Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Patey, Janet Monach

1074263Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 44 — Patey, Janet Monach1895Robin Humphrey Legge

PATEY, JANET MONACH (1842–1894), contralto singer, was born on 1 May 1842 in Holborn, London, where her father, a Scotsman named Whytock, was in business. She received her first instruction in singing from John Wass, and in 1860 made her first public appearance at Birmingham at a concert under the auspices of James Stimpson. She sang under the name of Ellen Andrews, and with much success, but was so overcome by nervousness that she lost her voice completely for six months afterwards. While under Wass's guidance she became a member of Leslie's choir. At one of his concerts she filled a vacancy caused by Mme. Sainton-Dolby's absence, and thus found an opportunity for distinguishing herself. The promise she exhibited was so marked that steps were taken immediately for furthering her musical education, and she became a pupil successively of Ciro Pinsuti and Mme. Sims Reeves. In 1865 she made her first concert tour, travelling through the provinces with Mme. Lemmens-Sherrington and others. In the following year she married John George Patey, an operatic and oratorio singer of considerable reputation, and sang as principal contralto at the Worcester festival with a conspicuous success, which was repeated at Birmingham in 1867, and at Norwich in 1869. Next year she stepped unopposed into the position of principal English contralto, left vacant by the retirement of Mme. Sainton-Dolby. In 1871 she visited America with a number of distinguished vocalists, and on her return appeared with unfailing regularity at all the provincial festivals, and at the principal metropolitan and other concerts, with ever-increasing success.

In 1875 she went to Paris, on the invitation of Lamoureux, the French musician, to take part in four performances on a grand scale of ‘The Messiah’ in French. There she received every mark of popular favour, and was engaged to sing at a conservatoire concert in the same year, when her performance of ‘O rest in the Lord’ was so impressive as to lead the authorities to engage her for a second concert. A medal, struck in commemoration of the event, was presented to the vocalist. In Paris Mme. Patey was favourably compared by the critics to the distinguished singer, Mme. Alboni, and among Italian musicians she was generally known as the English Alboni.

In 1890 Mme. Patey made a prolonged and triumphant tour in Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan, and other countries. On her return to England she contemplated retirement from public life. At the end of 1893 she began a farewell tour through the English provinces. During its course she appeared at Sheffield on 28 Feb. 1894; but the excitement of the enthusiastic reception accorded her brought on an attack of apoplexy, and she died in the concert-room. She was buried at Brompton cemetery on 3 March.

Mme. Patey's voice was a pure, sonorous and rich contralto, beautiful at its best in quality, and sufficiently extensive in compass to enable her to sing innumerable oratorio parts and ballads, in both of which she was for twenty-five years unrivalled.

[Mme. Patey's death called forth warm eulogies from the press, the Times, besides a memorial notice (1 March 1894), devoting a leading article (2 March) to the immediate cause of her death; and the other daily and weekly papers published memoirs. See also the American Art Journal, 17 March; Musical Courier, New York; Birmingham Weekly Post; private information.]

R. H. L.