Biography
The Birmingham Festival of 1840
At the Birmingham festival of September 1840, Maria appeared alongside Felix Mendelssohn, who conducted his Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise) on 23 September. A family-held letter written from Birmingham on 25 September thanks Maria for sending songs, admires her performances at the festival and praises her extraordinary musical talents. An accompanying folded cover is addressed to Miss Maria B. Hawes at 7 Adelphi Terrace.
The original contralto in Elijah, 1846
A signed and annotated original festival programme held by the Morgan Library lists Miss M. B. Hawes at the Birmingham premiere of Elijah on 26 August 1846. F. G. Edwards’s 1896 history identifies her as the original singer of O rest in the Lord. Maria’s own letter of 5 April 1861, preserved at Birmingham City Archives, recounts that Mendelssohn decided to retain the aria after hearing her sing it at a rehearsal at Moscheles’s home. This is a retrospective claim by Maria, corroborating her central involvement but not independently proving that every part of the aria was composed exclusively for her.
Mendelssohn’s 1847 letter
A second family-held letter, dated 28 April 1847 from 4 Hobart Place, thanks Maria for her kindness regarding his Elijah. Mendelssohn regrets leaving England on 6 or 7 May and hopes to see her before departing. The surviving signatures read Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. These manuscripts document a professional relationship spanning at least seven years; expert autograph verification remains outstanding.
Later life and family
Maria was a daughter of the musician William Hawes. She later became Maria Billington Merest following her 1847 marriage. Her career and family documents are being researched through contemporary programmes, letters and registers.
Original family records
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Further reading and sources
- Original 1846 festival programme (Morgan Library)
- History of Elijah by F. G. Edwards (1896)
- Maria’s 1861 recollection quoted in academic research
- Maria Billington Hawes biography
- FamilySearch person MC8L-73P — supplied research lead; identity and attached sources not yet verified
This is a research biography, not a fully verified pedigree. Original photographs, contemporary records, later copies, GEDCOM assertions and family recollections are distinguished where their evidential status is known. Details of living descendants are omitted.