THE history of the origin of the meetings of the three choirs of
Worcester, Hereford, and Gloucester, does not belong to the nineteenth
century. It will be sufficient here to say that the first took place in
the year 1725 (when £48. 18s. was collected), and that they have
gradually risen in importance, till, besides being the means of obtaining
annually a very large sum for the support of the widows and orphans of
the clergy, they have now taken a first place amongst the musical
_réunions_ of the kingdom, and have greatly aided in fostering the
melodious science. It will be seen from the following brief notes of the
festivals at Worcester, that the most celebrated singers have, from time
to time, all taken a part in the performance here of the chief works of
the great masters of music. In the seventeen meetings held here this
century, upwards of £14,500 have been realised for the clergy’s widows
and orphans.
1800—SEPTEMBER 14—Seventy-seventh meeting of the three choirs. The
festival this year occupied three days. The sermon was preached by Dr.
James. _The Messiah_, _Creation_, _Acis and Galatea_, &c., performed.
The principal novelty was the chorus in Handel’s _Ode to St. Cecilia_—“As
from the Power.” Chief performers—Madame Mara and Miss Tennant; Messrs.
Knyvett, Nield, and Bartleman. Amount collected for the charity, £468;
and the receipts for tickets yielded a surplus of £250 in addition.
1803—SEPTEMBER 27—Sermon by the Rev. H. Stillingfleet. Principal vocal
performers—Mrs. Billington and Miss Fanny Ross; Messrs. Melville,
Incledon, Bartleman, Nield, &c. The collections for the charity amounted
to £501. 8s. The receipts were £2,630, and exceeded the expenses by
£600.
1806—SEPTEMBER 22—Sermon by the Rev. G. Turberville. _The Messiah_ and
_Alexander’s Feast_ were the only entire works performed. The principal
performers were Mrs. Billington, Mrs. Vaughan, Miss Melville; Messrs.
Harrison, Knyvett, &c. The collections amounted to £714.
1809—SEPTEMBER 26—Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Wingfield. _The Messiah_ the
only oratorio performed entire. Performers—Mrs. Billington and Mrs.
Vaughan; Mr. Braham (his first engagement at these festivals), Messrs.
Bartleman, Vaughan, and Goss. The sum collected for the charity was
£800, the largest amount up to that time ever collected.
1812—SEPTEMBER 9—Sermon by Rev. Dr. Onslow, Vicar of Kidderminster.
Principal performers—Madame Catalani, Mrs. Salmon, Miss Melville; Messrs.
Vaughan, Goss, Hawes, Denman, and Bellamy. _The Messiah_ and _Creation_
performed entire. Collections, £906.
1815—SEPTEMBER 12—Sermon by Rev. J. Fleming St. John. Principal
performers—Madame Marconi, Miss Stephens, Mrs. Vaughan; and Messrs.
Bartleman, Vaughan, Knyvett, &c. _The Messiah_, Haydn’s _Seasons_, and
various selections performed. Collections, £749. The tickets were
printed in London, and some spurious ones got into circulation.
1818—SEPTEMBER 15—Sermon by the Rev. William Digby. Principal
performers—Miss Stephens, Mrs. Salmon, Miss Symonds; Messrs. Braham,
Kynvett, Bellamy, and Hawes. _The Messiah_ was the only oratorio
performed entire. The contributions to the charity amounted to £936—the
largest amount collected up to that time.
1821—OCTOBER 3—Sermon by the Dean, Dr. Jenkinson. Principal
performers—Miss Stephens, Madame Camporesi, and Miss Travis; Messrs.
Bellamy, Vaughan, Knyvett, Hawes, Master Smith, &c. _The Messiah_ was
the only oratorio performed entire. A selection from _The Seasons_ one
evening. Sum collected for the charity, £877.
1824—SEPTEMBER 15—One hundred and first meeting of the three choirs.
Sermon preached by the Hon. and Rev. Edward Rice, D.D. Principal
performers—Mesdames Salmon, Stephens, Travis, and Ronzi de Beguis;
Messrs. Braham, Bellamy, Kynvett, Signor de Begnis, &c. _The Messiah_
was the only oratorio performed entire. Receipts for the charity, £828;
and for tickets, £2,957.
1827—SEPTEMBER 11—Sermon preached by the Rev. W. F. Hook, M.A., perpetual
curate of Moseley. Principal performers—Madame Pasta, Madame Caradori
Allan, Miss Stephens, Mrs. W. Knyvett; Messrs. Braham, Phillips, Knyvett,
Vaughan, and Signor Zuchelli. _The Messiah_ and _Palestine_ performed.
Receipts for the charity, £1,083; for admission, £3,997. This was one of
the most successful meetings ever held. The Duchess of St. Albans held
one of the plates the first morning.
1830—SEPTEMBER 14—Sermon by the Very Rev. the Dean, Lord Bishop of
Rochester. _The Messiah_ was the only oratorio performed. On the first
morning the service was opened by a funeral anthem, in commemoration of
his late Majesty King George IV. Principal performers—Madame Malibran,
Mrs. Knyvett, and Miss Cramer; Messrs. Braham, Phillips, Vaughan,
Knyvett, &c. Balls were held every evening at the Town Hall; and a
banquet was given by the Bishop of Rochester and Lady Sarah Murray, in
the Chapter House, after each morning’s performance. The Duchess of Kent
and the Princess Victoria were among the company. The receipts for the
charity were £1,005, and for admissions, £3,314; being considerably less
than the amount realised in 1827.
