Elizabeth Maconchy in Context
Published on 30. March 2026
Book
Hardback
394 pages
978-1-009-30711-6 (ISBN)
Description
Elizabeth Maconchy was one of the most prominent and successful composers of the twentieth century, a champion of contemporary music who composed chamber operas, choral music, orchestral works, a range of compositions and operas for children, and a highly-regarded series of string quartets. This collection explores her life and work, her Irishness and her formative years at the Royal College of Music. It examines her intersections with musical and cultural movements, and the persistent and insidious presence of sexism against which she presented a forceful, often humorous stance. There are chapters devoted to her important friendships with composers and teachers, interactions with broadcasters and festival organisers along with a focused section dedicated to the breadth and depth of Maconchy's compositions. The Irish-English composer is revealed a force to be reckoned with who frequently demonstrated a powerful instinct to thrive and survive, often against the odds.
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Content
List of figures; List of tables; Permissions and publications; Notes on contributors; Acknowledgements; List of bibliographic and in-text abbreviations; Editors' preface; Part I. Environments: 1. 'Difficult for a woman': the many twentieth-century contexts of Elizabeth Maconchy Justin Vickers and Lucy Walker; 2. Elizabeth Maconchy - personal recollections of my mother Anna Dunlop; 3. Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994): a chronology Philip Reed; 4. Ireland: revival and revolution Maria McHale; 5. 'Let us start with our own': Maconchy as Irish composer and the negotiation of national identity Laura Watson; 6. Teachers, colleagues, and friends: Maconchy's 'circle' and influential teachers while at the Royal College of Music Rhiannon Mathias; 7. Studying in Prague and Europe in the 1930s Meredith C. Graham; 8. Facing tuberculosis during the interwar years Michael Hutcheon, M.D.; 9. The Composers' Guild of Great Britain Joanna Bullivant; 10. Maconchy's predecessors Leah Broad; 11. A supportive sisterhood Lucy Walker; Part II. Intersections: 12. The Mercury Theatre Philip Reed; 13. Members only: Censorship and 'The Sofa' Lucy Walker; 14. 'I am writing to you on behalf of my string quartets': Elizabeth Maconchy and the BBC Carola Darwin; 15. Maconchy, Vaughan Williams, and British pastoralism Eric Saylor; 16. Irish and British music of the interwar era Thornton Miller; 17. Elizabeth Maconchy and Béla Bartók: in search of a 'modern style' Christa Brüstle; 18. Elizabeth Maconchy and European modernism Vicki P. Stroeher; 19. Gendered reception Katy Hamilton; 20. Elizabeth Maconchy and changing festival cultures Nicholas Clark; 21. Audiences and concertgoing Natasha Loges; Part III. Works and Legacy: 22. Elizabeth Maconchy's genres in context Guido Heldt; 23. 'Vital aspects of the complete composer': Elizabeth Maconchy's commissioned works, 1960-82 Hilary Seraph Donaldson; 24. Place and genre in Maconchy's choral music Meredith C. Graham; 25. Situating Maconchy's songs and poetic tastes among her contemporaries Natalie Burch; 26. Operatic transformations Daniele Sofer; 27. Elizabeth Maconchy's operas for children Justin Vickers; 28. Counterpoints and arguments in Maconchy's string quartets: developmental phases Rhiannon Mathias; 29. The orchestral music: theme(s) and variations on European modernism Jonathan Clinch; 30. Maconchy's chamber music Natasha Loges; 31. Feeling the fever: the archives of Elizabeth Maconchy Oliver Mahony; 32. Curating my mother's legacy: Elizabeth Maconchy since 1994 Nicola LeFanu; Coda: 33. 'We carry these legacies' Héloïse Werner; Further reading; Index.