Elizabeth Young (contralto)
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Young was an English contralto
and actress. She was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers
and organist
s during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
. She was the middle child of three daughters and her older sister Isabella
was a successful mezzo-soprano
and her younger sister Polly
was a celebrated soprano
, composer
and keyboard
player. Both her grandfather, Charles Young, and her great uncle, Anthony Young were notable organists and composers. She also had three famous aunts who were all notable singers. Her Aunt Cecilia
(1712–1789), was one of the greatest English sopranos of the eighteenth century and the wife of composer Thomas Arne. Her Aunt Isabella
was also a successful soprano and the wife of composer John Frederick Lampe
and her Aunt Esther
was a well known contralto
and wife to Charles Jones, a successful music publisher in England during the eighteenth century.
In 1755 Elizabeth traveled to Dublin with Uncle Thomas and Aunt Cecilia Arne to sing the role of Grideline in Thomas's opera
Rosamond at the Smock Alley Theatre. The trip proved to be somewhat ill-fated as Thomas and Cecilia's marital difficulties came to a head on this trip, with the end result being that Thomas left his wife. Elizabeth did not stick to blood lines and decided to return to England with her uncle in 1756. The following December she appeared as a shepherdess in her uncle's opera Eliza.
In 1758, Elizabeth Young joined the company of players at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
where she first appeared as Lucy in The Beggar's Opera
. The performance was deceptively billed as "her first appearance on any stage", probably for marketing reasons. She sang regularly at Drury Lane
until 1772 and in some seasons at Finch’s Grotto, a pleasure garden in South London. Her lower voice meant she was often given breeches role
s or older women’s parts. Most notably, she created the role of Agenor in the world premiere of George Rush’s The Royal Shepherd (1764) and portrayed Ursula in the world premiere of Charles Dibdin
’s The Padlock (1768). She married the violinist Ridley Dorman in 1762.
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
and actress. She was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
s during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Biography
Elizabeth Young was born in the 1730s. Her father, Charles Young, was a clerk at the TreasuryHM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
. She was the middle child of three daughters and her older sister Isabella
Isabella Young
Isabella Young was an English mezzo-soprano and organist who had a successful career as a concert performer and opera singer during the latter half of the eighteenth century...
was a successful mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
and her younger sister Polly
Polly Young
Polly Young was an English soprano, composer and keyboard player. She was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists during the 17th and 18th centuries...
was a celebrated soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
player. Both her grandfather, Charles Young, and her great uncle, Anthony Young were notable organists and composers. She also had three famous aunts who were all notable singers. Her Aunt Cecilia
Cecilia Young
Cecilia Young was one of the greatest English sopranos of the eighteenth century, the wife of composer Thomas Arne, and the mother of composer Michael Arne...
(1712–1789), was one of the greatest English sopranos of the eighteenth century and the wife of composer Thomas Arne. Her Aunt Isabella
Isabella Lampe
Isabella Lampe was an English operatic soprano and the wife of composer John Frederick Lampe...
was also a successful soprano and the wife of composer John Frederick Lampe
John Frederick Lampe
John Frederick Lampe was a musician.He was born in Saxony, but came to England in 1724 and played the bassoon in opera houses. His wife, Isabella Lampe, was sister-in-law to the composer Thomas Arne with whom Lampe collaborated on a number of concert seasons...
and her Aunt Esther
Esther Young
Esther Young was an English operatic contralto and the wife of music publisher Charles Jones...
was a well known contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
and wife to Charles Jones, a successful music publisher in England during the eighteenth century.
In 1755 Elizabeth traveled to Dublin with Uncle Thomas and Aunt Cecilia Arne to sing the role of Grideline in Thomas's opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Rosamond at the Smock Alley Theatre. The trip proved to be somewhat ill-fated as Thomas and Cecilia's marital difficulties came to a head on this trip, with the end result being that Thomas left his wife. Elizabeth did not stick to blood lines and decided to return to England with her uncle in 1756. The following December she appeared as a shepherdess in her uncle's opera Eliza.
In 1758, Elizabeth Young joined the company of players at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
where she first appeared as Lucy in The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
. The performance was deceptively billed as "her first appearance on any stage", probably for marketing reasons. She sang regularly at Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
until 1772 and in some seasons at Finch’s Grotto, a pleasure garden in South London. Her lower voice meant she was often given breeches role
Breeches role
A breeches role is a role in which an actress appears in male clothing .In opera it also refers to any male character that is sung and acted by a female singer...
s or older women’s parts. Most notably, she created the role of Agenor in the world premiere of George Rush’s The Royal Shepherd (1764) and portrayed Ursula in the world premiere of Charles Dibdin
Charles Dibdin
Charles Dibdin was a British musician, dramatist, novelist, actor and songwriter. The son of a parish clerk, he was born in Southampton on or before 4 March 1745, and was the youngest of a family of 18....
’s The Padlock (1768). She married the violinist Ridley Dorman in 1762.