Buxton Opera House is in The Square, Buxton , Derbyshire, England. It is a 902-seat opera house that hosts the annual Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival , among others, as well as pantomime at Christmas, musicals and other entertainments year-round. Hosting live performances until 1927, the theatre then was used mostly as a cinema until 1976. In 1979, it was refurbished and reopened as a venue for live performance.
155-577: The Buxton Opera House was built in 1903 and designed by Frank Matcham , who designed the London Palladium , the London Coliseum and many other theatres throughout the UK. The first production at the theatre was Mrs Willoughby’s Kiss . The Opera House ran as a successful theatre, receiving touring companies until 1927, when it was turned into a cinema. Silent films were shown until 1932 when
310-579: A Georgian house at 25 Brook Street , which he rented for the rest of his life. This house, where he rehearsed, copied music, and sold tickets, is now the Handel House Museum . During twelve months between 1724 and 1725, Handel wrote three successful operas, Giulio Cesare , Tamerlano and Rodelinda . Handel's operas are filled with da capo arias , such as Svegliatevi nel core . After composing Silete venti , he concentrated on opera and stopped writing cantatas. Scipio , from which
465-655: A Handel opera (with conductors such as Harry Christophers) and other rarely seen operas as well as more popular classics. Running alongside it is the Buxton Festival Fringe . It is popular as a warm-up for the Edinburgh Fringe , and it now claims to be the largest 'true' fringe festival in the UK. Since 1994 the Opera House also hosted the annual three-week-long International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival , attracting audiences from all over
620-441: A blue plaque was unveiled at his former London home, 10 Haslemere Road, Hornsey , by the actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales . Notes References George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick ) Handel ( / ˈ h æ n d əl / HAN -dəl ; baptised Georg Fried [ e ] rich Händel , German: [ˈɡeːɔʁk ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈhɛndl̩] ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759)
775-621: A musical clock with a pipe organ built by Charles Clay; it was bought by Gerrit Braamcamp and was in 2016 acquired by the Museum Speelklok in Utrecht. Deidamia , his last opera, a co-production with the Earl of Holderness , was performed three times in 1741. Handel gave up the opera business, while he enjoyed more success with his English oratorios. Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno , an allegory , Handel's first oratorio
930-525: A "respect for the dignity and freedom of man's mind and the solemn majesty of the law", principles that would have drawn him to and kept him in England for half a century. Handel also there encountered theologian and professor of Oriental languages August Hermann Francke , who was particularly solicitous of children, especially orphans. The orphanage he founded became a model for Germany, and undoubtedly influenced Handel's own charitable impulse when he assigned
1085-477: A blood infection, in 1920. His biographer Brian Walker notes from the architect's personal archives that he was "a man of remarkable vigour and had an enthusiasm for life ... he possessed a tranquility of mind and a great sense of humour and fun." Francis Matcham was born on 22 November 1854 in Newton Abbot , Devon . He was the second of nine children and the eldest son of Charles Matcham (1826–1888),
1240-514: A brewer, and his wife, Elizabeth née Lancaster (1830–1905). In 1857 Charles Matcham moved his family to Union Street, Torquay, and secured a job as a manager of a brewery and a malthouse. Frank was educated at Babbacombe School, in Babbacombe , Torquay. Matcham showed an early interest in architecture and became apprenticed at the age of 14 to George Soudon Bridgman , a local architect. The apprenticeship lasted 18 months until Matcham
1395-649: A carillon and extra-large military kettledrums (from the Tower of London ), to be sure "...it will be most excessive noisy". Saul and Israel in Egypt , both from 1739, head the list of great, mature oratorios, in which the da capo aria became the exception and not the rule. Israel in Egypt consists of little else but choruses, borrowing from the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline . In his next works, Handel changed his course. In these works he laid greater stress on
1550-539: A church organist and cantor was a highly prestigious office. From it, he received 5 thalers a year and lodgings in the run-down castle of Moritzburg. Around this same time, Handel made the acquaintance of Telemann . Four years Handel's senior, Telemann was studying law at Leipzig and was assisting cantor Johann Kuhnau ( Bach 's predecessor at the Thomaskirche there). Telemann recalled forty years later in an autobiography for Mattheson's Grundlage : "The writing of
1705-646: A court servant; and so, given the embarrassed financial condition of his mother, Handel set off for Hamburg to obtain experience while supporting himself. In 1703, he accepted a position as violinist and harpsichordist in the orchestra of the Hamburg Oper am Gänsemarkt . There he met the composers Johann Mattheson , Christoph Graupner and Reinhard Keiser . Handel's first two operas, Almira and Nero , were produced in 1705. He produced two other operas, Daphne and Florindo , performed in 1708. According to Mainwaring, in 1706 Handel travelled to Italy at
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#17327810371641860-585: A drastic reduction in the Empire's budget to allow extra finances for the new headquarters at the Coliseum. Matcham rushed together a secondary, cheaper design of the Empire's façade and presented it to Stoll on a piece of scrap tracing paper. The exterior of the Empire was a design that Matcham always loathed but was one, according to the historian Michael Sell, that demonstrated the architect's "seemingly endless powers of invention" and one that will "forever remain
2015-418: A dress circle of three rows, an upper circle, which had the unusual feature of its own retiring rooms, and a very large gallery which allowed for unobstructed views. The entrance façade was built in the classical style with three wide bays of giant pilasters . On the theatre's opening night the following year, Elliston called the building "one of the most beautiful theatres [he] had ever seen". In addition to
2170-688: A few public houses in London, Matcham's other non-theatrical commissions include a new wing for the Royal Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund at Brinsworth House and a printing works in Southwark . In 1910 the London Palladium was completed and opened on 26 December. Designs for the Victoria Palace Theatre , for the variety magnate Alfred Butt , were already under way; it opened the following November. During
2325-463: A great emphasis on the ventilation system—the first of its kind—which used a sun burner in the roof and warm air ducts, 6 feet (1.8 metres) above ground level, which emitted draughts. The builders of the theatre, Crowder and Payne, advertised the venue as being "the best-ventilated theatre in London". It opened in May the following year to much praise for its achievements in audience comfort. The success of
2480-708: A handwritten date of a copy (1700) and stylistic considerations. Lang writes that the works "show thorough acquaintance with the distilled sonata style of the Corelli school " and are notable for "the formal security and the cleanness of the texture." Hogwood considers all of the oboe trio sonatas spurious and even suggests that some parts cannot be performed on oboe. That authentic manuscript sources do not exist and that Handel never recycled any material from these works makes their authenticity doubtful. Other early chamber works were printed in Amsterdam in 1724 as opus 1, but it
