Stephens, Catherine

1794

1882

Born in London on 18 September 1794, Catherine Stephens was the daughter of Edward Stephens, a wood carver and gilder in Park Street, Grosvenor Square. She was placed under the singing tutor Gesualdo Lanza in 1807, and during her five years with him she sang in concerts in Bath, Bristol, Margate, Southampton and other places. In 1812 Thomas Welsh became her teacher, and on 23 September 1813 Catherine made her debut at Covent Garden as Mandane in "Artaxerxes" (G0773). She met with immediate success and was compared favourably to the divas Catalani and Billington. She next sang Polly in "The Beggar’s Opera" on 22 October and Clara in "The Duenna" on 12 November. In 1814 she appeared at the Concert of Antient Music and at the festivals in Norwich and Birmingham. As a principal performer at Covent Garden until 1822, Miss Stephens was seen and heard in a number of important roles with conspicuous success: among them were Mrs Cornflower in "The Farmer’s Wife", Ophelia to the Hamlets of J. P. Kemble and C. M. Young, Sylvia in "Cymon" and Hermia in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream". On 12 March 1818 she was the original Diana Vernon in "Rob Roy Macgregor" (G0774, G0775) and on 16 March 1819 she played Susanna in the first production of "The Marriage of Figaro" at Covent Garden. In 1822-23 she joined Elliston’s company at Drury Lane, appearing on 20 February 1824 as Mrs Ford in Reynolds’s operatic version of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (G0776). She returned to Covent Garden in 1827-28. She also earned a great reputation as a concert singer, featured in various concerts and festivals throughout the kingdom. She retired in 1835 and on 19 April 1838 she married George Capell Coningsby, fifth Earl of Essex. He was an octogenarian widower who died soon after, on 23 April 1839, and as the Countess of Essex she was able to live in comfort for another 43 years. She died at No 9, Belgrave Square on 22 February 1882 and was buried in Kensal Green. She was said to have ‘the sweetest soprano voice of her time’ and was reportedly unequalled as a ballad singer. Of her Polly and Mandane Leigh Hunt wrote, they ‘are like nothing else on the stage, and leave all competition far behind.’ In addition to her pictures in the Garrick Club, her portraits were painted by John Linnell and Sir William Newton; a portrait of her by John Jackson is in the National Portrait Gallery. One of her sisters made a debut as Polly in "The Beggar’s Opera" at Drury Lane on 29 November 1798 and appeared in other roles through 1801; she was judged an extremely fine singer, with a voice unequalled except by Mrs Bland. In 1806 she married the singer George Smith. Mrs Smith seems to have died in 1828, without achieving any of the lasting reputation enjoyed by her sister Catherine. See the BDA 14: 260-61. (DNB)