Sixth Subscription Concert
Bath: Assembly Rooms
Subscription Concert, Non-Subscribers: 8s.
Programme
| Part I | ||
| Overture, The Messiah | Handel | |
| From The Messiah Recit., ‘Comfort ye, my people’ Aria, ‘Every Valley Shall Be Exalted’ | Mr. Vaughan | Handel |
| From Le nozze di Figaro Recit., ‘E Susanna non vien!’ Aria, ‘Dove sono! i bei momenti’ | Miss Stephens | Mozart |
| Storm Scene, Recit. and Air, ‘Fast into the wave’ (the words are selected from Dr. Hurdis and Shenstone) | Mr. Rolle | Bishop |
| From Jephtha Recit., ‘Ye sacred priests’ Air, ‘Farewell, ye limpid springs’ | Miss Field (her first public performance) | Handel |
| Piano Fantasia and Variations on the favourite air ‘Au clair de la Lune’ with Orchestral Accompaniments (Op.50) | Mr. Moscheles | Moscheles |
| From Melodies of Various Nations: Part 1 ‘Wake, dearest, wake!’ (words by Thomas Bayly) | Miss Stephens | Arranged by Bishop |
| From The Slave Duet, ‘In joyful peace disarming’ | Miss Stephens, Mr. Vaughan | Bishop |
| Part II | ||
| Overture, Ciro in Babilonia[1] | Rossini | |
| Song, ‘Auld Robin Gray’ | Miss Stephens | Rev. W. Leeves |
| Song, ‘The Soldier’s Dream’ | Mr. Vaughan | Attwood |
| Air, ‘What airy sound’ | Miss Stephens | Bishop |
| Free Piano Fantasia | Mr. Moscheles | |
| From La clemenza di Scipione Aria, ‘Confusa, abbandonata’ | Miss Field | Bach |
| Air, ‘We’re a noddin’ | Miss Stephens | Arranged Hawes |
| Instrumental Finale | Haydn |
| Principal Vocalists: Miss Field, Miss Stephens; Mr. Rolle, Mr. Vaughan |
| Principal Instrumentalists: Mr. Moscheles |
| Leader: Mr. John Loder; Conductor: Sir George Smart |
———————————
[1] Advertised as Grand Overture to Cyrus in Babylon.—Performed for the first time in this country at the Oratorio in London on Thursday last.
Encore: Piano—Mr. Moscheles
Advertisements
Playbill
THE
SIXTH SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT
WILL TAKE PLACE
ON THUESDAY EVENING NEXT, February the 4th, 1823.
PRINCIPAL VOCAL PERFORMERS:
Miss STEPHENS,
(For this Night only.)
Miss FIELD,
(Her First Public Performance,)
and Mr. ROLLE.
Mr. MOSCHELLES
Will perform on the Piano-Forte two of his most Celebrated Compositions,
(Positively the Last Night of his Engagement.)
Mr. BOCHSA
(For this Night only.) will Perform on the HARP.
Leader – – – Mr. LODER.
Conductor – – Sir GEORGE SMART.
[GB-Lbl C.61.g.1]
Programme
ASSEMBLY ROOMS
[line]
SIXTH
SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT,
TUESDAY EVENING, Feb. 4, 1823.
[line]
Leader, ….….….….…. Mr. LODER.
Second Violin, Mr. VERSTEIN. ———Viola, Mr. SEINE. ———Violoncello, Mr. PIELE.
Conductor, ….….….….….….….……Sir GEORGE SMART.
[line]
The Managers most respectfully announce to the Subscribers and the Public, that they have received a Letter from Mr. BOCHSA, stating, that a severe COLD deprives him of the power to fulfil his Engagement to perform at the Concert this Evening.
[line]
[The rest of the programme includes the pieces performed, including the lyrics of the songs]
[GB-Lbl C.61.g.1]
The Bath Chronicle (January 30, 1823): 3.
SUBSCRIPTION CONCERTS.
THE Subscribers and the Public are most respectfully
acquainted, that the
SIXTH CONCERT
Will take place on TUESDAY Evening next, Feb. 4.
PRINCIPAL VOCAL PERFORMERS:
Miss STEPHENS (for this night only).
Miss FIELD (her first public performance).
Mr. VAUGHAN (his last performance),
And Mr. ROLLE.
Mr. MOSCHELLES will perform on the Piano-Forte two of the most celebrated of his Compositions, (being positively for the last night of his engagement.)
Mr. BOCHSA (for this night only) will perform on the Harp.
Leader, Mr. Loder || Conductor, Sir G. SMART.
