Jane Sloman

(Boston Public Library)

Sloman was a child prodigy, distinguishing herself on piano from an early age under the tutelage of Louise Dulcken, Queen Victoria’s piano teacher. She made multiple appearances at the British royal court and played informally with the violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini and the gifted pianist Sigismond Thalberg. In 1839, she moved to the United States as one of the only female piano virtuosos in the country. Sloman gave piano lessons to a few students before she made her American concert debut.

Sloman’s debut was held at Niblo's Gardens in New York on 16 July 1841, when she was seventeen. She subsequently went on tour, performing in cities such as Philadelphia and Boston. As one of the first virtuosic female pianists to come to the United States, she was seen as a novelty. The Norton Grove Dictionary of Women Composers notes that “Her first concerts were accompanied by a biographical sketch, which established her as a child prodigy who was entirely self-taught in composition, yet also modest and of a "good character" appropriate for a Victorian professional woman.” Her performances were received well, with the press in Boston noting her tasteful and passionate interpretations of Helz, Döhler, Thalberg, and Liszt. She was among the first generation of professional women composers that emerged in the 1850s, including Augusta Browne, Marion Dix Sullivan, Faustina Hodges, and Susan Parkhurst. Her last known concert took place on February 18, 1850.

Selected works include: • Forget Thee? (Boston, 1843) • The Maiden’s Farewell (Boston, 1843) • Roll on, Silver Moon (New York, 1848) • I’ll Make Him Speak Out (New York, 1852) • Take Back the Ring (New York, 1860) • The Butterfly (New York, 1861) • So Far Away (New York, 1869) • Queen of the Night (Del Ciel Regina), 1v, pf (Boston, 1873) • Margery Drew • Titania (n.p., 1902) • Constancy (Boston, 1880) • Mon Amie; Bacarolle (Boston & Chicago, 1882) • Love’s Whisper (Boston, 1879) • Drifting Away (Boston, 1876) • Carina (Boston, 1878) • Star of the Morn (New York, 1873) • The Waiting Heart (Boston, 1882) • Milkmaid’s Song (New York, 1875) • Sing Bonny Robin (New York, 1876) • Waiting at the Brookside (New York, 1873) • Don’t Be Jealous (New York, 1975) • Unforgiven (New York, 1877) • The Zephyr (Boston, 1881)