Anderson, Lucy

PIANIST (ENGLAND)
BORN 12 Dec 1797, Bath, Somerset: Walcot St. Swithin - DIED 24 Dec 1878, London
BIRTH NAME Philpot, Lucy
GRAVE LOCATION London: Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Road, Kensal Green (122/PS (25789) cruciform gabled ledger, west of path, south of Eliza May)

Lucy Philpot was born in Bath as the daughter of John Philpot, a music seller, and Lucy Crouch. Her father originally gave her harp lessons. She suffered from weakness of eyesight, but her progress on the pianoforte were such that she received music lessons from a Mr. Windsor and then from William Crotch (1775-1847). After gaining recognition as a pianist in Bath she moved to London in 1818. In 1820 she married the violinist George Frederick Anderson.

In 1822 she was the first woman to appear at the concerts of the Philharmonic Society. She was appointed as pianist by Queen Adelaide in 1832 and by Queen Victoria in 1837. She was also piano teacher to Queen Victoria's children. Another pupil was Arabella Goddard (1836-1922). In 1837 she obtained exclusive rights for half a year from publisher Alfred Novello to perform Mendelssohn's "Piano Concerto No. 2" in England.

Lucy Anderson specialised in playing Beethoven's concerto's and in 1843 she was the soloist in Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy" with Ignaz Moscheles as the conductor. She continued her public career until 1862. She obtained an honorary membership from the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1869. She was painted by Richard James Lane (1800-1872) and the portrait is in the National Portrait Gallery in London. She died in 1878 in London.

Family
• Husband: Anderson, George Frederick (1820-1876)

Images

The grave of Lucy Anderson and George Frederick Anderson at Kensal Green Cemetery, Kensal Green, London.
Picture by Androom (18 Apr 2024)

 

The grave of Lucy Anderson and George Frederick Anderson at Kensal Green Cemetery, Kensal Green, London.
Picture by Androom (18 Apr 2024)

 

Sources
• Vivian-Neal, Henry & Alexander Bisset, Their Exits: Encore, The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery, London, 2020
Lucy Anderson - Wikipedia
Anderson - Wikisource, the free online library
Dictionary of National Biography - Wikisource, the free online library


Andreae, August Heinrich

Published: 29 Apr 2024
Last update: 29 Apr 2024