Harriet Wainwright

Harriet Wainwright Stewart (c. 1766–1843) was a British composer, singer, and writer. A musical entrepreneur, she developed a subscription list of several hundred people and sold at least two of her compositions (Comala and Seringapatam) to subscribers. Early years Wainwright’s father was Liverpool musician Robert Wainwright. Her teachers included Dr. Richard Woodward, organist of Christ Church, Dublin, and John Worgan, a London organist known for his performances at Vauxhall Gardens. She moved to London in the 1780s, where she socialized with music historian Charles Burney, who commented that he knew of no female contrapuntist in Europe who could surpass Wainwright. Wainwright’s opera Comala was performed at Hanover Square in London on 26 January 1792. Sophia Corri and James Bartleman sang the leads. Six boys from the choir at Westminster Abbey were the chorus, coached by the Abbey organist Dr. Benjamin Cooke. Composers Ignaz Pleyel and Joseph Haydn attended the performance and praised the opera. She continued to publish her compositions under the name “Wainwright.” Comala was performed in India with Wainwright singing the main role. Richard, Marquis of Wellesley, Governor of Indi