Dorothy Howell

Dorothy Gertrude Howell (born 25 February 1898, Birmingham; died 12 January 1982, Malvern) was an English composer and pianist.

Howell grew up in Handsworth, and received a convent education. At age 15, she began studies at the Royal Academy of Music, where her teachers included John McEwen and Tobias Matthay.

Howell achieved fame with her symphonic poem Lamia, which Sir Henry Wood premiered at The Proms on 10 September 1919. Wood directed Lamia again that same week, on 13 September 1919. He subsequently conducted Lamia again in the 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1930 and 1940 Proms seasons, but in subsequent years Lamia was neglected, until its revival in the 2010 season of The Proms. Howell dedicated Lamia on its 1921 publication to Wood. Among other compositions by Howell, Wood conducted Koong Shee in 1921, her Piano Concerto in 1923 and 1927 with the composer herself as pianist on both occasions, and The Rock in 1928. He was scheduled to conduct the first performance of Three Divertissements in 1940, but the concert was cancelled owing to The Blitz. Three Divertissements, Howell's last known orchestral work, did not receive its premiere until the 1950 Malvern Festival.

Howell won the Cobbett Prize in 1921 for her Phantasy for violin and piano. She received the nickname of the "English Strauss" in her lifetime. Wood attempted to recruit Howell to his conducting class at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in 1923, but she instead became a teacher at the RAM in 1924. During World War II, she served with the Women's Land Army. She retired from the RAM in 1970, and after her retirement, continued to teach students privately.

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