L’Escarpolette

Although during her lifetime Ethel Barns was a well-known violinist, pianist and composer, her work is hardly known today. Barns was born in London on 5.12.1873; she died in Maidenhead, near London on 31.12.1948. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London at a time when increasing numbers of women were playing in concerts in the capital, but an orchestral post was still out of the question for a female violinist. Having completed her studies in Violin, Piano and Composition, Barns was appointed to teach at the Royal Academy; she also performed in concerts as a soloist and chamber musician. Together with her husband, baritone Charles Phillips, she founded the ‘Barns-Phillips Chamber Concert Series’, in which several of her compositions were presented to a wider audience. Many of her compositions are short, sometimes dazzling pieces (then in vogue) for violin, piano or voice. Barns, however, also wrote works on a larger scale, including Five Sonatas for Violin and Piano, two Violin Concertos and chamber compositions. Many of her works were originally published by Schott. L’Escarpolette, originally for violin and piano, was very popular and soon appeared in various settings including an arrangement for cello and piano published in 1910 as plate number 28762.