A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Goddard, Arabella
GODDARD, Arabella, the most distinguished of English pianoforte-players, of an old Salisbury family, was born at S. Servans, St. Malo, Jan. 12, 1838, at the age of six was placed under Kalkbrenner in Paris, and afterwards had a few lessons from Mrs. Anderson and from Thalberg in England. She made her first appearance in public at the Grand National Concerts at Her Majesty's Theatre, of which Balfe was conductor, on Oct. 23, 1850, where her style and mechanism at once made a great impression. On Thalberg's recommendation, she was placed in the hands of Mr. J. W. Davison, who led her to the study of those great compositions, many of which she played in England for the first time. On April 14, 1853, she made her début, and at once fixed her position as a classical player, at the concert of the Quartet Association, in Beethoven's immense solo sonata in Bb, op. 106, a work which till that moment had probably not been performed in public in England, but which she played without book. The winter of 1854 and the whole of 55 were passed by Miss Goddard in Germany and Italy. She carried her classical répertoire with her; played inter alia at the Gewandhaus Concert Oct. 1855; and was received with enthusiasm by some of the best critics of Germany. Returning to this country, she made her first appearance at the Philharmonic on June 9, 1856, in Sterndale Bennett's Concerto in C minor (then in MS.); at the Crystal Palace (in Moscheles' Concerto in E) on March 13, 58, and at the Monday Popular Concerto on March 9, 59.
In 1857 and 58 Miss Goddard played in London all the last sonatas of Beethoven (from op. 101 to 111)—at that time almost absolute novelties to most of her hearers—as well as many other masterpieces by Clementi, Dussek, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and other masters, either solo or with accompaniment of stringed instruments, in addition to the usual classical Concertos, Trios, Sonatas, etc. In 1860 she married Mr. Davison, who, as already stated, was her real master and the former of her taste. In 1873 Madame Goddard left this country for a lengthened tour through America, Australia, and India, returning in the autumn of 76, and making her first reappearance in two recitals at St. James's Hall on Oct. 12 and 19.