The Oldest Music Room In Europe

The Holywell room.

The history of the Holywell Music Room at Oxford is the subject of The Oldest Music Room in Europe: A Record of Eighteenth-Century Enterprise at Oxford. The Oxford Music Room happens to be an important venue in the history of music, for it is said to be the oldest room in Europe that was built solely for the purpose of musical performance. 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. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The history of the Holywell Music Room at Oxford is the subject of The Oldest Music Room in Europe: A Record of Eighteenth-Century Enterprise at Oxford. The Oxford Music Room happens to be an important venue in the history of music, for it is said to be the oldest room in Europe that was built solely for the purpose of musical performance. 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. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

In recent years there has been a considerable revival of interest in music in eighteenth-century Britain. This interest has now expanded beyond the consideration of composers and their music to include the performing institutions of the period and their relationship to the wider social scene. The collection of essays presented here offers a portrayal of concert life in Britain that contributes greatly to the wider understanding of social and cultural life in the eighteenth century. Music was not merely a pastime but was irrevocably linked with its social, political and literary contexts. The perspectives of performers, organisers, patrons, audiences, publishers, copyists and consumers are considered here in relation to the concert experience. All of the essays taken together construct an understanding of musical communities and the origins of the modern concert system. This is achieved by focusing on the development of music societies; the promotion of musical events; the mobility and advancement of musicians; systems of patronage; the social status of musicians; the repertoire performed and published; the role of women pianists and the 'topography' of concerts. In this way, the book will not only appeal to music specialists, but also to social and cultural historians.