Smyth, Dame Ethel Mary [key], 1858–1944, English composer, studied at the Leipzig Conservatory. In addition to her many songs and chamber music she wrote operas, including The Wreckers (1906) and The Boatswain's Mate (1916), and a Mass in D (1893); she was the first woman to have an opera performed (1903) by New York's Metropolitan Opera. Smyth was also a dedicated suffragist. In 1922 she was made Dame of the British Empire. Her music faded from view after her death, but it experienced renewed interest in the 21st cent. Her autobiographical writings include Impressions That Remain (1919), Streaks of Life (1921), As Time Went On (1935), and What Happened Next (1940).
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