Mary Cawse

Mary Giovanna Cawse Edmunds (14 December 1808 – 14 April 1850) was a British opera singer.

Life Mary Giovanna Cawse was born on 14 December 1808 at No. 13 King Street, Bloomsbury, London, the daughter of painter John Cawse. Her younger sister Harriet Catherine Fiddes was also an opera singer.

Mary and Harriet studied voice under Sir George Smart. Through Smart they came to the attention of Carl Maria von Weber,

A soprano, Mary Cawse made her opera debut at Covent Garden in 1826 in The Castle of Sorrento. Her significant appearances at Covent Garden include roles in Fra Diavolo, Weber's Der Freischütz, Robert the Devil, John of Paris, and Cinderella. Elsewhere, she appeared in The Swiss Family, Der Vampyr, and Cosi Fan Tutti. In 1829 an engraving was published showing her in The Waterman. She was playing the role of Wilhemina and Tom Tug was played by actor Joseph Wood.

Cawse married the Scottish tenor Edmund Edmunds. They had six children, including pianist Arthur Cawse Edmunds. She died of bronchitis on 14 April 1850 in Edinburgh. ''