Edwards

Edwards, known after her marriage as Mrs Mozeen, was an English soprano and actress active in London from about 1737 to 1753. Her Christian name is not known with certainty, which makes it difficult to reconstruct her life in full. She was a pupil or protégée of Kitty Clive, and her career was tied above all to the Drury Lane Theatre.

She made her debut as a child in a Drury Lane pantomime in 1737 and remained associated with that stage until 1748. Between 1740 and 1741 she worked with Handel at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where she created the roles of Clomiris in Imeneo and Achilles in Deidamia, and sang in revivals of L'Allegro, il Penseroso, Acis and Galatea and Saul. In 1743, at Covent Garden, she took part in the premiere of Samson and was the first in London to perform the aria 'I know that my Redeemer liveth' from Messiah. The parts Handel wrote for her suggest a light, agile soprano with a range from D to high B.

During these years she appeared in numerous works by Arne and Samuel Howard, as well as in pantomimes, act-time songs and plays, including Shakespeare. Around April 1746 she married the actor Thomas Mozeen. In 1748 she joined the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin, where she sang until 1752. She separated from her husband shortly afterwards and, in February 1753, was performing in Bath. According to some accounts, she had a charming voice and bearing, although her stage timidity detracted from her effectiveness.