Biography
Sophia Dussek composed and performed solo and chamber works for harp and piano as an English musician. She belonged to London’s most distinguished musical circles and appeared alongside Joseph Haydn on numerous occasions.
Born in Edinburgh in 1775 into a musical Italian family, she received her earliest instruction in voice and piano from her father, Domenico Corri, who worked as a composer, vocal instructor, and concert organizer at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The family relocated to London in 1788, after which she studied singing with Luigi Marchesi and Giovanni Cimador. In 1791 she made her debut at the Solomon Concerts, where Joseph Haydn provided harpsichord accompaniment.
She soon established herself as a leading London performer, taking part in significant premieres such as Haydn’s The Storm and Harriet Wainwright’s Comala. She also served as soloist for the city’s first presentation of Mozart’s Requiem in 1801. During those early London years she collaborated with Jan Ladislav Dussek, whom she married in 1792. Marital difficulties arose by 1796, and each partner formed other romantic attachments. At one point Sophia attempted to leave with her possessions packed inside her harp case, yet the couple reconciled and stayed together. Around 1799 the publishing firm run jointly by Jan and Domenico Corri collapsed. Corri was imprisoned, Jan escaped to Germany, and he never returned to his wife or child.
Sophia remained in London and earned her living through performance and composition. Following Jan’s death in 1812, she and her daughter Olivia settled in Paddington, where she opened a piano school and wed the violist John Alvis Moralt. She trained Olivia, who grew into a noted performer, composer, and teacher herself. During the 1820s Dussek issued Introduction and March, Variations on God Save the King, and additional works and transcriptions for piano and harp. Her school prospered, and she continued to work as a musician and educator until her death in 1847. Several artists, among them Masumi Nagasawa, Floraleda Sacchi, and Kyunghee Kime-Sutre, recorded her music in the 2010s.
Born in Edinburgh in 1775 into a musical Italian family, she received her earliest instruction in voice and piano from her father, Domenico Corri, who worked as a composer, vocal instructor, and concert organizer at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The family relocated to London in 1788, after which she studied singing with Luigi Marchesi and Giovanni Cimador. In 1791 she made her debut at the Solomon Concerts, where Joseph Haydn provided harpsichord accompaniment.
She soon established herself as a leading London performer, taking part in significant premieres such as Haydn’s The Storm and Harriet Wainwright’s Comala. She also served as soloist for the city’s first presentation of Mozart’s Requiem in 1801. During those early London years she collaborated with Jan Ladislav Dussek, whom she married in 1792. Marital difficulties arose by 1796, and each partner formed other romantic attachments. At one point Sophia attempted to leave with her possessions packed inside her harp case, yet the couple reconciled and stayed together. Around 1799 the publishing firm run jointly by Jan and Domenico Corri collapsed. Corri was imprisoned, Jan escaped to Germany, and he never returned to his wife or child.
Sophia remained in London and earned her living through performance and composition. Following Jan’s death in 1812, she and her daughter Olivia settled in Paddington, where she opened a piano school and wed the violist John Alvis Moralt. She trained Olivia, who grew into a noted performer, composer, and teacher herself. During the 1820s Dussek issued Introduction and March, Variations on God Save the King, and additional works and transcriptions for piano and harp. Her school prospered, and she continued to work as a musician and educator until her death in 1847. Several artists, among them Masumi Nagasawa, Floraleda Sacchi, and Kyunghee Kime-Sutre, recorded her music in the 2010s.