2635-695: A high order". Matcham's time under Robinson was brief; Robinson died unexpectedly at the family home in Bloomsbury Square , London, in 1877, shortly after Matcham's marriage to Robinson's daughter, Maria, on 9 July. Matcham was entrusted by the family to continue with Robinson's designs which included the refurbishment of the Elephant and Castle Theatre , as well as the modifications to the Cambridge Music Hall in Shoreditch . By
2790-532: A journey back from Germany to London, Handel was seriously injured in a carriage accident between The Hague and Haarlem in the Netherlands. In 1751, one eye started to fail. The cause was a cataract which was operated on by the great charlatan Chevalier Taylor . This did not improve his eyesight and possibly made it worse. He was completely blind by 1752. He died in 1759 at home in Brook Street, at
2945-523: A landmark". The auditorium is noted by Historic England as being "one of the most exuberant Matcham interiors in Britain", while the historian Brian Walker called the Empire's interior "the most perfect Matcham interior in Greater London". Pevsner considered the Empire to be "splendidly confident" and "among the best-surviving Edwardian variety theatres". For the Coliseum, Matcham encountered
3100-495: A larger public. Next came Deborah , strongly coloured by the coronation anthems and Athaliah , his third English Oratorio. In these three oratorios Handel laid the foundation for the traditional use of the chorus which marks his later oratorios. Handel became sure of himself, broader in his presentation, and more diverse in his composition. It is evident how much he learned from Arcangelo Corelli about writing for instruments, and from Alessandro Scarlatti about writing for
3255-638: A private setting for Ruspoli and Ottoboni in 1709 and 1710, respectively. Rodrigo , his first all-Italian opera, was produced in the Cocomero theatre in Florence in 1707. Agrippina was first produced in 1709 at Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo in Venice, owned by the Grimanis . The opera, with a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani , ran for 27 nights successively. The audience, thunderstruck with
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#17327810371643410-425: A problem; Stoll wanted the theatre to be the largest and most lavish in London. Matcham was concerned that the vast size would cause a reduction in sound quality and view to the stage; accordingly, he gave particular attention to the theatre's acoustics and designed the balconies so that they sloped towards the auditorium sides, rather than the more traditional method of being supported by pilotis ; Matcham pioneered
3565-405: A profess'd friend of Mr. Handel (who was here also) was admitted; I never was so well entertained at an opera! Mr. Handel was in the best humour in the world, and played lessons and accompanied Strada and all the ladies that sang from seven o'clock till eleven. I gave them tea and coffee, and about half an hour after nine had a salver brought in of chocolate, mulled white wine, and biscuits. Everybody
3720-437: A rare appearance, on stage, that night, and assured the audience that during a fortnight's closure he would complete the designs. To compensate for the lateness, he took the unusual step of sub-contracting the auditorium's artwork out to a London-based sculptor. The following year Matcham was contracted by Frederick Purcell, a member of the extended Revill family, to undertake the renovations of his theatre that had caught fire
3875-589: A recovery, he had a relapse in May, with an accompanying deterioration in his mental capacities. He had strong competition from John Frederick Lampe ; The Dragon of Wantley was first performed at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket in London on 16 May 1737. It was a parody of the Italian opera seria . In Autumn 1737 the fatigued Handel reluctantly followed the advice of his physicians and went to take
4030-423: A regular team of assistants and craftsmen, among them, Felix De Jong, an expert in work with fibrous plaster; Jonas Binns, a specialist decorator; and Albert Dean, a master furnisher. During their time in operation, Matcham & Co., completed around 170 theatre designs. Matcham was assisted in his designs and the running of the business by the engineer R.A. Briggs and F. G. M. Chancellor , an architect. Little
4185-412: A room at the top of the house. To this room he constantly stole when the family was asleep". Although both John Hawkins and Charles Burney credited this tale, Schoelcher found it nearly "incredible" and a feat of "poetic imagination" and Lang considers it one of the unproven "romantic stories" that surrounded Handel's childhood. But Handel had to have had some experience with the keyboard to have made
4340-605: A room. The palette is rich cream, gold and brown. The proscenium is framed by glorious turret-like boxes topped with onion domes, while the top is crowned by enormous figures representing the Three Graces. The Wurlitzer organ faces a backdrop of a romantic seaside scene (wholly unlike Blackpool). Nikolaus Pevsner describing the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, in Lancashire: North , 2009. Walker called it
4495-521: A small, awkward plot, and it is probable that Matcham gained inspiration from the Gaiety in some of his later buildings which were also built on restricted plots of land. It is not known how long Matcham spent in London, although it was not uncommon for an architect to take up to six years to become qualified. The theatre historian Görel Garlick estimates that Matcham spent three years in the capital during this time, which would seem probable as by 1871 Matcham
4650-429: A theatrical and music hall architect." According to the historians, Roger Dixon and Stefan Muthesius, Matcham was "the most consistent and prolific architect of the later music halls ... his buildings, mostly in the provinces and the suburbs of London, [were] equal or exceed in splendour [compared to] the metropolitan theatres and opera houses." On 22 November 2007 Matcham was commemorated by English Heritage when
4805-566: A year Georg married again, this time to the daughter of a Lutheran minister, Pastor Georg Taust of the Church of St. Bartholomew in Giebichenstein, who himself came from a long line of Lutheran pastors. George Frideric was the second child of this marriage; the first son was stillborn . Two younger sisters arrived afterwards: Dorthea Sophia, born on 6 October 1687, and Johanna Christiana, born on 10 January 1690. Early in his life Handel
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4960-492: Is [an] example) ... [which] represent a near-ideal marriage of size, acoustic and decorative beauty. Their British equivalents are those designed by Frank Matcham – best of all the Buxton Opera House." In 2014, the opera house's former finance chief was jailed for two years for stealing nearly £250,000 from the opera house accounts in 2012 and 2013. The theatre complex also includes the adjacent Victorian Pavilion,
5115-653: Is charming and richly detailed, making full use of the tight space. Plaster figures and mouldings in Matcham's full-blown Baroque." The establishment date of Matcham & Co., is unclear; it could originate from when Matcham established his office in Belfast in 1884 after the success of the Paragon Theatre in Mile End, or it could be a renaming of Robinson's business which Matcham took over a decade or so prior to
