Davies, Fanny (1861–1934)

English pianist who was particularly known for her interpretation of Schumann. Born on June 27, 1861, in Guernsey, Channel Islands, England; died in London on September 1, 1934; studied with Karl Reinecke, Oscar Paul, and Clara Schumann.

One of the most celebrated of English pianists, Fanny Davies studied first with Karl Reinecke and Oscar Paul. From 1883 through 1885, she was tutored by Clara Schumann and is now considered to have been one of Schumann's most gifted and distinguished pupils. During the 1888 season, George Bernard Shaw attended a performance by Davies' which led him to remark that her playing was "full of speed, lilt, life, and energy. She scampered through a fugue of Bach's with a cleverness and jollity that forced us to condone her utter irreverence." The Beethoven Fourth Concerto was one of her specialties, and her Schumann playing was highly respected, particularly because it derived directly from the great tradition of Clara Schumann herself. Davies championed the classical works of Beethoven and Chopin as well as what were then new compositions by Brahms and British composers. In 1887, she and Adolf Brodsky gave the first performance of Ethel Smyth 's violin sonata in Leipzig. In the late 1920s, she made one of the first electrical recordings of Robert Schumann's concerto. She also played the then almost unknown Elizabethan composers. Davies excelled as a recital accompanist and also collaborated with world-class virtuosos like Pablo Casals. In 1921, she was the first musician to give a piano recital in Westminster Abbey; she also gave many recitals in the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and is believed to be the first woman to play piano in a church. Sir Edward Elgar dedicated his Concert Allegro Op. 46 to her. One of her students was Kathleen Dale .

John Haag , Athens, Georgia