Musical Memoirs - Comprising an Account of the General State of Music in England, from the first Commemoration of Handel in 1784 to the Year 1830. Interspersed with Numerous Anecdotes, Musical, Histrionic, &c.

W.T. Parke

Published by Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, London, 1830

About this Item

"MUSICAL MEMOIRS - Comprising an Account of the General State of Music in England, from the first Commemoration of Handel in 1784 to the Year 1830. Interspersed with Numerous Anecdotes, Musical, Histrionic, &c." by W.T. Parke (40-year principal oboist to the Theatre Royal Covent Garden). 1830 1st edition; Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley; London. Complete set in two volumes. Leather bindings. Mixing historical documentation with personal reflections, the set is a firsthand account of the evolution of the English music scene from the first commemoration of George Frideric Handel in 1784 to the year 1830. Core themes and content include: the London theatre scene (with venues like Covent Garden, Drury Lane, and the King's Theatre); key composers and figures (with unique insights into the reception, performances, and works of prominent era-defining composers such as Handel, Haydn, and Mozart); behind-the-scenes gossip and anecdotes involving major singers, musicians, impresarios, and wealthy patrons (including the Prince of Wales); institutional and industry growth (tracking the rise of native British talent, the highly contested influence of foreign Italian opera, and the development of major musical institutions); the music business (Parke touches up on the early economics of the profession, including the realities of copyright debates and the financial operations of public pleasure grounds like Vauxhall Gardens).

Condition:
Scuffing to the leather, primarily along the perimeter of the covers. Worn cover corners. Both volumes are tightly bound with no cracks and no loose pages. All covers are firmly attached. Old library labels affixed to the top of the spines, and on the front pastedowns. Each rear pastedown has a slip of paper affixed used to hold the date slips. Each front pastedown has a name/date (1909) written in ink. The front end paper in volume I is present, but has detached. The text pages are in nice condition - mostly clean with only mild foxing found here and there. Overall the set is in Good- condition.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1788037993625

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Musical Memoirs - Comprising an Account of the General State of Music in England, from the first Commemoration of Handel in 1784 to the Year 1830. Interspersed with Numerous Anecdotes, Musical, Histrionic, &c.
• Publisher: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, London
• Publication Date: 1830
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Good