WYNNE, SARAH EDITH ('Eos Cymru '; 1842 - 1897), vocalist

Born 11 March 1842 in Panton Place, Holywell, Flintshire, the daughter of Robert and Harriet Wynne - (her name in the baptismal register is given as Sarah Wynne). She showed a special talent as a singer when a child - she was only 9 when she joined the Holywell choral society. When she was 12 she went on a concert tour to various parts of Wales with a Mr. Hulse, Bangor, her special contribution to the concerts being the singing of Welsh airs. She went to Liverpool at 14 to receive lessons in music from a Mr. Scarisbrook, staying there five years. Her first appearance in London as a soprano was in June 1862, in one of the annual concerts organised by Ellis Roberts (Eos Meirion). In July of the same year she took part in two concerts arranged by John Thomas (Pencerdd Gwalia), the first in the S. James's Hall, the other in the Crystal Palace. She now settled in London and was soon to become one of the best vocalists in the country. In 1862 she sang in the national eisteddfod held at Caernarvon. She toured during 1863-5 with Madam Patti, Santley, and Edward Lloyd, and for eight weeks in 1864 she took the part of ' lady Mortimer ' in Shakespeare's Henry IV at Drury Lane Theatre. She had a successful American tour in 1871. She took courses in Italy (Florence, etc), under Romani and Vancini. She took part in the Crystal Palace and the Three Choirs festivals, and in many of the most important concerts given in the United Kingdom. In 1874 the London Welsh Choral Union presented to her a bronze bust of herself made by Joseph Edwards. Llew Wynne, secretary of the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union, was a brother, and Kate Wynne-Mattieson, vocalist, was a sister. Her last appearance was in 1874, in S. James's Hall. In 1875 she married an Armenian barrister-at-law, Aviet Agabeg. She died 24 January 1897, and was buried in Hampstead cemetery.

Author

• Robert David Griffith, (1877 - 1958)

Sources

• Y Cerddor, April 1897 and May 1912
• Notable Welsh Musicians (1896)
• T. R. Roberts, Eminent Welshmen: a short biographical dictionary of Welshmen... from the earliest times to the present (1908) (under 'Wynne, Edith')
• Y Geninen, 1897, 137, 195, 271
• British Musical Biography: a dictionary of musical artists, authors and composers, born in Britain and its colonies (Birmingham 1897) (Brown and Stratton)

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Sarah Edith Wynne

Images

• Madame Edith Wynne

Additional Links

• NLW Archives: Dr J. Lloyd Williams Music MSS and Papers MT4/5: Photographs of Joseph Parry, Edith Wynne and three unidentified individuals
• VIAF: 51353562
• Wikidata: Q7422270

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/