Once again, we find ourselves at a Wikipedia stub page for a woman in music, for composer Jessie Furze. Though there’s a pretty sizeable collection of works listed, there’s not much in the way of biography. Jessie was once again a composer and pianist, and dedicated much of her career to writing educational music. But a quick look in the BNA lands us straight with Jessie in Norwood, for a while now I’ve been bumping up against the musical world of the London suburb – with Streatham not far behind. This is about as much intrigue as I need to lure me into finding more information out about these amazing women, so if you fancy a ride into newspaper lane, jump in.
Born in 1903, she first appears aged 13 taking her Associated Board Examinations (lower division, distinction) in the Norwood News. This newspaper is going to be very useful to us, and she appears multiple times in the following years in dance shows and music exhibitions. Aged about 19, she appears after the war playing piano solos ‘with marked success in technique’ (Norwood News). Another local newspaper, the Lewisham Borough News records she attended the girls’ school Sydenham High School, and was taught by an inspirational music teacher, Louise Smith.
Jessie studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music, and was awarded the Cuthbert Nunn Prize for composition in 1923. She must have also been studying piano, and was awarded the Alexander Roller prize for that instrument in the same year. (These awards were widely written about in theatrical and even regional newspapers far from London).
In 1924, Jessie publicly performed with the Club for Acts and Actors in one of their ‘At Homes’ (The Stage). She also began broadcasting on the precursors to BBC radio stations, and played on 11 occasions from 24-31. During this time she came back to play at her old secondary school, the Norwood News reporting that she ‘played solos in a brilliant style from the works of Rachmaninov, Grieg, Swinstead, York Bowen and Chopin’.
By 1927, she was receiving pupils at 89 South Croxted Road, Dulwich for ‘Pianoforte, Voice Production and Harmony’. In 1928 she performed a recital in Dulwich with local musicians, where her own music was performed as part of it. By 1929 she was publishing music for learners, including ‘Sea Breeze’, though she continued to give recitals, including one in Eastbourne.
By the early 1930s actually finding Jessie becomes difficult since so many of her pieces are now being played in children’s exams. She also becomes more involved with local societies, including the Penge and District Choral and Orchestral Society, with whom she played at Crystal Palace in 1931.
About this point coverage of her career seems to go very quiet, though she regularly renewed her copyright licenses for her compositions. The last appearance I can find is in 1960, where she plays at a concert for refugees in South Kensington. She died in 1984.
Because Jessie wrote music for learners, there are many clips available of children and young people playing her work on Youtube. She also edited a great deal of music for beginners, and many of these pieces are in the British Library catalogue and available through Goodmusic Publishers. She must have helped thousands of people to learn the piano, and her works are still being played.
Sarah Whitfield 