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Collection Description
Collection name Crystal Palace Concerts (1852-61, 1891)
Unique identifier c.370.a
Description A collection of programmes for seven Saturday Afternoon Concerts given at the Crystal Palace during the 1856–57 season, arranged chronologically in a bound volume with programmes for a Grand Promenade and two further concerts given at this venue on 3 April 1852, 13 April 1860 and 31 July 1861.

Also, a wordbook for the Tonic Sol-Fa Jubilee Festival given at the Crystal Palace on 18 July 1891, held as a second volume.

Volume 1: 1852–61
- Saturday Afternoon Concerts
These were two-part concerts of vocal, instrumental and orchestral repertory given by the Company’s Band under the direction of August Manns in the Music Room, by the Queen’s Apartments, in the North Wing. All programmes contain words and historical notes.
26 January 1856: Mozart Concert, to mark the 100th anniversary of the composer's birth, given by Miss Grace Alleyne and Miss Palmer (vocal), August Manns (violin), Mr W.F. Reed (cello) and Messrs George Russell, John Francis Barnett and W.H. Adams (piano).
9 February 1856: Grace Alleyne (vocal), Mr Van Heddegham (violin) and Mr W.H. Adams (piano).
1 March 1856: Miss Grace Alleyne and Mr Leffler (vocal), Mr Sonnenberg (clarinet) and Madame Schwab (piano).
22 March: Miss Grace Alleyne (vocal), Mr George Collins (cello) and Mr W.H. Adams (piano). This programme is followed by an advertisement, with programmes, for the music performed by the Company’s Band and by the Band of the Coldstream Guards on 31 May (Saturday Shilling Day) and by a list of Fete Days at the Crystal Palace during the month of June.
[no date] 1856: Mr Svendsen (flute) and Mr Papé (clarinet) (handbill only).
16 May 1857: Miss Banks and Mr Wilbye Cooper (vocal) and Mademoiselle Maria Trautmann (piano).
5 December 1857: Mozart Concert, to mark the anniversary of his death, given by Miss Stabbach and Mr Santley (vocal), with a chorus selected from the Royal Italian Opera (chorus master, Mr Smythson) and Herr [Ernst] Pauer (piano).

- Grand Promenade
3 April 1852: programme of the music performed by the following military bands (conductors/venues in parenthesis): Royal Horse Guards (Mr J.R. Tutton/South Transept); Coldstream Guards (Mr Godfrey/North Transept); Royal Artillery (Mr W. Collins/East Gallery); Second Life Guards (Mr Grattan Cooke/East Nave – South Side); Scots Fusileers (Mr C. Boose/East Nave – North Side); Grenadier Guards (Mr Schott/West Nave – South Side); First Life Guards (Mr Waddell/West Nave – North Side). Each band played a programme of movements derived largely from operadance tunes before combining for a rendering of God Save the Queen.

- Miscellaneous concerts
13 April 1860: Arrangements for the Day, including a concert by the Company’s Band at 1pm and a Vocal and Instrumental Concert at 3pm, featuring Mademoiselle Piccolomini, Mr Patey and Signor Mariano Neri (vocal), Mr Duhem (cornet) and Mr Pape (clarinet), conducted by August Manns.
31 July 1861: Madame Grisi’s Farewell Festival. This was a two-part concert of solo and ensemble vocal music (with an orchestral overture at the start of each act), given by Madame Penco, Madame Didièe, Madame Rudersdorff, Madame Tiberini, Signor Mario, Signor Tiberini, Signor Ronconi, Signor Graziani, Monsieur Zelger, Signor Tagliafico, Signor Neri-Baraldi, Monsieur Faure, Signor Tamberlik and Madame Grisi (vocal), conducted by Mr Costa (programme and wordbook).


Volume 2: Tonic Sol-Fa Jubilee Festival, 18 July 1891
The title page of this document cites the involvement of 20,000 singers, with Miss Emily Spada (vocal solo), Mr J. Frank Proudman, Mr H.W. Weston and Mr F. Wilson Parish (organ) and Messrs A.L. Cowley, L.C. Venables and W.G. McNaught (conductors).

The festival comprised three concerts:
12 noon: Morning Concert, by 5,000 Juveniles, including Juvenile Orchestra with J. Frank Proudman (organ), conducted by A.L. Cowley.
3pm: Afternoon Concert by 4, 000 Provincial Singers with Spada (vocal) and full orchestral accompaniment, conducted by L.C. Venables with H.W. Weston (organ). The programme also notes the performance of a piece by the ‘African Choir’.
7pm: Evening Concert by 3, 000 Metropolitan Singers with Full Orchestral Accompaniment, conducted by W.G. McNaught with F. Wilson Parish (organ).
Date range 1852 - 1891
Associated People and Organisations Weston, H. W. - Venables, L. C. - Trautmann, Marie - Tonic Sol-fa Festival - Spada, Emily - Second Life Guards - Scots Fusiliers - Santley, Charles - Russell, George William ('AE') - Royal Italian Opera - Royal Horse Guards - Royal Artillery Band - Reed, W. F. - Proudman, J. Frank - Pauer, Ernst - Parish, F. Wilson - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - McNaught, William Gray - Manns, August - Grisi, Giulia 1811 - 1869 Grenadier Guards - First Life Guards - Crystal Palace Orchestra - Cowley, A. L. - Costa, Michael - Collins, George - Band of HM Coldstream Guards 1785 - Barnett, John Francis - Alleyne, Grace - Adams, W. H. -
Associated Places Crystal Palace Music Room, Crystal Palace
Associated Times 19th century - late Victorian 1876-1899 19th century - mid Victorian 1851-1875
Associated Content Word books Programme notes
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96 Euston Road London NW1 2DB Open Map
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