Edith Penville

 

Penville was considered an excellent  flautist. She studied with D.S.Wood at the Royal Academy and often played her teacher’s Valse Caprice in her programmes. She was a successful concert artist in London and the provinces, appearing at the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts and touring with Tetrazzini. She also appeared as soloist in music halls early in her career.

 

Penville played a Rudall Carte cocuswood flute (No.6839) with silver keys, open G#, modern pitch, Rockstro model made by Schumacher in 1926.

 

She was a regular broadcaster for the BBC from about 1925 to 1940 playing more than 60 different solos in her programmes during that period. Broadcasting from London and Birmingham studios she was accompanied by Roland Revell(piano) who arranged and dedicated a number of works to her. Most of these she broadcast including -  La Baudoline(Couperin), Minuet(Handel), Boureé in B min(Bach), L’Egyptienne(Rameau), Air and Hornpipe(Purcell), Intermezzo(Schumann), plus two original pieces by Revell entitled Caprice and Enfin.

 

Her programmes were wide ranging, often including pieces by Kohler, Terschak, Doppler and Edward de Jong. Schwalbenflug(Kohler), Concert Study(Kohler), Le Babillard(Terschak), Nocturne(Doppler), Rondo a la Tarantelle(de Jong), and Rondo Capriccioso(de Jong) all received regular performances. A certain amount of French music seems to have been in her repertoire too. Serenade(Catherine), Variations on a theme of Mozart(Hahn), Allegro Scherzando(Gaubert), Les Ecureuils(Busser). Les Cygnes(Busser) and Petite Piece(Hué) were used in broadcasts and recitals.

 

However, her favourite composer appears to have been Joachim Andersen whose works were included in most recitals. Second Impromptu Op.55, Variations Drolatiques Op.26, Schmetherling, Fantasie Caractéristique Op.16, Variations on a Swedish Air, L’Attente Op.51 No.1, Second Concert Piece, and Reminiscences (Andersen/Doppler). Her 1930 recording of Andersen’s Fantasie Caractéristique shows more than a hint of French influenced tone and vibrato.

 

Penville rarely broadcast classical works apart from the Revell arrangements of Bach and Handel, although Bach’s Sonata No.3 and Quantz’s Arioso & Presto did have an airing during the period mentioned above.

 

Her early professional career included a performance with the Halifax Chamber Choir at their first concert in 1899 and a recital accompanied by R.J.Forbes on 21s November 1911, at McEwan Hall, Edinburgh, being the first concert in the Harrison Concert Series 1911-12. She gave a performance of Nellie Fulcher’s (RAM student) Cantabile and Scherzo at the opening ceremony of the Duke’s Hall, RAM, on June 22 1912.

In 1920, Penville was playing flute with O’Mara Opera Company and took part in a performance of Madam Butterfly on 31st May of that year at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh.

 

An interesting note appeared in the West Cumberland Times on Sat. April 11th 1931, announcing a radio broadcast for April 16 at 8.10 pm - “flute solos by Edith Penville who comes from a family of flautists”. Information on her family has not been found to date.

 

Edith Penville recorded for Beltona in 1926 and Columbia  between 1931 and 1934. There were also some recordings for Homochord. Air and Hornpipe was recorded on a 10” Columbia Vivatonal Record, (Cat. No.2684D) along with Andersen’s Fantasie Caractéristique.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Edith Penville’s Rudall Carte Flute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuart Scott, November 2007

 

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