Alice Verne-Bredt

Alice Verne-Bredt
Alice Verne-Bredt
	Alice Verne-Bredt around 1920.
Born	Alice Barbara Würm; 1864; Southampton
Died	1958; London
Nationality	English
Occupation	Pianist
Known for	Innovator of percussion bands for children in Great Britain.
Spouse	William Bredt
Relatives	Adela Verne (sister); Mathilde Verne (sister); Mary Wurm (sister); John Vallier (nephew)

Alice Barbara Verne-Bredt (née Würm; 1864–1958) was an English piano teacher, violinist and composer.^[1] Three of her sisters were also noted pianists: Adela Verne, Mathilde Verne and Mary Würm (who returned to Germany and retained the original family name).

Life and career

The sixth of ten children,^[1] she was born as Alice Barbara Würm in Southampton to Bavarian professional musicians who emigrated to England in the 1850s.^[2] Her father, a music teacher who specialised in zither, violin, and piano, worked as an organist.^[3] Her mother was a violinist who taught her the violin from a very early age.^[4] Later in her childhood she moved to London, where she lived all her life,^[4] and there was taught piano by Robert and Clara Schuman's daughter, Marie.^[5]

Alice wanted to become a singer, but typhoid fever affected her voice.^[1] In 1893, her family anglicized their surname from Würm to Verne,^[2] and Alice married William Bredt, an amateur musician and conductor. Both greatly contributed to the success of the piano school set up in London by her sister Mathilde in 1909.^[1] During the same period she also established The Twelve O'Clock Concerts, a successful concert series for chamber music at the Aeolian Hall in London, where some of her own chamber music was performed.^[3]

Alice took over the school's junior department, where Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, had a wedding march written especially for her.^[2] There she became a pioneer of children's music education and an innovator in the use of percussion bands for that purpose. She died in London in 1958.^[2]

Selected works

Few of her works were published. Perhaps the best known is the Phantasie Trio of 1908 for piano, violin and cello, which won a supplementary prize in the annual Cobbett chamber music competition, inaugurated two years before.^[6] It was recorded in 2005 by the Summerhayes Piano Trio.^[7]

Chamber music

Cello Sonata
Phantasie Piano Trio (1908) – performed at the Aeolian and Bechstein Halls on 25 January 1912.^[8]
Phantasie Piano Quartet (1908) (unpublished)
Phantasie Piano Quintet (no date, unpublished)
Piano Trio, No. 2
Piano Trio, No. 3
Wiegenlied (lullaby) for violin and piano (1911)^[9]

Piano music

Arrangement of Pavane: from King Henry VIII's Pavyn (1924)^[10]
Four easy inventions for young pianists (1920)^[11]
- Musical box
- The little drum
- Concert study
- The doll's promenade
Polacca (Polka) for piano and orchestra (also for string accompaniment)^[12]
Valse (1913)^[13]
Valse Miniature for two pianos (1913)^[14]