Elizabeth Randles

Elizabeth Randles (1 August 1800 – 6 May 1829), also known as "Little Cambrian Prodigy", was a Welsh harpist and pianist. A child prodigy, she started playing the piano at the age of sixteen months, and performed in public for the first time before she was two years old. Randles was taught by her blind father who was organist at the Holywell parish church. She performed for local aristocracy, leading to a performance for King George III and his royal family when she was three and a half. Caroline, Princess of Wales, hoped to adopt her but her father did not allow it. She did, however, spend a few days at the Princess of Wales' summer home, often playing with Princess Charlotte of Wales. Randles went on to tour the country as a child, performing with John Parry. In 1808, she returned home and learned the harp. She went on to take lessons from Friedrich Kalkbrenner before moving to Liverpool and becoming a teacher.

Biography

Elizabeth Randles, also known as Bessy, was born on 1 August 1800 in Wrexham, north Wales. Her father, Edward Randles, the organist at the Holywell parish church of St. James, lost his sight at the age of three as a result of small pox. Perhaps due to his lack of sight, his parents placed him to be trained under the blind harpist John Parry, under whom he excelled. Elizabeth was the youngest of Edward's several children

At the age of sixteen months, Randles enjoyed pressing keys on the piano and attempting to "pick out a melody". One day, while Randles was ill, he noticed someone attempting to play Blue Bells of Scotland on the nearby piano. Assuming it was one of his older children, he requested they stopped and was surprised to find it was Randles who was playing. Due to her age, she needed to hit each key with the side of the hand. The recital was a success and the king presented Randles with 100 guineas (worth approximately £96,000 in 2014). The concert was held at Cumberland Gardens, with approximately 500 people "of first rank" attending. All profits of the breakfast, as well as donations by the attendees, were given to Randles in the form of various trusts. To ensure that she had sufficient funds for her education, Randles, her father, and Parry toured the rest of the United Kingdom between 1805 until 1808. In June 1808, she returned to London to perform at the Hanover Square Rooms, sponsored by the Prince of Wales and the Marchioness of Downshire. and returning each weekend to attend to her father until his death in 1823. in Liverpool. Her musical skill at such a young age left her known as the "Little Cambrian Prodigy".