Description
The early chapters recount the pieces and performances that were held in the Oxford Music Room, which hosted celebrated composers and performers as well as students and faculty. The book goes beyond merely reciting who played and what they played; it also tells anecdotes about the musicians, attendees and performances. An example of one such 'little known fact' that readers are sure to enjoy is that one of the early singers was a relative of Benjamin Franklin and later went on to become the first woman accepted as a prima donna at an Italian Opera House.
The author also includes the rules that governed the management of the music room. Management of such an important venue was no simple thing, particularly since it involved the university, travelling musicians and other third parties with substantial egos. A committee was convened to make major decisions, such as scheduling, invitations, transcription of compositions, and payments for musicians. Thhe chapter devoted to the musical library that the Music Room administered is sure to be a favourite with all musicians, and the author lists the various holdings and the number of copies of each one. He goes on to explain that borrowers frequently failed to return the compositions, resulting in many advertisements in the Oxford Journal exhorting people not to steal the music.
Readers who are musically inclined will appreciate the author's tone. In addition to being knowledgeable about music and history, he gets in plenty of pithy jabs, such as "Singers and critics were also as tiresome then as they are now." The Oldest Music Room in Europe: A Record of Eighteenth-Century Enterprise at Oxford is an excellent account of an important performance space and the people who made its reputation.
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Details
Publisher -
Language -
Paperback
Contributors
Author
John H. Mee
Published Date -
ISBN - 9781330329948
Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm
Page Count - 296
Hardback
Contributors
Author
John H. Mee
Published Date -
ISBN - 9780332823577
Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm
Page Count - 294
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