"Tommy Grand" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Arthur Ness wrote: > >> We have been able to trace the heirs of Madame Robert Sidney-Pratten down >> to >> the present. > > Funny Arthur, I never knew the last name was hyphenated. I've done a > lot of research on Madame Pratten. Who knows how much I've missed but > looking in the wrong area of the index? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Dear Tommy,
According to the Pratten family genealogist, the hyphen between Sidney and Pratten is optional, but may have some legal implications. It is used in an authoratative dictionary, Josef Zuth, _*Handbuch der Laute und Gitarre*_ (Vienna 1926-28; Rpt. Hildesheim and New York: Olms Verlag, 1978). Zuth studied at the University of Vienna with the legendary Guido Adler, and with the leading lute and guitar scholar of the time, Adolf Koczirz, who guided his published doctoral dissertation, _*Simon Molitor und die Wiener Gitaristik (um 1800)*_ (Vienna, Anton Goll Verlag, 1920). As a professional lexicographer and musical journalist, Zuth may have found the hyphen appropriate since Sidney Pratten is a dual last name. Or he may have picked up the usage from Madame Sidney Pratten's _*Reminiscences*_ (Bournemouth, 1899), ed. Alfred Mott Harrison. Or from her "Memoirs." I've seen neither. Have you? Usually the spelling in a dictionary like Zuth's would become "standard," as in library Name Authority files. But in this case, it didn't seem to catch on. With the hyphen, there is no need for a cross reference. (I spotted a few sheet music titlepages using the hyphen, when I looked through the Sidney-Pratten family's musical output, which is considerable.) In your research have you consulted the _*Reminiscences*_ or her "Memoirs"? We have a better known example with Peter Maxwell Davies, whose name is sometimes listed under M and sometimes under D. In the Library of Congress Name Authority files, the standard form of his name (under which all his works are listed) is "DAVIES, Peter Maxwell," with the cross reference "MAXWELL DAVIES, Peter, _*see*_ DAVIES, Peter Maxwell." In some libraries (e.g., one of the German the union catalogues) all of his works are collected under the heading "MAXWELL DAVIES, Peter," with a cross reference from DAVIES to MAXWELL. I noticed the Italian National Union Catalogue and the Bibliotheque nationale (France) use both names as headings, listing some works under "DAVIES," and others under "MAXWELL."<ouch!> In those a catalogues you have to look twice--IF you know you have to look twice.<shudder> The printed Guitar Solo Productions catalogue (2002) lists his guitar works under "Maxwell Davies, Peter" with NO cross reference, so persons consulting that catalogue and looking under "Davies," will think none of his substantial guitar music is available. And most would look first under "Davies." Wonder how many sales thay missed with that blooper? Because she is so frequently called simply "Madame Sidney Pratten," many have mistakenly thought that she was married with someone whose first name was "Sidney" or "Sydney" (as Matanya Ophee insisted in a stormy thread on one of the other guitar lists). She was a guitar teacher to the royal fasmily, and perhaps some of her renown resulted from her use of a famous family name, Sidney-Pratten, or Sidney Pratten. The usage of the hyphen seems so important to Matanya Ophee, because without it he can claim she married someone named Sydney.<sigh> He just can't get over the thought of her having not married Sydney. You'd think the Madame had jilted Matanya.<g> See her picture on the ophee link below. The evidence is overwhelming that she was married with ROBERT SIDNEY PRATTEN (1824-1868), not with someone called Sydney. He was the foremost flutist of the day, a former child prodigy, internationally touring virtuoso, composer of well over 100 opuses of flute music, and the inventor of improved flute key mechanisms. His father and grandfather were professional flutists. Thus, he was a member of a dynastic family of British musicians who distinguished themselves from other Pratten family members by use of a dual last name, "Sidney Pratten". The first, Robert's grandfather, was STEPHAN PRATTEN (1799-1847), a flutist in the Bristol Theatre, and teacher of flute, singing, Spanish guitar, piano, etc. His wife's maiden name was SIDNEY. Their son is the first MUSICAL Prattens with the name SIDNEY, another flutist LEONARD SIDNEY PRATTEN (1847-1899). In a sense Sidney Pratten is a kind of trade mark name. Next is Leonard's son and Robert's brother WILLIAM SIDNEY PRATTEN (1820-1882), an organist and prolific composer of songs (hundreds were published). Another brother, FREDERICK SIDNEY PRATTEN (1822-1873) was a contrabass player in Royal Opera orchestra in London, and a lesser composer. Leonard's brothers were MATTHEW SIDNEY PRATTEN (b. 1824) and WILLIAM SIDNEY PRATTEN (II) (horn???). Further records (e.g., in the 20th century) are unavailable to me. But Robert and Catherine had no issue. Robert is mentioned prominently in Richard Rockstro's huge treatise on the flute (1889; 2nd ed 1928; rpt 1967). Rockstro acknowledges that much of the biographical information had been provided by ROBERT'S WIDOW, Madame Sidney Pratten. After her husband's death in 1868, she started using the name Catherina Josepha Pratten. And that is the name used in the British Library name authoruty files. Here's a picture of Robert Sidney Pratten (his improved flute in hand) and there's Rockstro, muttering, "And there I stood with my piccolo." http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/displayPhoto.pl?path=/service/music/dcmphot/a000&topImages=a0409r.jpg&topLinks=a0409v.jpg,a0409u.tif&displayProfile=0&dir=ammem&itemLink=r?ammem/dcm:@field([EMAIL PROTECTED](dcm001705)) Rockstro also mentions some 40 of Sidney-Pratten's works for flute (operatic fantasias, potpourris and variations sets, for the most part), which numbered well over 100 opuses. (Matanya claims this is false.<g> Because the "flute specialists" at Ohio State University can't find any of his music. (Like Matanya, they just don't know where to look.<g>) See: http://www.orphee.com/RMCG/pratten.html (Ophee is not being truthful when he claims all her music is attributed to "Madame Sidney Pratten." He OWNS a print with attribution to "Madame R. Sidney Pratten," and often one finds the attribution to "Madame Robert Sidney Pratten". Thus Matanya's attempt to deny Robert's marriage cannot be sustained; the evidence is in HIS OWN LIBRARY!) So, it is a dual last name, just like Peter Maxwell Davies. It is likewise best to look for members of the family under S as well as P, although P usually works. If you go poking around in archives, old books and dictionaries, address books, auction catalogues, etc., it is essential to look under BOTH names. We have been looking for that manuscript treatise by Fernando Sor that she owned. It may have passed down through her heirs. So it is important to look at wills. Yes, look at wills. HER WILL IS INDEXED IN THE LONDON RECORDS OFFICE UNDER _***SIDNEY***_ That's the point of all this. Hope this clears up the confusion, Tommy. --Arthur To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