5270-546: Is impossible to tell which are early works in their original form, rather than later re-workings by Handel, a frequent practice of his. Handel's probationary appointment to Domkirche expired in March 1703. By July Handel was in Hamburg. Since he left no explanation for the move biographers have offered their own speculation. Donald Burrows believes that the answer can be found by untangling Mainwaring's confused chronology of
5425-444: Is known of the working relationship between the three men, only that it was a prosperous one. Before variety theatre , music halls were the preferred entertainment of the working-class communities in London and the provinces. Acts including George Robey and Marie Lloyd were deemed "overly racy", according to The Stage , with major theatres banning them in the interests of decency. The restrictions were brief, mainly because of
5580-514: Is reported to have attended the Gymnasium in Halle, where the headmaster, Johann Praetorius [ de ] , was reputed to be an ardent musician. Whether Handel remained there, and if he did for how long, is unknown, but many biographers suggest that he was withdrawn from school by his father, based on the characterization of him by Handel's first biographer, John Mainwaring . Mainwaring
5735-584: Is said the compositions spurred reconciliation between Handel and the king, supposedly annoyed by the composer's abandonment of his Hanover post. In 1717, Handel became house composer at Cannons in Middlesex , where he laid the cornerstone for his future choral compositions in the Chandos Anthems . Romain Rolland wrote that these anthems (or Psalms) stood in relation to Handel's oratorios, much
5890-407: Is the source for almost all information (little as it is) of Handel's childhood, and much of that information came from J. C. Smith Jr., Handel's confidant and copyist. Whether it came from Smith or elsewhere, Mainwaring frequently relates misinformation. It is from Mainwaring that the portrait comes of Handel's father as implacably opposed to any musical education. Mainwaring writes that Georg Händel
6045-510: The Elephant and Castle Theatre , which opened in June 1879. He took over the business on Robinson's death and continued the designs of various provincial theatres. He formed his own practice, Matcham & Co., in the 1880s and enlisted skilled craftsmen. His first major association came in the 1880s when he was employed to design and refurbish theatres belonging to the Revill family who owned many of
6200-542: The King James Bible . In 1728, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera , which made fun of the type of Italian opera Handel had popularised in London, premiered at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre and ran for 62 consecutive performances, the longest run in theatre history up to that time. After nine years the Royal Academy of Music ceased to function but Handel soon started a new company. The Queen's Theatre at
6355-475: The Theatre Museum acquired in excess of 7000 of Matcham's drawings. Of these, around 500 are highly finished and represent over seventy-five theatres or cinemas and about one-sixth of his total life's output. The total number of theatres Matcham designed is unknown and has been the subject of much speculation. The architect Victor Glasstone estimated the architect's work to include 66 new theatres and
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6510-707: The slave-trading Royal African Company (RAC), following in the steps of his patron (the Duke of Chandos was one of the leading investors in the RAC). As noted by music historian David Hunter, 32 per cent of the subscribers and investors in the Royal Academy of Music, or their close family members, held investments in the RAC as well. In May 1719, The 1st Duke of Newcastle , the Lord Chamberlain , ordered Handel to look for new singers. Handel travelled to Dresden to attend
6665-443: The "fruit of close collaboration and understanding between client and architect". He further noted: "Matcham's frequently noticed skill in planning is here matched by a different kind of wizardry. Few of his contemporaries could have made so memorable an architectural statement on so short a frontage in such an unpretentious thoroughfare. It is much more impressive than, for example, the neighbouring Garrick Theatre of 1889" According to
6820-666: The "magic" opera Orlando . After two commercially successful English oratorios Esther and Deborah , he was able to invest again in the South Sea Company . Handel reworked his Acis and Galatea which then became his most successful work ever. Handel failed to compete with the Opera of the Nobility , who engaged musicians such as Johann Adolph Hasse , Nicolo Porpora and the famous castrato Farinelli . The strong support by Frederick, Prince of Wales caused conflicts in
6975-516: The 1880s. What is known is that it operated out of three offices in Holborn at different times. The first was in Bedford Row, between 1880 and 1886, after which it moved to 3 Great James Street . The business stayed there until 1893 when it moved again, this time to 9 Warwick Court, where it remained until after Matcham's death. It is not known how many staff Matcham employed; he worked with
7130-657: The 369-seat Pavilion Arts Centre (rebuilt in 2010; formerly the Paxton Theatre and earlier known as the Playhouse Theatre and The Hippodrome). There the Literary and Dramatic Societies of Buxton College and Cavendish Grammar School staged annual performances of either Shakespeare , such as Hamlet (1966), Coriolanus (1968) and Macbeth (1970), or modern works, such as Bertolt Brecht 's Life of Galileo (1967) and Dylan Thomas 's The Doctor &
7285-553: The County Arcade development. The construction costs of the County Arcade were in excess of £300,000. According to Walker, Matcham's biographer, the architect took on the designs for the County Arcade either because of a decline in the need for new theatres, or an attempt to try out something different. Either way, Walker considered the project to be completely out of character for Matcham who had previously displayed such energy and enthusiasm for all his designs. Together with
7440-638: The Devils (1969). It also includes the Octagon Hall auditorium (built in 1875), as well as a two-storey restaurant with a bar and gift shop. The arts centre stage area can be converted into a separate 93-seat studio theatre. Since July 1979, the Opera House and theatre complex has been home to the Buxton Festival , which runs for about two weeks in mid-July and has developed into one of Britain's largest opera-based festivals. Typically, it includes
7595-531: The English nobility with Italian opera. In 1737, he had a physical breakdown, changed direction creatively, addressed the middle class and made a transition to English choral works. After his success with Messiah (1742), he never composed an Italian opera again. His orchestral Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks remain steadfastly popular. One of his four coronation anthems , Zadok
7750-431: The Haymarket (now His Majesty's Theatre), established in 1705 by architect and playwright John Vanbrugh , quickly became an opera house. Between 1711 and 1739, more than 25 of Handel's operas premièred there. In 1729, Handel became joint manager of the theatre with John James Heidegger . Handel travelled to Italy to engage new singers and also composed seven more operas, among them the comic masterpiece Partenope and
7905-464: The Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque" style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age. Handel started three commercial opera companies to supply
