Pamela Blevins: Ivor Gurney/Marion Scott Expert
Author of New Biography of British Poet and Haydn Authority
Jan 12, 2009
Pamela Blevins was born in Everett, Massachusetts, on April 10,1945, and after graduating from the Braintree High School went right into the work force, taking office jobs. But the writing bug had already nipped, if not bitten her, and she began a career in journalism, starting as an apprentice writer and photographer at the Braintree Observer newspaper. As time went on she became an editor at the Observer, and other papers, including the Weymouth News, the South Shore News and the Rockford Standard. She later became a Public Relations advocate for real estate in Massachusetts, which also involved fund raising for political parties. This would stand her in good stead when she became editor of the Maud Powell Signature magazine many years later.
The Maud Powell Society
This organization was founded in 1986 by former federal mineral rights lawyer Karen Shaffer, whom Pamela met in 1991. Pam soon became involved in the workings of the Society and together they developed programs, slide presentations, concerts and worked on reissuing American violinist Maud Powell's recordings on CD for Naxos .Shaffer had also written the definitive biography of Powell in 1988 and together they created the Maud Powell Signature: Women in Music Magazine. Originally a printed music magazine it was put on line as a quarterly publication in 2008.
Ivor Gurney
Blevins became interested in Scott and Gurney after being introduced to their lives and works by the English composer Gerald Finzi's widow Joy. Starting her voluminous research in 1988, she began writing the book, Ivor Gurney and Marion Scott: Song of Pain and Beauty, and in November of 2008 it was published by Boydell Press. The first biography of Gurney in 30 years, it is more far-reaching than the biography by Michael Hurd because more information has come to light since his book was published.
Marion Scott
Blevins is the world authority on Marion Scott, a violinist, music critic and founder of The Society of Women Musicians, a visionary organization meant to bring women in the music field together and to support and supply opportunities for them to perform, compose and generally work together for the betterment of women musicians. Marion was an expert in the field of chamber music, and was also an internationally renowned authority on the Austrian composer Josef Haydn. She also wrote a metaphysical biography of Ludwig van Beethoven for the Music Masters Series in 1934.
Scott and Gurney had a close friendship but at one point in their relationship it is believed that she fell in love with him. However they just remained close friends. Gurney had a great need for Scott's support and help as he suffered from bipolar disease and at the time there was no known cure or medical help.
Scott was born in London, England in 1877 and died there in 1953. Gurney was born in 1890 and died in an asylum in London after having spent fifteen years there.
Recent Maud Powell Projects
Since 2007 Karen Shaffer has been directing the Maud Powell transcription project which entails the collection of all Powell's violin music for in sheet form for violinists everywhere. Blevins and Shaffer live in the mountains of North Carolina, and continue to publish and work with everything connected to Maud Powell. The book about Gurney and Scott has been a major opus in Pamela Blevins life and is beautifully written.
Source
Personal conversations with Pamela Blevins January 2009.
For further reading see Marion Scott
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