Jane Marian Joseph was an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 composer. She also used the pseudonym "James M. Joseph".

Biography

Jane Joseph was born in Notting Hill

Notting Hill

Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...

, West London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, into a Jewish family. She learned double bass

Double bass

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

 as a child, and also played piano. She graduated from St. Paul's Girls' School, and Girton College

Girton College, Cambridge

Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...

 at Cambridge University, and had composition lessons from Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst

Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....

, whom she assisted with transcriptions, arrangements and translations all her life.

After graduating, Joseph took a teaching position at Eothen School, Caterham, and played bass, horn and timpani in the Morley College

Morley College

Morley College is an adult education college in London, England. It was founded in the 1880s and has a student population of 10,806 adult students...

orchestra. She was active in directing pageants and festivals and became known for sacred music.

Works

A number of Joseph's works remained unpublished at her death. Selected published works include:

Choral:

• Three old carols for women's voices (unaccompanied): "The Three Kings", "Adam lay i-bounden", "Of one that is so fair"
• Seven two-part songs for sopranos with piano accompaniment: "The Ladybird", "Wind Flowers", "Boats and Bridges", "The Pig", "Hope and Joy", "The Rose", "Lullaby"
• Hymn for Whitsuntide, chorus (unaccompanied)
• Noel: Carol for voices in unison (piano accompaniment)
• Wassail Song and The Carrion Crow, women's voices (unaccompanied)
• Morley Rounds, Sets I and II
• Venite
• A little Childe there is ibore, chorus and orchestra.

Piano:

• Playing Time Duets
• Five Progressive Pieces
• Scrap Book
• Suite of Five Pieces: Minuet, Bourree, Sarabande, Air, Jig,
• Seven short pieces: Little Piece; Sonatina; Song without words; Court Dance, Legend, Cradle Song, Humoresque
• Bergamask
• Morris Dance

Orchestral:

• Bergamask
• Morris Dance