The Musical Life of the Crystal Palace

This is the first book to reconstruct the musical history of the Crystal Palace.

Michael Musgrave (Author)

9780521616072, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 15 December 2005

288 pages, 20 b/w illus.
23.4 x 15.6 x 1.6 cm, 0.403 kg

'This is a hugely welcome volume which plugs a large hole left by previous histories of the Palace.' Classical Music

Though it was never designed to accommodate musical performance, the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, opened in 1854, quickly established itself as the most important single location for public music-making in the United Kingdom. For almost fifty years the orchestral concerts and choral festivals provided weekly performances which set new standards and introduced new repertory unparalleled anywhere in its time. Since its spectacular destruction by fire in 1936, the once familiar patterns of music-making have been long forgotten. This is the first book to reconstruct the musical history of the Crystal Palace. In so doing, Michael Musgrave also offers a unique survey of British musical life stretching from the Victorian period to the eve of the Second World War. Fully illustrated and with valuable catalogues of performers and repertoire, the book will be of interest to students and scholars of nineteenth- and twentieth-century music, British social history, and architecture, as well as to the general music enthusiast.

List of illustrations
Preface
Part I. The Beginnings: 1. The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park
2. The Crystal Palace at Sydenham
Part II. The Choral Life: 3. The Handel festivals 1857–1926
4. Other large scale choral performances
Part III. August Manns and the Saturday Concerts, 1855–1900: 5. The concerts, orchestra and conductor
6. Programmes, performers, repertory, programme notes
7. The Crystal Palace and its audience
Part IV. Other Orchestral, Vocal and Instrumental Concerts: 8. After Manns: the Crystal Palace amateur orchestra and choir
9. Popular concerts
10. Solo instrumental music
Part V. The Broader Educational Dimension: 11. Exhibitions
the School of Art, Science and Literature, the Theatre
12. The great popular festivals
Appendices
Appendix 1. The Handel festivals selection day programmes and repertory, 1857–1923
Appendix 2. Personnel of the Saturday orchestra
Appendix 3a. Works by non-British composers given first British performances in the Saturday concerts of the Crystal Palace
Appendix 3b. Works by British composers given first performances in the Saturday concerts of the Crystal Palace
Appendix 4. Staged works with music performed in the theatre
Appendix 5. The Brass Band championships
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Western "classical" music [AVGC]