Margaret Kennedy (singer)
Margaret Kennedy | |
|---|---|
_as_Macheath_in_The_Beggar%27s_Opera_1777.jpg) Kennedy as Captain Macheath in the 1777 London production of The Beggar's Opera | |
| Born | Margaret Doyle Ireland |
| Died | 23 January 1793 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | Margaret Farrell |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1776–1790 |
Margaret Kennedy (born Margaret Doyle;[1] died 23 January 1793) was an Irish contralto singer and actress. She was best known for her performances in male roles, especially in the operas of Thomas Arne.[2]
Early career (1776–1779)
Kennedy was married to a Mr. Farrell sometime before she made her singing debut and in her early career appeared under the name 'Mrs Farrell". She was discovered by Thomas Arne while performing as a singer at an inn in St Giles, London. She studied under Arne and made her debut on 6 December 1776 at the Royal Opera House in his opera Caractacus. Her performances were praised by The Morning Post. She played many breeches roles, including a role in Artaxerxes on 25 January 1777, Belford in Love Finds the Way, Colin in Rose and Colin, and most notably Captain Macheath in The Beggar's Opera where in 1777 she was the first person to sing "A-Hunting We Will Go", a song written by Arne for that performance.[3] Her debut performance in The Beggar's Opera was greeted by protests because a woman was playing the role of a lead character. Her second husband was the London physician Morgan Hugh Kennedy whom she married on 24 January 1779.[1][2]
Mid-career (1779–1789)
After 1779, Kennedy performed as Young Meadows in Love in a Village and Don Carlos in Duena. She completed her career at Covent Garden. While there, she performed in over ten roles, including The Castle of Andalusia, Rosina, The Poor Soldier, Robin Hood, Fontainebleau, Omai, Tom Thumb, and others. She continued to play male roles. Kennedy also sang at concerts in Vauxhall Gardens, in the Drury Lane oratorios (1778–84), and in the Handel commemorations of 1784, 1786, and 1791.[2]
Later life (1790s–death)
Kennedy died at Bayswater House on January 23, 1793.[2]
References
- ^ a b Greene, John C. (2011). Theatre in Dublin, 1745–1820, p. 1864. Lehigh University Press
- ^ a b c d
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Kennedy, Mrs.". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- ^ Boucé, Paul-Gabriel (ed.) (1982). Sexuality in Eighteenth-century Britain, p. 250. Manchester University Press