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#17327810371648060-428: The Italian poet Torquato Tasso , Handel enjoyed great success, although it was composed quickly, with many borrowings from his older Italian works. This work contains one of Handel's favourite arias, Cara sposa, amante cara , and the famous Lascia ch'io pianga . Handel went back to Halle twice, to attend the wedding of his sister and the baptism of her daughter, but decided to settle permanently in England in 1712. In
8215-560: The Matcham Travel Bureau, the city's first travel agency. Matcham's theatres were often mocked by architects during the five decades after his death, and little care was taken by local authorities to preserve them during area regeneration programmes, particularly during the 1960s. It was only after 1970 that his buildings were taken seriously and, according to Iain Mackintosh, his genius was widely recognised. In 1995
8370-648: The Paragon allowed Matcham to open up his own office in Belfast in 1884. Outside of London, and prior to 1886, Matcham only had two designs commissioned, both in Glasgow : Hengler's Grand Cirque and the Royalty Theatre . In 1879 he started work on the redesign of the Royalty, a playhouse originally designed by James Thomson and one that had been built on the first floor of a four-storey building. The layout
8525-602: The Power of Music based on John Dryden's Alexander's Feast starred Anna Maria Strada del Pò and John Beard . Early 1737 he produced Arminio and Giustino , completed Berenice , revived Partenope , and continued with Il Parnasso in Festa , Alexander's Feast , and the revised The Triumph of Time and Truth which premiered on 23 March. In April Handel suffered a mild stroke, or rheumatic palsy , resulting in temporary paralysis in his right hand and arm. After brief signs of
8680-523: The Priest , has been performed at every British coronation since 1727. Almost blind, he died in 1759 a respected and rich man, and was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey . Handel composed more than forty opere serie over a period of more than thirty years. Since the late 1960s, interest in Handel's music has grown. The musicologist Winton Dean wrote that "Handel was not only a great composer; he
8835-592: The Stockport theatre under Revill, Matcham received another commission from Elliston, this time to rebuild the Theatre Royal and Opera House, in Bolton , which had caught fire on 4 January 1888. Elliston's only requirement was for the building to be completed within a 20-week period, which Matcham honoured. The foundation stone was laid by the actor Henry Irving on 17 October, a month before its opening. Owing to
8990-603: The UK and from abroad. The Opera House presents over 400 performances each year. From 2004 to 2013, the Opera House hosted the annual Four Four Time music festival which saw a wide variety of musical performances over ten days each February. Performers for the 2008 festival included Marc Almond , Richard Hawley , the Stranglers and Boy George . 53°15′31″N 1°54′57″W / 53.2586°N 1.9157°W / 53.2586; -1.9157 Frank Matcham Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)
9145-546: The age of 74. The last performance he attended was of Messiah . Handel was buried in Westminster Abbey . More than three thousand mourners attended his funeral, which was given full state honours. Handel never married and kept his personal life private. His initial will bequeathed the bulk of his estate to his niece Johanna, but four codicils distributed much of his estate to other relations, servants, friends and charities. Handel owned an art collection that
9300-480: The architect was "a man of remarkable vigour and enthusiasm for life ... he possessed a tranquility of mind and a great sense of humour and fun." Of Matcham's eight siblings, two were notable: Charles Matcham (1862–1911) moved to America in 1881 and became a millionaire businessman within the civil engineering industry. His early work for the Bell Telephone Company included the building of
9455-400: The aria Hark! hark! He strikes the golden lyre , Handel wrote the accompaniment for mandolin , harp , violin, viola, and violoncello . Another of his English oratorios, Solomon , was first performed on 17 March 1749 at the Covent Garden Theatre. The text for Solomon is thought to have been penned by the English Jewish poet and playwright Moses Mendes , based on the biblical stories of
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#17327810371649610-404: The author Iain Mackintosh noted a clear Matcham influence in Sprague and Crewe's designs; he describes the former as being suaver compared to Matcham, whilst Crewe, although sharing a lot of Matcham's exuberance, was "more polished" because of his earlier training in Paris. Sir Alfred Butt , writing in The Era , considered: "Frank Matcham lived for his work, and unquestionably was pre-eminent as
9765-418: The balconies to protrude into the auditorium without the use of the supporting pillars which increased seating capacity and gave the audience better views of the stage. It was a design that Matcham patented and incorporated into all his future theatrical designs. The Paragon in Mile End , East London, in 1882, was Matcham's next major project. The design was one of importance, according to Walker, as it showed
9920-637: The building of a number of shopping arcades to accompany the existing Thorntons Arcade, completed in 1878. Matcham designed the Cross and County Arcades for the Leeds Estate Company, between 1898 and 1900, at the northernmost part of the street. At the same time as his work on the County Arcade, he designed the Empire Palace, for Moss, which was located further down Briggate. He created two new streets, Queen Victoria Street and King Edward Street, which run between Briggate and Vicar Lane . Matcham's buildings include 49–51 Vicar Lane; 2–24 King Edward Street and 115–120 Briggate, which consists of shops and offices within
10075-417: The business. Matcham's last design for the family, according to the historian Michael Sell, was the Kings Theatre, Southsea , in 1907. The architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner called the Kings Theatre "splendid" and described the theatre as having a "prominent hexagonal tower with Ionic columns and lion finials around a broad spire-like top crowned by a cupola with a replica statue of Aurora. The interior
10230-415: The capacity to seat 3,200 people. The circus ring eventually fell out of favour with audiences and it was covered over. Purcell took over the family business in 1899 after the death of four of its members but only commissioned a few buildings over the next decade, including the Alexandra Theatre , Stoke Newington . Matcham continued to work with Purcell until around 1908 when the latter decided to wind up
10385-621: The chief composers represented in this exercise book were Johann Krieger , an "old master" in the fugue and prominent organ composer, Johann Caspar Kerll , a representative of the "southern style" after his teacher Girolamo Frescobaldi and imitated later by Handel, Johann Jakob Froberger , an "internationalist" also closely studied by Buxtehude and Bach , and Georg Muffat , whose amalgam of French and Italian styles and his synthesis of musical forms influenced Handel. Mainwaring writes that during this time Zachow had begun to have Handel assume some of his church duties. Zachow, Mainwaring asserts,
10540-413: The complex, in 1900. Pevsner considered the circus to be "the largest and most elaborate theatre of its type in England" and provided the UK with a "permanent setting for a circus not available in any other resort". The complex opened in 1894. The same year, he completed the designs for Grand Theatre, Blackpool . The regeneration of Briggate in the 1890s, one of the oldest streets in Leeds , included
