Susan C. Domett (1826-1911) was a British composer active in the 1840s. She published works for piano, including Souvenir de Cheltenham, a set of four waltzes. Reviews of her piano works published in 1846 mention that she is a young composer of great promise. She would have been 20 at the time. The Two Original Polkas presented here are her only known guitar works. They are dedicated to her student, the Countess Fanny de Persano. Of her Souvenir it was written “Simplicity and neatness are the characteristics” and this is an apt description of these light and lively polkas. (The Musical World, 22(1847):757) While the pieces are musically uncomplicated, they would have offered some technical challenges for amateur players. Domett later became a portrait painter.
Emma Rush is “widely regarded as one of Canada’s premier classical guitarists” (Vivascene Magazine) with a vibrant career as a performer, educator, and independent researcher. She has performed worldwide with stops in China, Sweden, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and throughout North America. In demand as a guest lecturer and presenter, Rush is passionate about sharing the lives and music of overlooked composers of the 19th century.
