A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Weldon, Georgina
WELDON, Georgina, was born at Clapham, May 24, 1837. Her maiden name was Thomas, which was afterwards changed to Treherne. On April 21, 1860, she married Captain Weldon, of the 18th Hussars. For many years she was known in society as the possessor of a lovely voice, but she afterwards adopted music as a profession on charitable grounds, and made her first appearance in public in 1870. She undertook a tour in Wales with her pupil, Miss Gwendoline Jones, and became a member of Leslie's choir, in which she sang the solo in Mendelssohn's 'Hear my prayer,' on March 9, 1871. She afterwards sang at the Popular Concerts, the Crystal Palace, the Philharmonic, and elsewhere. In 1872 she took the solo soprano part in Gounod's 'Gallia' at Notre Dame, the Opéra Comique and the Conservatoire, Paris. Her romantic friendship with Gounod is well known. She assisted in training his choir in London, and established an orphanage at her residence, in order to give musical instruction to poor children, with objects and on principles which she has fully described in a letter to the 'Menestrel,' and with a zeal and energy rarely equalled. She also published songs by Gounod and other composers in aid of her orphanage, among which mention must be made of Clay's beautiful setting of 'The Sands o' Dee.' She has also composed songs translated from the French by herself, viz. 'Choses du Soir,' 'Le Chant du Passereau,' 'Le petit Garçon et le Nid du Rougegorge'; also 'The Brook' (poetry by Tennyson), etc. In 1879 she sang at Riviere's Promenade Concerts, with a female choir trained and directed by herself. This transaction gave rise to a protracted law-suit, which was matter of considerable notoriety. Her last professional engagement was at a popular music hall in 1884, where her selection of songs was of a higher order than its habitués are accustomed to hear. Other points in Mrs. Weldon's chequered career, not being connected with music, cannot be touched upon in this Dictionary.
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