10695-448: The composer's important patrons and a primary subscriber to his new opera company, the Royal Academy of Music , though his patronage declined after Chandos lost large sums of money in the South Sea Bubble , which burst in 1720 in one of history's greatest financial cataclysms. Handel himself invested in the South Sea Company in 1716, when its share prices were low and sold them before the "bubble" burst in 1720. In 1720, Handel invested in
10850-475: The countryside, where he died in 1941. Briggs held the business in a dormant state until after the war when it was sold to a property agency in Covent Garden . It continued, on a small scale, until it was eventually wound up in the late 1970s. Matcham was a devoted if frequently absent husband and father. He married Maria Robinson, the daughter of his tutor, J. T. Robinson, on 9 July 1877 at St. James's Church , Pentonville . They had two daughters; Eveline, who
11005-443: The court of Saxe-Weissenfels and the Margraviate of Brandenburg . Halle was a relatively prosperous city, home of a salt-mining industry, a centre of trade, and a member of the Hanseatic League . The Margrave of Brandenburg became the administrator of the archepiscopal territories of Mainz , including Magdeburg when they converted, and by the early 17th century held his court in Halle, which attracted renowned musicians. Even
11160-684: The cure in the spa towns of Royal Tunbridge Wells , Aix-la-Chapelle ( Burtscheid ) in September. All the symptoms of his "disorder" vanished by November. On Christmas Eve Handel finished the score of Faramondo , but its composition was interrupted by that of the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline . On Boxing Day he began the composition of Serse , the only comic opera that Handel ever wrote and worked with Elisabeth Duparc . A harp and organ concerto (HWV 294) and Alexander's Feast were published in 1738 by John Walsh . He composed music for
11315-420: The dancing of Marie Sallé , for whom Handel composed Terpsicore . In 1735, he introduced organ concertos between the acts. For the first time, Handel allowed Gioacchino Conti , who had no time to learn his part, to substitute arias. Financially, Ariodante was a failure, although he introduced ballet suites at the end of each act. Alcina , his last opera with a magic content, and Alexander's Feast or
11470-433: The date of the trip or Mainwaring's statements about Handel's father must be in error. Early biographers solved the problem by making the year of the trip 1696, then noting that at the age of 11, Handel would need a guardian, so they have Handel's father or a friend of the family accompany him, all the while puzzling over why the elder Handel, who wanted Handel to become a lawyer, would spend the sum to lead his son further into
11625-506: The design stage of the Palace, Matcham was working alongside Bertie Crewe for the new Bristol Hippodrome , which was to become Matcham's last major design. The inter-war period was slow for theatrical architects and builders, mainly because of the introduction of cinema, and many of the theatres that had been designed in Matcham's office were now becoming picture houses. Matcham & Co.'s projects had started to slow down by 1913; that year,
11780-527: The designs for the Tower Ballroom at Blackpool Tower , Grand Theatre, Blackpool , both in 1894, and the County Arcade , Leeds, in 1900. The author Iain Mackintosh, writing for the Dictionary of National Biography in 1993, describes Matcham's theatre interiors to be superior when compared to the building's external designs. Matcham's use of cantilevers for the galleries allowed him to discontinue
11935-495: The effects of orchestra and soloists; the chorus retired into the background. L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato has a rather diverting character; the work is light and fresh. During the summer of 1741, the 3rd Duke of Devonshire invited Handel to Dublin , capital of the Kingdom of Ireland , to give concerts for the benefit of local hospitals. Composed in London between 22 August and 14 September 1741, Handel's Messiah
12090-721: The excellent Johann Kuhnau served as a model for me in fugue and counterpoint; but in fashioning melodic movements and examining them Handel and I were constantly occupied, frequently visiting each other as well as writing letters." Although Mainwaring records that Handel wrote weekly when assistant to Zachow and as probationary organist at Domkirche part of his duty was to provide suitable music, no sacred compositions from his Halle period can now be identified. Mattheson, however, summarised his opinion of Handel's church cantatas written in Halle: "Handel in those days set very, very long arias and sheerly unending cantatas which, while not possessing
12245-569: The family vault in Highgate Cemetery . He left an estate worth £86,389 (£4,380,000 in 2023 adjusted for inflation). Matcham bequeathed his company, equally, to Briggs and Chancellor. A journalist for The Architect newspaper predicted that the business would continue, which it did, although it never achieved the same success as it did under Matcham. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Chancellor retired and moved to
12400-577: The finest materials from around the world and instructed Bridgeman to design the interior in an exuberant French style. Garlick notes that it was highly likely that Singer's exuberance would have influenced someone as architecturally impressionable as Matcham whose later theatres also used extravagant decoration. In around 1875, soon after the completion of Singer's house, Matcham secured a job with J. T. Robinson 's office in London. The employment allowed Matcham to become more familiar with what Matcham's biographer Brian Mercer Walker calls, "theatre design of
12555-457: The first telephone exchanges in Europe and the introduction of the telephone to St. Petersburg and Riga where he personally installed Alexander II of Russia 's phone system. Through his later work, he founded several concrete-making companies and invented a cement stone pulveriser for which he owned the patent . Sydney Matcham (1868–1957) moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania , where he founded
12710-640: The gallery and backstage area, new seats in the gallery and upper circle, a new get-in lift to replace the ramp and new backstage working lights as well as re-wiring and painting the backstage area and dressing rooms. The current capacity is 902 seats. In 2011, FT Magazine featured an article on opera house design. The writer praised the European opera houses "designed by the Viennese architectural firm of Fellner and Helmer (the Zurich Opera House
12865-646: The grandeur and sublimity of his style, applauded for Il caro Sassone ("the dear Saxon" – referring to Handel's German origins). In June 1710, Handel became Kapellmeister to German prince George, the Elector of Hanover , but left at the end of the year. It is likely he was also invited by Charles Montagu the former ambassador in Venice to visit England. He visited Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici and her husband in Düsseldorf on his way to London. With his opera Rinaldo , based on La Gerusalemme Liberata by
13020-460: The importance of working to tight schedules imposed by demanding customers. In his spare time, Matcham visited many of London's buildings but took a particular liking to theatres and music halls . A building of special interest to him was the newly completed Gaiety Theatre in the Strand , designed by Charles J. Phipps . Matcham was impressed at Phipps's ability to build a normal-sized theatre on
13175-771: The impresarios included the Hackney Empire , and the Coliseum and Hippodrome theatres, both in Westminster . In total, Matcham was responsible for designing 21 theatres for Moss and Stoll over a 20-year period which ended with the Wood Green Empire, in 1912. Stoll intended the Hackney Empire to be his London headquarters, but the plan changed midway through construction when he decided to locate his offices further into central London: this caused
