Sara Flower

Sara's father was William Lewis Flower (c.1800-1847), who was recorded in the Essex Directory in 1823 as being a draper, grocer, and agent for Phoenix Fire & Life. In order to claim the status of gentleman, he later stated that he had 'no occupation' when his daughter was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music in 1841.[6]

Sara's uncle, Robert Flower (c.1779-1832), was a foreman of the local brickworks in 1824. As he was described as a yeoman in local parish records from 1817, he likely came from an earlier lineage of tenant farmers or small proprietors. This drop in social status likely came from changes brought about by the enclosure movement after the Napoleonic Wars.[7]

Her mother, Ruth Flower, was the daughter of local Grays publican Daniel Granger. Little is known about her, but she may have been the prototype for the mother of a fictional opera singer whose sad fate she prophetically foretells in Alice Diehl's first published novel, Garden of Eden.[8]

Sara's elder sister Elizabeth also became a public singer as a soprano. Both sisters developed a considerable concert career in the 1840s, performing often as a duo regionally and in London. They sang to much acclaim, and Sara especially was noted for her startling[9] voice. In 1847, Elizabeth married a prominent lawyer called Timms Augustine Sargood and withdrew from public life. At their home in London's Bloomsbury district (Gordon Square), she and her husband were the hosts of a musical circle in the 1860s, however. Guests included concert pianist Diehl, who Elizabeth recounted in two autobiographical works.

Sara and Elizabeth were frequently confused with Sarah Fuller Flower Adams and Eliza Flower, who were daughters of political writer Benjamin Flower and respectively acclaimed as a poet and composer in their own right. This confusion persisted throughout Sara's life and after her death.[10] No connection between the two families has been established, but there were notable similarities in economic, social, and regional backgrounds.

From late October 1841, Flower was trained at the Royal Academy of Music (R.A.M) under Domenico Crivelli (1794–1857). Domenico was educated by his father, singer Gaetano Crivelli (1774–1836),[11] in techniques of Italian castrati such as the exploitation of falsetto. This may account for Flower's protean ability to cross the entire range of the operatic singing voice. In Bellini's Norma, her range spread from the dramatic soprano of Norma to the mezzo of Analgias, in addition to the tenor role of Pollioni.

Flower first came to public notice within the Psalmody Movement[12] of the 1830s and 40s in London. The movement was associated with such names as Sarah Ann Glover, John Hullah and John Curwen. It had strong Independent, or Congregationalist non-conformist religious leanings, and a powerful utilitarian sociology. On 4 November 1839, the Musical World noted that Sara and her sister had both appeared at a lecture given at the Hoxton National School Room in inner North London by Charles Henry Purday (1799–1885), known for his theories on 'The Proper Object of Music'.[13]

Flower was believed to be connected with John Hullah's classes in London's Exeter Hall.[14] Flower was also believed to be associated with "Music for the Million", the singing school of Joseph Mainzer (1801–1851),[15] which had been modeled on the monitorial method of Guillaume Louis Bocquillon Wilhem [1781–1842] and his 'Orphéon' choral fests[16] for teaching often illiterate working people to sight-sing from notation sheets as a non-conformist socio-religious project to revitalize music education in the Anglican Church.[17]

Contrary to conjecture around deeper links to non-conformism and/or the Psalmody Movement, a post-1847 Flower family memorial plaque on the walls of the Grays parish church of St Peter and St Paul does not suggest any powerful non-conformist link, nor does her R.A.M. career under the dictatorial rule of its President, John Fane, Lord Burghersh (1784–1859).[18]

Around 4 November 1839 she assisted C. H. Purday in presenting a lecture titled "The Proper Object of Music" at the Hoxton National School Room, London. On 29 October 1841 she was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music, London as a student of singing.

Her operatic debut was on 7 January 1843 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, as the peasant Pippo, in Macready's concert version of Rossini's La gazza ladra, starring Sabilla Novello as Annette. She would reprise that role with full orchestra at the Princess's Theatre with Emma Albertazzi as Annette from 17 July the same year, having in that theatre from 17 April 1843 appeared in Rossini's Tancredi in the name role. She played Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, from 11 October 1843 with Paul Bedford as Dulcamara, and Rebecca Isaacs as Floretta. She made a few appearances on the concert stage, then left for Italy to further her studies.

On her return to London she made a series of appearances at the Princess's Theatre: as Bertha Edward Loder's Night Dancers, with Emma Albertazzi as Giselle from 28 October 1846, and Ernestine in George Rodwell's Seven Maids of Munich from 19 December 1846. Donizetti's Anna Bolena as Smeaton followed on 12 January 1847, starring Louisa Bassano in the name part, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream as Oberon from 23 April 1847, and as Donna Olympia in Loder's The Young Guard, starring Anna Thillon from 20 January 1848.

Flower took part in several concerts at the Surrey Zoological Gardens, Louis-Antoine Jullien's Concerts Monstre on 24 July 1848 and 28 September 1848.

Around this time she was a member of the corps musicale attending the ninth reunion of the General Theatrical Fund held at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate Street, chaired by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton and supported by Charles Dickens.[19]

She emigrated to Australia on the migrant ship Clifton, which left London on 14 November 1849.

Sara Flower, from an oil painting

Clifton, of 867 tons, E. W. Beasley, commander, from London the largest of three emigrant ships chartered by John Dunmore Lang, arrived in Port Phillip with some 200 emigrants, mostly from Evangelical Churches. Lang was one of the 20-odd named cabin passengers, and it must be assumed Flower travelled in steerage.[20]

Her first Australian performance was in Melbourne, at the Mechanics' Institute on 28 February 1850, for Reed. This was advertised as her only Melbourne appearance, as she was to continue to Sydney aboard Clifton, but was persuaded to appear again for Reed at the Queen's Theatre on 26 March[21] and proceed to Sydney aboard Asia. She was to join her brother,[22] believed to be George Flower (died 16 July 1890), manager of the Commercial Bank in Muswellbrook c. 1867–1890.[23] but whose earlier occupation has not been found. She arrived on 15 April 1850 and made her first Sydney appearance at the Victoria Theatre on 3 May 1850 for S. and H. Marsh.[24]

Sara Flower married Samuel Howard Taylor of Sydney on 20 December 1851. He turned to the stage in 1855 as Sam Howard, low comedian.[25]

She was the first Norma in Australia. Two characters in which she made a great impression were Azucena in Il trovatore and Maffio Orsini in Lucrezia Borgia.[26]

She suffered from rheumatism, and in her last years was unable even to take students. She died, destitute but proud, at her residence, 137 Victoria Street, Woolloomooloo on 20 August 1865[27] and her body was interred at the old Devonshire Street Cemetery on the following day; a single coach carried her mourners. Her remains were later transferred to the new cemetery at La Perouse, where a monument was placed on her grave be a group of enthusiasts.[28]