A couple of years ago, I produced a list of female brass soloists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Since then I have gradually been adding to it, and occasionally delving deeper into the lives of these remarkable people.
Beatrice Pettit started to perform at the age of 15, and her first appearance in public was in November 1888. She went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music, and became a soloist on cornet with a number of orchestras, bands and entertainment troupes over the years. She was also accomplished as a pianist and soprano vocalist. She was particularly associated with Rosabel Watson’s Æolian Ladies’ Orchestra, the English Ladies’ Orchestral Society, and Eleanor Clauson’s Ladies’ Pompadour Band.
For more details, see: Beatrice Pettit (1872-1922) – a cornet soloist who thrived in the nascent ladies’ orchestras of the late 19th century in Britain
