Career
After showing early promise as a singer in Edinburgh, she became a student of Sir George Smart, a prominent conductor and vocal instructor. She debuted at Covent Garden in Rossini"s Cinderella (14 December 1830) and also appeared in Spohr"s "Azor and Zemira" (1831), Meyerbeer"s "Robert le diable" (1832), and Rossini"s The Maid of Judah (1832), among other productions. In 1839 the Martyns premiered Beethoven"s Fidelio in America.
They later became music teachers in Newcastle.
She was a grandniece of the Scottish poet Robert Fergusson. An engraving (by John Henry Robinson) of her exists, from a portrait by Alfred Edward Chalon.
The portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1839. Another engraving was by William Sharp from a portrait by William Booth.
