Susan Spain-Dunk (1880 - 1962) England
- andreachamizoalber
- Sep 2
- 2 min read
British composer, conductor, violinist, violist, and pedagogue whose career, though under-recognized at the time, is currently being revived by musicians and researchers. She was born into a working-class family in England, the daughter of a master plumber and builder, and was the third of four children. Her given name, Spain-Dunk , stems from a familial connection to the Spain family, and she adopted it as part of her artistic identity.
We begin with the only work for which there is a score in IMSLP, her Phantasy Quartet.
She studied violin and composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied with Alfred Gibson, Stewart Macpherson, and Richard Walthew. She later returned to the same institution as a professor, teaching composition and harmony. As an instrumentalist, she played violin and viola in various ensembles, including Winifred Small's quartet and a private quartet organized by patron Walter Cobbett, who also provided guidance on music programs.
I now share with you Stonehenge, a symphonic poem.
Spain-Dunk not only distinguished herself as a composer but also as a conductor, something exceptional for a woman in her time. She conducted several of her own works with the British Women's Symphony Orchestra at the London Proms between 1924 and 1927, as well as in other cities such as Bournemouth, Folkestone, Eastbourne, and Torquay. She also showcased music by other female composers, such as Edith Swepstone's A Vision , demonstrating her commitment to the visibility of women in music.
Now I want you to listen to Lamento, for string orchestra.
Although many of her works remained in manuscript for decades, her music has begun to be rediscovered thanks to the work of clarinetist Peter Cigleris, who has edited and promoted part of her catalog. Thanks to this effort, several orchestral and chamber works have been performed and recorded by BBC orchestras, sparking renewed interest in a figure who was unfairly neglected during his lifetime.
And since clarinetist Peter Cigleris was mentioned here, I share Cantalena, for clarinet and orchestra, performed by him.
Today, Susan Spain-Dunk is seen as a notable composer within 20th-century British musical history, and her legacy is beginning to take its rightful place in contemporary settings and scholarship.
Finally I share with you Sonata in C minor for piano and violin.
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