SearchGetRecordNorthumberland, Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Grand Musical Festival (1824, 1842)
Collection Summary
Collection Title
Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Grand Musical Festival (1824, 1842)
Unique Identifier
Case 61.g.14
Description
A collection of prospectuses, programmes and wordbooks for the six performances given as the Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Grand Musical Festivals of 1824 and 1842, with MS notes by Sir George Smart, held as two bound volumes.
In both cases, the festival consisted of three morning performances of sacred music, given at St. Nicholas' Church and three evening concerts given at the Theatre Royal,
Newcastle. The evening performances were two-part miscellaneous concerts consisting principally of vocal repertory with an orchestral overture/symphony at the beginning of each act and with one other instrumental work per part.
Both Festivals were conducted by Sir George Smart and the programmes carry a large number of annotations in his hand. These record the timings of the performances (as a whole and for individual sections/pieces) and indicate any changes to the printed programmes (particularly those arising from illness, absence or lateness of the performers). Smart also documents the performance of encores, outlines the nature and extent of the rehearsal provision and comments on the source of the performing parts and on other aspects of the practical arrangements (including staging, audience constitution etc).
Both the prospectuses and programmes provide detailed information regarding the vocal and instrumental soloists (see below). There are also lists of the Patrons of the Festival and lists of the orchestral and (in 1842) choral ensembles.
The programmes for 1824 note that many of the orchestral players are 'from the Opera, the Philharmonic Society, and Concerts of Ancient Music, London' whilst those for 1842 claim that the singers were drawn from Newcastle and Gateshead Choral Societies, the choirs of Durham, Carlisle and Lincoln and the Choral societies of Shields and Sunderland.
Volume 1: 5-8 October 1824
Morning performances:
6 October: A Grand Selection of Sacred Music, including selections from Haydn, The Creation and Handel, Israel in Egypt.
7 October: A Grand Selection of Sacred Music, including selections from Mozart, Requiem, Handel, Judas Maccabeus, and Haydn, The Seasons.
8 October: Handel, The Messiah
Evening performances
5, 6 and 8 October.
Vocal: Madame Catalani, Mrs Salmon, and Miss Stephens; Mrs Bedford and Signora De Begnis; Mr Braham and Signor De Begnis; Mr Terrail, Mr Bedford, Mr Phillips and Mr Sapio.
Instrumental: Mr White (principal second violin), Signor Vimercati (mandolin), Mr Nicholson (flute), Mr Willman (clarinet), Mr Mackintosh (bassoon), Messrs Petrides (horns), Mr Harper (trumpet), Messrs Lindley and son (cello), Mr Daniels (viola), Signor Anfossi (double bass), Signor Mariotti (trombone), Mr Jenkinson (double drums), led by Mr Mori with Mr Thompson (organ).
This volume also contains a number of printed announcements made during the
Festival. These were principally concerned with the enforced withdrawal of the singers Mrs Bedford, Mr Sapio and both Signor and Signora De Begnis, and the re-arrangements made to compensate for their absence (including the introduction of Miss Goodall for the performances on 8 October).
Volume 2: 27-29 September 1842
Morning performances:
27 September: A Grand Performance of Sacred Music, including selections from Mendelssohn, St Paul and Beethoven, The Mount of Olives.
28 September: A Grand Performance of Sacred Music, including the first part of Haydn, The Creation, Rossini, Stabat Mater, and selections from Handel, Israel in Egypt.
29 September: Handel, The Messiah
Evening performances
27, 28 and 29 September: including 'A selection from the music by Locke in Macbeth' (27 September).
Vocal: Madame Caradori Allan, Miss M. B. Hawes, Miss Pyne, Miss L. Pyne and Miss Birch; Mr Hobbs, Mr Machin, Mr Ashton and Mr H. Phillips.
Instrumental: Messrs Loder and H. Hayward (violins), Mr J. Loder (viola), Mr Lindley (cello), Mr Howell (double bass), Mr Carte (flute), Mr G. Cooke (oboe), Mr Lazarus (clarinet), Mr Baumann (bassoon), Mr Jarrett (horn), Mr Harper (trumpet), led by Messrs F. Cramer and Loder with Mr T. Ions (organ).
An annotation to the programme for the first evening performance reads: ‘G.S. Conducted this and the other 2 Concerts at a Desk in from of P.F’.
In addition to the concert programmes, this volume includes the handwritten draft and a printed announcement dated 28 September regarding an enforced change in the programme for the next performance: this was due to Lindley having left the parts for his concerto in London. Also, a programme card for the Grand Fancy Dress Ball given on 30 September at the Assembly Rooms, Newcastle, with lists of the dances to be performed in both the large and small room.
