only opera by a woman performed at the New York Metropolitan Opera for over a century. Her "Mass in D" gained her considerable recognition in London. Later in life, a festival celebrated her 75th birthday, though she had become profoundly deaf and could not hear the accolades.

Smyth became deeply involved with the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), believing that women's lack of a political voice hindered their progress in fields like music. She dedicated two years to the cause, developing a close relationship with Emmeline Pankhurst. Smyth composed "The March of the Women," which became the anthem of the suffragette movement, inspiring unity and resistance. Her activism extended to direct action, including participating in window-breaking protests, which led to a two-month sentence in Holloway Prison. During her incarceration, she famously conducted suffragettes singing from her cell window. She viewed her prison experience as a testament to female solidarity.

During her musical studies with Heinrich von Herzogenberg, Smyth formed a significant friendship with his wife, Elisabeth. Through this connection, she met Henry Bennet Brewster, a philosopher and librettist for several of her operas. Their relationship, documented through extensive correspondence, involved a complex emotional dynamic with Brewster's wife, Julia. Smyth's marriage to her profession was profound, but she also experienced significant personal challenges, including progressive hearing loss that eventually led to complete deafness. Despite this, she found a new outlet in writing, publishing ten successful books, largely autobiographical, between 1919 and 1940.