13330-615: The impression in Weissenfels that resulted in his receiving formal musical training. Sometime between the ages of seven and nine, Handel accompanied his father to Weissenfels , where he came under the notice of one whom Handel thereafter always regarded throughout life as his benefactor, Duke Johann Adolf I . Somehow Handel made his way to the court organ in the palace chapel of the Holy Trinity, where he surprised everyone with his playing. Overhearing this performance and noting
13485-420: The invitation of Ferdinando de' Medici . (Other sources say Handel was invited by Gian Gastone de' Medici , whom Handel had met in 1703–04 in Hamburg. ) Ferdinando, who had a keen interest in opera, was trying to make Florence Italy's musical capital by attracting the leading talents of his day. In Italy, Handel met librettist Antonio Salvi , with whom he later collaborated. Handel left for Rome and since opera
13640-461: The large numbers of people who died in a similar theatre fire in Exeter the previous year, Matcham improved the safety features, such as fireproofing the ceilings and walls; widening and straightening the staircases; using outwardly opening doors; installing hydrants on each floor; and hanging an automatic, fireproof curtain in the auditorium. The interior was decorated in terracotta and gold tints and
13795-618: The liberal arts." At the time Handel was studying either at Halle's Lutheran Gymnasium or the Latin School. Mainwaring has Handel travelling to Berlin the next year, 1698. The problem with Mainwaring as an authority for this date, however, is that he tells of how Handel's father communicated with the "king" during Handel's stay, declining the Court's offer to send Handel to Italy on a stipend and that his father died "after his return from Berlin." But since Georg Händel died in 1697, either
13950-497: The managing director of Moss Empires , a theatrical entertainment circuit headed by the impresario Edward Moss , which at its height was responsible for 33 theatres around Great Britain. Matcham first worked for Moss Empires in 1892 on the Empire Palace , Edinburgh . Moss was so impressed with Matcham's work that he commissioned him to design other provincial theatres over the next seven years. Matcham's work in London under
14105-500: The mansion of Lord Burlington, Handel wrote Amadigi di Gaula , a " magic " opera, about a damsel in distress , based on the tragedy by Antoine Houdar de la Motte . The conception of an opera as a coherent structure was slow to capture Handel's imagination and he composed no operas for five years. In July 1717, Handel's Water Music was performed more than three times on the River Thames for King George I and his guests. It
14260-592: The mid-1870s around 137 theatre fires had been reported in the United Kingdom which prompted parliament to create the Metropolis Management and Building Acts Amendment Act 1878 which established safety rules for developers to adhere to. Matcham found the rules to be problematic; because of them, the Elephant and Castle Theatre project had to be extended by six months. In 1882 Matcham took on
14415-409: The musical artists Howard Jones , Aled Jones , Leo Sayer and Razorlight , and the ballerina Anna Pavlova . After the Second World War, the theatre continued to serve primarily as a cinema. The building was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1970. The Opera House gradually fell into disrepair. In 1976, it was closed and rumours circulated that it would never reopen. In 1979, the building
14570-443: The negative effect such censorship was having on audience numbers. By the 1880s most music halls were either operated by amateur syndicates, who cared less about revenues and more about entertainment, or wealthy, profit-driven businessmen. Safety, in both cases, was frequently compromised, mainly down to cost, so much-needed renovations were often ignored. Music-halls had, for many years, been a hugely profitable business, but had become
14725-405: The newly built opera. He saw Teofane by Antonio Lotti , and engaged members of the cast for the Royal Academy of Music, founded by a group of aristocrats to assure themselves a constant supply of baroque opera or opera seria . Handel may have invited John Smith, his fellow student in Halle, and his son Johann Christoph Schmidt , to become his secretary and amanuensis . By 1723 he had moved into
14880-535: The old school", revelling in fugues, canons, and counterpoint. But he was also familiar with developments in music across Europe and his own compositions "embraced the new concerted, dramatic style". When Zachow discovered the talent of Handel, he introduced him "to a vast collection of German and Italian music, which he possessed, sacred and profane, vocal and instrumental compositions of different schools, different styles, and of every master". Many traits considered "Handelian" can be traced back to Zachow's music. At
15035-660: The only theatrical venture was the Palace Theatre, in Leicester . Matcham retired to Westcliff-on-Sea , Essex with his wife shortly before the First World War and left the running of the business to Chancellor and Briggs. He died at his house, 28 Westcliff Parade, on 17 May 1920. His death was attributed to blood poisoning, brought about from cutting his finger nails too short. The funeral took place at St. Paul's Church, Finchley , before his interment in
15190-414: The proper knack or correct taste, were perfect so far as harmony is concerned." Early chamber works do exist, but it is difficult to date any of them to Handel's time in Halle. Many historians until recently followed Chrysander and designated the six trio sonatas for two oboes and basso continuo as his first known composition, supposedly written in 1696 (when Handel was 11). Lang doubts the dating based on
15345-530: The redesign of the Grand Theatre in Islington . It was an important project for him: it was the first to be designed using unobstructed sightlines to the stage and was notable for its holding capacity, and prompt construction, something for which he latterly became known in architectural circles. The Grand was revolutionary in its design; it was used as an educational showpiece to amateur architects and it
15500-534: The regimental slow march of the British Grenadier Guards is derived, was performed as a stopgap, waiting for the arrival of Faustina Bordoni . In 1727, Handel was commissioned to write four anthems for the Coronation ceremony of King George II . One of these, Zadok the Priest , has been played at every British coronation ceremony since. The words to Zadok the Priest are taken from
15655-511: The remodelling and restoration of 58 others, between 1879 and 1910; Matcham's biographer Brian Walker lists him ahead of his contemporaries and counts 92 designs, with the closest to him being Charles J. Phipps, with 72. According to the theatre historians John Earl and Michael Sell, Matcham was the original architect for half of the 48 surviving theatres associated with him, and the rest he restored, altered or remodelled from existing buildings. A further 111 of his theatres were either bombed during
15810-547: The rights of Messiah to London's Foundling Hospital . Shortly after commencing his university education, Handel (though Lutheran ) on 13 March 1702 accepted the position of organist at the Calvinist Cathedral in Halle , the Domkirche, replacing J. C. Leporin, for whom he had acted as assistant. The position, which was a one-year probationary appointment, showed the foundation he had received from Zachow, for
