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Collection Description
Collection name
Derby Musical Festival (1831)
Unique identifier
Case 61.g.7.
Description
A collection comprising the prospectus, programmes and wordbooks for four morning and three evening performances given between 27 and 30 September 1831 as the Derby Musical Festival, held as a single volume with MS notes by Sir George Smart.
The morning performances were given daily from 27 to 30 September 1831 at All Saints' Church, Derby. They consisted largely of sacred repertory, as follows:
27 September 1831: A Morning Service with a Grand Selection of Sacred Music, including a large number of pieces by Handel.
28 September 1831: including Chevalier Neukomm, The Mount Sinai, A New Sacred Oratorio (first performance in England, directed by the composer).
29 September 1831: Handel, The Messiah.
30 September 1831: including selections from Spohr, The Last Judgement and Haydn, The Creation, Part I.
The evening performances were given on 27, 28 and 29 September 1831 at the County Hall, Derby. These were two-act miscellaneous concerts, consisting principally of vocal music, with orchestral overtures/symphonies at the beginning of each part and with occasional examples of solo instrumental repertory.
The prospectus and programmes include detailed records of both the vocal and instrumental soloists (see below) and provide lists of the choral and orchestral ensembles, led by Franz Cramer and conducted by Sir George Smart. These documents also carry a full listing of the patrons, president and vice-president of the Festival and of the magistrates and clergy of the county.
Vocal: Madame Stockhausen, Miss Cramer, Miss Mason, and Mrs W. Knyvett; Mr Braham, Mr Vaughan, Mr W. Knyvett, Mr E. Taylor and Mr Philips; Signor De Begnis.
Instrumental: Miss Fontaine (harp), Mr Mawkes (violin), Mr Nicholson (flute), Mr Holmes (piano), Mr Rohner (bassoon), Mr Lindley (cello) and Signor Dragonetti (double bass).
All programmes carry annotations in Smart's hand which record alterations to the printed programmes (notably those arising from changes in personnel). Further areas of concern are: the division of the vocal forces, the transposition and accompaniment of vocal pieces; the constitution and behaviour of the audience; the source of performance parts; the provision of encores; and the timings of the performance (as a whole and for individual sections/pieces).
Date range
1831 - 1831
Associated People and Organisations
Smart, George -
Neukomm, Sigmund -
Handel, George Frideric -
Derby Musical Festival -
Cramer, Franz -
Braham, John -
Associated Places
All Saints' Church, Derby
County Hall, Derby
Associated Times
19th century - early 1800-1836
Associated Content
Annotations
Timings
Word books
First performances
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British Library
The British Library
St Pancras
,96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB Open Map
DOMUS
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See: http://www.bl.uk/music
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