1833—SEPTEMBER 24—Sermon by the Bishop of Worcester. Every pains had
been taken to make this festival successful; the performances occupying
four mornings instead of three, and the orchestra being much enlarged.
About 170 performers were engaged, the principal vocalists being—Madame
Malibran, Miss Clara Novello, and Mrs. Knyvett; Messrs. Braham, Phillips,
Vaughan, and E. Taylor. De Beriot, the violinist, was also a feature of
this festival. _The Messiah_ was performed entire; and selections from
_The Creation_, _Palestine_, _The Last Judgment_, _The Deluge_
(Schneider), and _Mount Sinai_ (Neukomm)—the last proving a decided
failure. Malibran was all in all at this meeting. The receipts for the
charity were £981, and for admissions, £3,496. The ball at the College
Hall was a most brilliant finale, the company numbering upwards of 700.
The expenses were no less than £4,300; so that the stewards were £800 out
of pocket.
1836—SEPTEMBER 27—Sermon by the Rev. Prebendary Benson. Principal
performers—Madame Caradori Allan, Miss Hawes, Mrs. Knyvett, and Miss
Novello; Messrs. Braham, Phillips, Vaughan, Knyvett, &c. The scheme
contained many novelties. _The Messiah_ was performed on the first
morning; Mozart’s _Redemption_, Bishop’s cantata, _The Seventh Day_, and
a selection, the second morning; and _The Last Judgment_, with a
selection, on the third. _Acis and Galatea_ was sung at the first
concert; the others were entirely miscellaneous. The receipts exhibited
a sad falling off, being, for the charity, £828, and for admissions,
£2,685. The stewards were about £1,000 out of pocket. An article of
_bijouterie_ was presented to Miss Clara Novello, by Colonel Clive and
the committee, as an expression of their admiration at her singing, and
of thanks for the kind manner in which she had fallen in with the wishes
of the committee as to some alterations of the scheme.
1839—SEPTEMBER 10—Sermon by the Rev. W. H. Woodgate, Rector of
Bellbroughton. _The Messiah_, _Creation_, and _Palestine_ performed in
their entirety. The concerts were all made up of miscellanea. Principal
performers—Miss Hawes, Miss Clara Novello, Madame Persiani, Miss
Woodyatt, Miss Beale; Messrs. Phillips, Vaughan, Bennett, Machin,
Edmunds, &c. The receipts for the charity this year were £932, and for
admissions £2,820, which was an increase upon the sum realised at the
previous meeting, though the prices of tickets were this year reduced to
the sums at which they have ever since remained. The expenses, however,
reached £4,089, so that there was a deficiency of £1,270.
1842—SEPTEMBER 20—The sermon was preached by the Lord Bishop of the
Diocese. This festival was marked by an entire change of system and the
great success attending upon it. There were no foreign “stars” engaged
in the vocal department, and, consequently, a great deal of expense was
saved. The oratorios were conducted, not by the organist of the
cathedral, Mr. Clarke, but by Mr. Surman of Exeter Hall, and the
performances were held in the nave and not in the choir. The only
previous occasion on which the festival had been held in the nave was at
the visit of George III, sixty years before. The arrangement of
orchestra and seats was that which has been ever since observed. The
principal singers were—Miss Birch, Miss Marshall, Miss Dolby, Mrs. Loder,
and Miss Davis, our own young townswoman; Mr. Phillips, Mr. Leffler, and
Mr. Hobbs. The oratorios performed were—_The Messiah_, _Judas
Maccabeus_, and _Engedi_. At the evening concerts _Alexander’s Feast_,
Haydn’s _Seasons_, and Schiller’s _Song of __the Bell_ were performed
entire. The chorus consisted of 218 singers, and there were 82
instruments in the orchestra. The organ was in the course of being
renewed by Hill. The collections for the charity amounted to £1,059.
16s.
1845—Sermon by Canon Wood. Only three morning performances this year,
which, for the first time, were under the conduct of Mr. Done. _The Last
Judgment_ and a collection of anthems were performed on the Wednesday
morning, and _The Messiah_ on the Thursday. In the evenings _Acis and
Galatea_ and Mendelssohn’s _Walpurgis Nacht_ were performed entire. The
principal vocalists were—the Misses Williams, Miss Rainforth, Miss
Whitnall; Herr Staudigl, Mr. Pearsall, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Machin, and Mr.
Young. The amount collected for the charity was £850. 14s.
1848—Sermon by the Very Rev. the Dean of Worcester. Mdlle. Jenny Lind
had promised to take a part at this festival, but Mr. Lumley compelled
her to break her engagement, and she was actually singing at Birmingham
on the first day of the Worcester meeting; notwithstanding this, the
festival was one of the most successful, in point of attendance, which
has ever been held at either of the three cities. On the first morning
at least 1,500 people were present in the nave of the Cathedral, and at
the last concert in the College Hall it is computed that 1,100 persons
were crammed into the room. There were this year four morning
performances; the oratorios performed entire being the _Elijah_ and
_Messiah_, with selections from _Palestine_, _Creation_, and _Engedi_.
In the evenings parts of Mendelssohn’s _Midsummer Night’s Dream_, Haydn’s
_Seasons_, and Weber’s _Oberon_ were performed, with miscellaneous
selections. The principal vocalists were—Mdlle. Alboni, Madame
Castellan, the Misses Williams, and Miss Dolby; Mr. Sims Reeves, Signor
Lablache, Mr. Lockey, Mr. Robinson, and Mr. Machin. The amount collected
for the charity was £960, and the receipts by sale of tickets reached
£3,080; yet the expense attaching to the engagement of the “stars” was so
great that the loss was very considerable.