15965-780: The royal family. In March 1734 Handel composed a wedding anthem This is the day which the Lord hath made , and a serenata Parnasso in Festa for Anne, Princess Royal . Despite the problems the Opera of the Nobility was causing him at the time, Handel's neighbour in Brook Street, Mary Delany , reported on a party she invited Handel to at her house on 12 April 1734 where he was in good spirits: I had Lady Rich and her daughter, Lady Cath. Hanmer and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Percival, Sir John Stanley and my brother, Mrs. Donellan, Strada [star soprano of Handel's operas] and Mr. Coot. Lord Shaftesbury begged of Mr. Percival to bring him, and being
16120-524: The same time Handel continued practice on the harpsichord , and learned violin and organ, but according to Burney his special affection was for the hautbois (oboe). Schoelcher speculates that his youthful devotion to the instrument explains the large number of pieces he composed for the oboe. With respect to instruction in composition, in addition to having Handel apply himself to traditional fugue and cantus firmus work, Zachow, recognising Handel's precocious talents, systematically introduced Handel to
16275-399: The same way that the Italian cantatas stood to his operas: "splendid sketches of the more monumental works." Another work, which he wrote for The 1st Duke of Chandos , the owner of Cannons, was Acis and Galatea : during Handel's lifetime, it was his most performed work. Winton Dean wrote that "the music catches breath and disturbs the memory". In 1719, the Duke of Chandos became one of
16430-480: The school, largely to provide a lecture forum for the jurist Christian Thomasius who had been expelled from Leipzig for his liberal views. Handel did not enrol in the faculty of law, although he almost certainly attended lectures. Thomasius was an intellectual and academic crusader, who was the first German academic to lecture in German and also denounced witch trials. Lang believes that Thomasius instilled in Handel
16585-603: The seats covered in crimson upholstery. Other theatres followed for the Revill family who had by now employed Matcham full-time to work on their projects. Bury and Rochdale , then both in Lancashire, were to get their own Theatre Royal and Opera House with the Rochdale building being a renovation of an existing building. The Bury theatre opened on 26 December 1889 with a pantomime production. The theatre lacked interior decoration as Matcham had been behind schedule. He made
16740-438: The shows and artists that appear. Volunteers from the local community are also employed for front-of-house duties including bar work and as ushers. By the 1990s, more work was needed to repair and modernise the theatre, and from 1999 to 2001 an extensive programme of internal and external restoration took place. In February 2007, another refurbishment was completed at the Opera House that saw the installation of air conditioning in
16895-479: The singers appeared in their own clothes. In 1736, Handel produced Alexander's Feast . John Beard appeared for the first time as one of Handel's principal singers and became Handel's permanent tenor soloist for the rest of Handel's life. The piece was a great success and it encouraged Handel to make the transition from writing Italian operas to English choral works. In Saul , Handel was collaborating with Charles Jennens and experimenting with three trombones,
17050-456: The smaller churches all had "able organists and fair choirs", and humanities and the letters thrived (Shakespeare was performed in the theatres early in the 17th century). The Thirty Years' War brought extensive destruction to Halle, and by the 1680s it was impoverished. However, since the middle of the war the city had been under the administration of the Duke of Saxony , and soon after the end of
17205-407: The solo voice; but there is no single composer who taught him how to write for chorus. Handel tended more and more to replace Italian soloists with English ones. The most significant reason for this change was the dwindling financial returns from his operas. Thus a tradition was created for oratorios which was to govern their future performance. The performances were given without costumes and action;
17360-540: The subject of stringent regulations and safety controls. By 1880 covert inspections were taking place by local authorities to ensure proprietors were adhering to the safety requirements; the rules were so strict that a lot of the ageing halls, particularly those whose proprietors had little money, were forced to close. Those that remained open were instructed to improve and refurbish their premises to meet expectations. The boom required competent architects who knew how theatres worked. From 1898 to 1910 Oswald Stoll had been
17515-534: The summer of 1713, he lived at Mr. Mathew Andrews' estate in Barn Elms , Surrey. He received a yearly income of £200 from Queen Anne after composing for her the Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate , first performed in 1713. One of his most important patrons was the 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork , a young and extremely wealthy member of an Anglo-Irish aristocratic family. While living in
17670-561: The temptation of music as a career. Schoelcher for example has Handel travelling to Berlin at 11, meeting both Bononcini and Attilio Ariosti in Berlin and then returning at the direction of his father. But Ariosti was not in Berlin before the death of Handel's father, and Handel could not have met Bononcini in Berlin before 1702. Modern biographers either accept the year as 1698, since most reliable older authorities agree with it, and discount what Mainwaring says about what took place during
17825-407: The theatre was wired for sound and could present "talkies". The Opera House also became the venue for an annual summer theatre festival from 1936 to 1942, two of them in conjunction with Lilian Baylis and her London-based Old Vic company. People who performed at the opera house include the actor Alec Guinness , the comedians Ken Dodd , Peter Kay , Harry Hill , Sarah Millican and John Bishop ,
17980-406: The theatres throughout the United Kingdom. Matcham's most successful period was between 1892 and 1912 when he worked extensively for Moss Empires, a theatre building business headed by Edward Moss and run by Oswald Stoll . Under them, Matcham completed 21 theatres, including three in London, with the rest being in the provinces. Also during this period, although not with Moss Empires, he completed
18135-556: The theatrical magazine The Stage , Matcham's design provided "a handsome marble staircase, the landmark tower topped by a revolving globe and an impressive range of amenities, including spacious tea-rooms on each floor, lifts to the theatre's upper levels, lavishly decorated retiring rooms, a roof-garden with a glass-domed roof and an information bureau from which messages and telegrams could be sent and where doctors might register their whereabouts in case of emergencies". Matcham rarely ventured away from theatres but did so on occasion. He
18290-506: The trip or assume that Mainwaring conflated two or more visits to Berlin, as he did with Handel's later trips to Venice. Perhaps to fulfil a promise to his father or simply because he saw himself as "dedicated to the liberal arts", on 10 February 1702 Handel matriculated at the University of Halle . That university had only recently been founded. In 1694, the Elector of Brandenburg Frederick III (later Prussian King Frederick I) created