Reviews
The Bath Chronicle (February 6, 1823): 3.
The Sixth Subscription Concert took place at the Assembly Rooms last evening. Fortunately for the Directors of these elegant entertainments, the power attraction to them seems to advance in an uniformly increasing ratio. In the course of many years’ experience we remember not to have seen this Room so completely filled as it was this evening: the company were literally wedged together, and locomotion was almost impracticable. Numbers, we understand, despairing of admission, retired from the bustling scene. The orchestra itself was so crowded with company as scarcely to allow space for the operations the band; of course the effect of the performance could not be very greatly improved by such a state of things, nor the audience (those only who find enjoyment in a squeeze of this kind excepted) be very essentially augmented by it. In the bill fare, however, for the evening there was much of what was truly beautiful and admirable, both in the instrumental and vocal department. Mr MOSCHELLES, the very extraordinary performer on the piano-forte, who exhibited his great talents the preceding concert, was now not less brilliant, and was again enthusiastically encored. This gentleman is truly phenomenon in his profession. Mr. VAUGHAN sang “Comfort ye, my people,” and “Every valley shall he exalted,” with his accustomed taste and neatness of execution, together with several other pieces; which were warmly and deservedly applauded. The fair star the evening, and the universal favourite every where, was Miss STEPHENS; whose appearance every hand as well heart greeted with the most lively indications of pleasure. We have not language adequately to describe the very natural grace, the unaffected purity, the perfect elegance, and the charming softness, mellowness, and richness the strains poured forth from the “honied [sic] lips” of this angelic songstress.
All hearts were enchanted by it; and was with the utmost reluctance that the delighted and crowded audience permitted this powerful syren [sic] to retire from their presence. In Mozart’s most beautiful song, “Done Sono,” in the opera of Figaro; “Auld Robin Grey,” Mr. Bishop’s sweet Echo Song, and the very popular air, “We’re a’ noddin,” she afforded the highest gratification to all present. At this concert a new candidate for public favour, Miss FIELD, the daughter of our respectable townsman and musical professor, Mr. FIELD, was introduced for the first time into an orchestra; and displayed very considerable powers of voice and cultivation in the exquisite song of Handel, “Ye sacred Priests,” and in the celebrated air of Bach, “Confessa, abbandonata,” which she sang in a very superior style of execution, and with much taste. Rarely have we witnessed a more promising specimen of talent this kind. The young vocalist was received by the audience in a manner which must have been very encouraging to her future exertions; which, with a voice of great extend, power, and flexibility, like Miss Field’s, aided by a correct ear, must, if we augur rightly, lead to very considerable eminence in the musical profession. Rossini’s new Overture to his Oratorio of “Cyrus in Babylon,” was performed as well as might he expected, under the peculiar situation of the orchestra, from the crowd of listeners who had gained admittance into it. But not withstanding a very considerable deduction from the pleasure of this Concert was made, in consequence the crowd and pressure, we truly rejoice at the very great success which has crowned the labours of the two able directors, Sir George Smart and Mr. Loder, and sincerely wish them a continuance of it. The former of these gentlemen conducted the Concert this evening with his usual and acknowledged ability. Mr. Bochsa disappointed the lovers of the harp his absence, occasioned, as was stated in the bills, a severe cold.
Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (April 1, 1823): 248-249.
Hr. Moscheles, der noch am 22sten Januar in Paris war, am 28sten desselben Monats aber schon zu Bath 108 englische Meilen westlich von London Concert gab, und dessen Schnelligkeit sich also ausser den Fingern noch auf andere Glieder seines Körpers erstreckt, steht gegenwärtig auf dem Gipfel seines Glücks.
…Concerte zu Bath und Bristol. Hr. Loder, der berühmte Violinist und Sir George Smart haben dieses Jahr in genannten Städten eine Reihe von Concerten angefangen, die durch ihre vor treffliche Einrichtung und durch das Auftreten der ersten Sänger und Spieler Londons den philharmonischen Concerten wenig oder gar nichts nachgeben. Der Gegenstand der Bewunderung und Erstaunens war unser Moscheles, und wahrlich nichts kann über die Lobpreisung gehen, womit man ihn an beyden Orten überhäuft hat. Gegen 200 Personen, die sich ihn zu hören drängten, musste der Eingang verweigert werden und—was in englischen Concerten nie geschieht—die Damen verliessen ihre Sitze und drängten sich auf der Bühne nahe an ihn heran, um sein Spielen auch zu sehen.
Ignaz Moscheles' Concert Life 