Lady Mary Alice Seymour | |
|---|---|
 Photo inA Woman of the Century | |
| Born | Mary Alice Ives October 21, 1837 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 12, 1897(1897-05-12) (aged 59) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting place | Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Pen name | Octavia Hensel |
| Occupation | musician, author, critic |
| Language | English |
| Subject | music |
| Spouse | , |
LadyMary Alice Seymour (née,Ives; after first marriage,Seymour; after second marriage,Fonda;pen andstage name,Octavia Hensel; October 21, 1837 – May 12, 1897) was a 19th-century American musician, author,elocutionist, and critic. She was referred to as "Octavia Hensel" in the music world, where she was an internationally knownmusic critic.[1] As a critic, Seymour was renowned. Her musical nature, her superior education, her thorough knowledge of the laws of theory and familiarity with the works of the great composers of the classic, romantic andWagnerian schools, and the later schools ofharmony, gave her a point of vantage above the ordinary.[2] She was one of the original staff writers on theMusical Courier, having been its correspondent fromVienna and other European centers.[3] Seymour played the piano, harp, guitar and organ, but never appeared on the stage, except for charitable events, as her relatives were opposed to her pursuing a professional life. A "confirmedbluestocking",[4] Seymour was also apolyglot who spoke seven languages fluently: German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Hungarian dialects.
Mary Alice Ives was born inBrooklyn, New York, October 21, 1837. She was descended from GeneralMichael Jackson, ofNewton, Massachusetts, who commanded a regiment ofminutemen in thebattle of Lexington. His son, Amasa Jackson, was the first president of the Union Bank of New York, in 1812. He was married to Mary Phelps, the only daughter and heiress ofOliver Phelps, ofBoston, who, withNathaniel Gorham purchased in the interior of New York State from theSeneca nation the tract of land now known as thePhelps and Gorham Purchase. Mary Charlotte Jackson, the grandmother of Mrs. Seymour, was married to Ralph Olmstead, of New York.[5]
Seymour's parents were Mary Phelps (Olmstead) Ives and George Russell Ives.[6] He was aPresbyterian minister fromVermont[5] and also aBrooklyn commission merchant.
Fonda had a pleasant childhood. Her parents were surrounded by literary people, and her early taste tended toward literature. InParis, she studied underLouis Moreau Gottschalk.[4]
In 1865, she married Rev. William Wood Seymour, anEpiscopal clergyman[3] at one time connected withTrinity Parish, New York.[2]
In 1868–70, in Vermont, notices appeared in the press regarding Seymour's dramatic readings and recitations as anelocutionist.[7][8][9]
Mr. Seymour died January 5, 1874,[10] and their only child, soon after.[4] Widowed, Seymour returned to her father's home from where she publishedLife and letters of Louis Moreau Gottschalk (Boston, 1870), rushed into print after Gottschalk's death the year before.[11] The father's loss of property during theAmerican Civil War and his feeble health led her to go to Europe for study to become a vocal teacher.[2]
While abroad, she studied in aCatholic convent and embracedCatholicism. She also studied under the best European teachers.[3] Her rare musical accomplishments won the commendation ofFranz Liszt,Arthur Rubinstein, and other masters. In 1878 She held the position of musical instructor and English governess to the young Countness ofAttems,[12][13] the Archdukes and Archduchesses, children of theArchduke of Austria,Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria, and his wife,Princess Marie Immaculate of Naples.[2][14][15][16] It was not long before the Empress conferred on her the title of Lady Alice Seymour.[3] She also corresponded for several journals, theHome Journal of New York, theSan Francisco Chronicle, and theSt. PaulPioneer Press ofMinnesota.[2]
After the death of her father, she received a sizeable inheritance,[4] and returned to her home in the U.S. After losing her fortune, she moved into a small apartment onSixth Avenue inManhattan where she gave piano lessons and developed a platonic relationship with Gottschalk.[4] She also taught music inPhiladelphia. In 1884, she brought out her papers on "The Rhinegold Trilogy" (Boston), which had been written inVienna under the supervision of Franz Liszt andRichard Wagner.[2]
After the death of her grandmother, in 1885, she opened a school of vocal music inNashville, Tennessee. Her books on the festivals of the church, known as the "Cedar Drove Series," were published in New York in 1886, and became standard. She removed toLouisville, Kentucky, in 1887.[2] In Louisville, Seymour heldsalons emulating those other women held in France. At the salon, she was referred to as Madam Octavia Hensel.[17]
In the summer of 1888, she married secondly Abraham G. Fonda, a descendant of the New York Fonda family, whose ancestor, Major Jelles Fonda, had purchased theMohawk Valley and from the Phelps and Gorham estate, where the town ofFonda, New York now stands.[2]
Her novel,Imperia (Buffalo, 1892), was a success.[2]
Fonda was prominent among theDaughters of the American Revolution and owned many rareAmerican Revolutionary War relics.[2]
She died at her home, "Fonda Vera", in Louisville, ofBright's disease, May 12, 1897,[3] and is buried in that city'sCave Hill Cemetery.[18] Her effects were auctioned off in a private sale. (Musical Courier 1897)
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Episcopal Church. Diocese of New York. Convention (1874).Journal of the ... Annual Convention, Diocese of New York (Public domain ed.). The Diocese. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Musical Courier (1897)."The Late "Octavia Hensel"".Musical Courier. Vol. 35 (Public domain ed.). Musical Courier. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Rothert, Otto Arthur (1921).The Story of a Poet: Madison Cawein: His Intimate Life as Revealed by His Letters and Other Hitherto Unpublished Material, Including Reminiscences by His Closest Associates; Also Articles from Newspapers and Magazines and a List of His Poems (Public domain ed.). J. P. Morton.ISBN 978-0-8369-5640-5.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Werner's Magazine Company (1897).Werner's Magazine: A Magazine of Expression. Vol. Public domain (19 ed.). Werner's Magazine Company. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893).A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Moulton. p. 294.
Works related toWoman of the Century/Mary Alice Fonda at Wikisource| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
