Recomposing Her History: the Memoirs and Diaries of Ethel Smyth

Abstract

The published memoirs and unpublished diaries of English composer, writer and feminist Ethel Smyth (1858–1944) can be seen as sites for dissent from public portrayals of her life and career. Smyth's prolific autobiographical writing, appearing across nine published volumes (1919–1940) produced a narrative of rebellion against the male culture of musical life from which she was excluded as a female composer. Her diaries (1918–1941) show a development from early private reflections on personal and emotional experiences to later documents which appear to be written with an audience in mind. I argue that the diaries come to present an important form of life writing for Smyth, painting a controlled portrait of her as creative entity. They further act as a historical record which might outlast her and provide an authoritative account of her life for future researchers. In combination, the memoirs and diaries can be seen as Smyth's project of dissent against the musical press's representation of her as a ‘lady composer’ rather than a ‘composer amongst composers’.