Mary Sabilla Novello (née Hehl) (1789-1854)

Media credit University of Leeds

Mary Sabilla Novello née Hehl came from a German-Irish middle-class intellectual family. She married Vincent Novello on 17 August 1808 when was 20 and he was 27. They had 11 children (7 girls and 4 boys) and 7 survived into adulthood (5 daughters and 2 sons). She encouraged a sociable household and kept notebooks and journals of her thoughts and activities, which she encouraged in their children.

Mary and Vincent travelled to Europe in the summer of 1829. They intended to uncover unpublished music, conduct research for biography of Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart (which remained unrealised) and further the musical career of their daughter Clara Anastasia Novello, who became a noted singer with the most successful public profile of the family. They made visits to Mozart’s widow and sister, presenting the latter with 60 guineas raised by subscription. Both Vincent and Mary kept diaries of this trip, which were later published. Mary also travelled to Germany, Italy and Russia with Clara during the 1830s. Mary published stories anonymously and wrote about her views on politics and religion. Vincent sometimes set her words to music.

She made a Will on 20 September 1852 that superseded her husband’s Will of 1844. Their children Clara and Alfred were not intended to benefit as they had less financial need than their other siblings. She died from cholera in Nice on 25 July 1854.