In both cases, the festival consisted of three morning performances of sacred music, given at St. Nicholas' Church and three evening concerts given at the Theatre Royal,
Newcastle. The evening performances were two-part miscellaneous concerts consisting principally of vocal repertory with an orchestral overture/symphony at the beginning of each act and with one other instrumental work per part.
Both Festivals were conducted by Sir George Smart and the programmes carry a large number of annotations in his hand. These record the timings of the performances (as a whole and for individual sections/pieces) and indicate any changes to the printed programmes (particularly those arising from illness, absence or lateness of the performers). Smart also documents the performance of encores, outlines the nature and extent of the rehearsal provision and comments on the source of the performing parts and on other aspects of the practical arrangements (including staging, audience constitution etc).
Both the prospectuses and programmes provide detailed information regarding the vocal and instrumental soloists (see below). There are also lists of the Patrons of the Festival and lists of the orchestral and (in 1842) choral ensembles.
The programmes for 1824 note that many of the orchestral players are 'from the Opera, the Philharmonic Society, and Concerts of Ancient Music, London' whilst those for 1842 claim that the singers were drawn from Newcastle and Gateshead Choral Societies, the choirs of Durham, Carlisle and Lincoln and the Choral societies of Shields and Sunderland.
Volume 1: 5-8 October 1824
Morning performances:
6 October: A Grand Selection of Sacred Music, including selections from Haydn, The Creation and Handel, Israel in Egypt.
7 October: A Grand Selection of Sacred Music, including selections from Mozart, Requiem, Handel, Judas Maccabeus, and Haydn, The Seasons.
8 October: Handel, The Messiah
Evening performances
5, 6 and 8 October.
Vocal: Madame Catalani, Mrs Salmon, and Miss Stephens; Mrs Bedford and Signora De Begnis; Mr Braham and Signor De Begnis; Mr Terrail, Mr Bedford, Mr Phillips and Mr Sapio.
Instrumental: Mr White (principal second violin), Signor Vimercati (mandolin), Mr Nicholson (flute), Mr Willman (clarinet), Mr Mackintosh (bassoon), Messrs Petrides (horns), Mr Harper (trumpet), Messrs Lindley and son (cello), Mr Daniels (viola), Signor Anfossi (double bass), Signor Mariotti (trombone), Mr Jenkinson (double drums), led by Mr Mori with Mr Thompson (organ).
This volume also contains a number of printed announcements made during the
Festival. These were principally concerned with the enforced withdrawal of the singers Mrs Bedford, Mr Sapio and both Signor and Signora De Begnis, and the re-arrangements made to compensate for their absence (including the introduction of Miss Goodall for the performances on 8 October).
Volume 2: 27-29 September 1842
Morning performances:
27 September: A Grand Performance of Sacred Music, including selections from Mendelssohn, St Paul and Beethoven, The Mount of Olives.
28 September: A Grand Performance of Sacred Music, including the first part of Haydn, The Creation, Rossini, Stabat Mater, and selections from Handel, Israel in Egypt.
29 September: Handel, The Messiah
Evening performances
27, 28 and 29 September: including 'A selection from the music by Locke in Macbeth' (27 September).
Vocal: Madame Caradori Allan, Miss M. B. Hawes, Miss Pyne, Miss L. Pyne and Miss Birch; Mr Hobbs, Mr Machin, Mr Ashton and Mr H. Phillips.
Instrumental: Messrs Loder and H. Hayward (violins), Mr J. Loder (viola), Mr Lindley (cello), Mr Howell (double bass), Mr Carte (flute), Mr G. Cooke (oboe), Mr Lazarus (clarinet), Mr Baumann (bassoon), Mr Jarrett (horn), Mr Harper (trumpet), led by Messrs F. Cramer and Loder with Mr T. Ions (organ).
An annotation to the programme for the first evening performance reads: ‘G.S. Conducted this and the other 2 Concerts at a Desk in from of P.F’.
In addition to the concert programmes, this volume includes the handwritten draft and a printed announcement dated 28 September regarding an enforced change in the programme for the next performance: this was due to Lindley having left the parts for his concerto in London. Also, a programme card for the Grand Fancy Dress Ball given on 30 September at the Assembly Rooms, Newcastle, with lists of the dances to be performed in both the large and small room.
Format
Date range of collection
1824 - 1842
Accumulation Dates
-
Suggested Audience
Not Specific
Associated People or Organisations
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Associated Times
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Location Details
British Library
The British Library
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London
NW1 2DB United Kingdom Open Map
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Collections Overview
The Library's collection of song and piano sheet music is one of the most comprehensive of its kind, providing a valuable insight into Victorian society and culture as well as the music itself.
For details of other collections held at the same location: See the location record
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