6 Songs by Ann Mounsey

Ann Mounsey was born in Soho, London in 1811. Ann composed for piano, organ, choirs and the solo voice as well as many cantatas and an oratorio (The Nativity).  She was an outstanding organist for well over fifty years famously accompanying the world premiere of Hear My Prayer by Mendelssohn, a piece that was written specially for her concert series as well as being a founder member of the Society of Female Musicians.
Her Six Songs were reviewed in 1882
These Six Songs are a worthy contribution to the somewhat limited store of high-class vocal music by modern composer, for not only has Mrs. Bartholomew given an exquisite colouring to the words she has chosen, but the words are those which can only be fitly treated by a kindred artist. In No. 1 Shakespeare’s verses are set with a truly sympathetic feeling to a quaint subject in A minor, the modulations in the course of the song growing up naturally with the text, and the accompaniment forming so integral a portion of the composition as to demand something more than the average accompanist at the pianoforte.’ [...] No. 6, from the 'Percy Relics,’ effectively terminates a series of songs standing so completely apart from our fashionable works of the day as to make us believe that they must command the attention of all real artists."
Ann died in 1891 and left an enormous legacy as a musician and educator.
I first performed the Six Songs with the fabulous pianist Yoshie Kawamura at the Literary & Philosophical Society Recital Series in 2023.

The score can be found here https://vmirror.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/f/f1/IMSLP723081-PMLP1151613-D1477-27.pdf

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