18445-585: The trip to Berlin. Burrows dates this trip to 1702 or 1703 (after his father's death) and concludes that since Handel (through a "friend and relation" at the Berlin court) turned down Frederick's offer to subsidise his musical education in Italy (with the implicit understanding that he would become a court musician on his return), Handel was no longer able to expect preferment (whether as a musician, lawyer or otherwise) within Brandenburg-Prussia. Since he
18600-530: The use of cantilevered steel in his designs, and took out patents to protect his work. The theatre featured a revolving stage, the first of its kind in London, which allowed for imaginative ideas, including the theatre's extravagant celebrations of Derby Day , featuring guesting jockeys riding real horses, galloping against the moving revolve. Backstage there were, according to Pevsner, "box-to-box telephones" and "changing rooms so that evening dress could be donned on site". The Coliseum cost £250,000 to build. What
18755-484: The use of columns, which would otherwise obstruct the audience's view of the stage. The auditorium decorations were often mixed with Tudor strap-work, Louis XIV detail, Anglo-Indian motifs, naval and military insignia, rococo panels, classical statuary, and baroque columns. Matcham retired to Westcliff-on-Sea , Essex , shortly before the First World War, where he died of a heart attack, brought about by
18910-451: The variety of styles and masterworks contained in his extensive library. He did this by requiring Handel to copy selected scores. "I used to write like the devil in those days", Handel recalled much later. Much of this copying was entered into a notebook that Handel maintained for the rest of his life. Although it has since disappeared, the notebook has been sufficiently described to understand what pieces Zachow wished Handel to study. Among
19065-523: The war he would bring musicians trained in Dresden to his court in Weissenfels . The arts and music, however, flourished only among the higher strata (not only in Halle but throughout Germany), of which Handel's family was not a part. Georg Händel (senior) was born at the beginning of the war and was apprenticed to a barber in Halle at the age of 14 after his father died. When he was 20, he married
19220-426: The wars, destroyed by fire, or demolished as part of area regeneration, mostly during the 1960s. From the start of the 1900s Crewe and W. G. R. Sprague had started to make names for themselves in architectural circles. It has been suggested by various architectural journals that Crewe and Sprague were pupils of Matcham, and although Glasstone was sceptical of this in his 1975 book Victorian and Edwardian Theatres ,
19375-421: The widow of the official barber-surgeon of a suburb of Halle, inheriting his practice. With this, Georg determinedly began the process of becoming self-made; by dint of his "conservative, steady, thrifty, unadventurous" lifestyle, he guided the five children he had with Anna who reached adulthood into the medical profession (except his youngest daughter, who married a government official). Anna died in 1682. Within
19530-484: The wise king Solomon . Solomon contains a short and lively instrumental passage for two oboes and strings in act 3, known as "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba". The use of English soloists reached its height at the first performance of Samson . The work is highly theatrical. The role of the chorus became increasingly important in his later oratorios. Jephtha was first performed on 26 February 1752; even though it
19685-530: The year before. Matcham was afforded the benefit of being able to use the existing building, which increased the possibility of his being able to finish the project on time. The same year, The Grand Cirque and Amphitheatre opened in Bolton. Matcham's design allowed for it to be used as a circus and a theatre and for the venue to be changed between the two in a few hours. It was decorated in the Italian style and had
19840-513: The young architect to become a nationally recognisable name in theatrical architecture and brought him to the forefront of his profession. Matcham was commissioned in 1888 by Revill's son, the theatre manager Wallace Revill, to design a new theatre on land he had purchased in St Helens , Lancashire . The new theatre was named the Theatre Royal and Opera House. It was constructed of brick with stone dressings and comprised an orchestra pit, stalls,
19995-401: The youth of the performer caused the Duke, whose suggestions were not to be disregarded, to recommend to Georg Händel that Handel be given musical instruction. Handel's father engaged the organist at the Halle parish church, the young Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow , to instruct Handel. Zachow would be the only teacher that Handel ever had. Because of his church employment, Zachow was an organist "of
20150-442: Was "alarmed" at Handel's very early propensity for music, "took every measure to oppose it", including forbidding any musical instrument in the house and preventing Handel from going to any house where they might be found. This did nothing to dampen young Handel's inclination; in fact, it did the reverse. Mainwaring tells the story of Handel's secret attic spinet : Handel "found means to get a little clavichord privately convey'd to
20305-544: Was "often" absent, "from his love of company, and a cheerful glass", and Handel, therefore, performed on organ frequently. What is more, according to Mainwaring, Handel began composing, at the age of nine, church services for voice and instruments "and from that time actually did compose a service every week for three years successively". Mainwaring ends this chapter of Handel's life by concluding that three or four years had been enough to allow Handel to surpass Zachow, and Handel had become "impatient for another situation"; "Berlin
20460-640: Was (temporarily) banned in the Papal States , composed sacred music for the Roman clergy. His famous Dixit Dominus (1707) is from this era. He also composed cantatas in pastoral style for musical gatherings in the palaces of duchess Aurora Sanseverino (whom Mainwaring called "Donna Laura") one of the most influential patrons from the Kingdom of Naples , and cardinals Pietro Ottoboni , Benedetto Pamphili and Carlo Colonna . Two oratorios , La resurrezione and Il trionfo del tempo , were produced in
20615-556: Was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas , oratorios , anthems , concerti grossi , and organ concertos . Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727 . He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of
20770-478: Was a dramatic genius of the first order." His music was admired by Classical-era composers, especially Mozart , Haydn and Beethoven . Handel was born in 1685 (the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti ) in Halle , in the Duchy of Magdeburg , then part of Brandenburg-Prussia. His parents were Georg Händel , aged 63, and Dorothea Taust. His father was an eminent barber-surgeon who served
20925-519: Was an English architect who specialised in the design of theatres and music halls . He worked extensively in London, predominantly under Moss Empires for whom he designed the Hippodrome in 1900, Hackney Empire (1901), Coliseum (1903), Shepherd's Bush Empire (1903) and Palladium (1910). His last major commission before retirement was the Victoria Palace Theatre (1911) for the variety magnate Alfred Butt . During his 40-year career, Matcham
21080-530: Was attracted to secular, dramatic music (by meeting the Italians Bononcini and Attilio Ariosti and through the influence of Telemann), Hamburg, a free city with an established opera company, was the logical choice. The question remains, however, why Handel rejected the King's offer, given that Italy was the centre of opera. Lang suggests that influenced by the teachings of Thomasius, Handel's character
21235-645: Was back in Torquay and again under the guidance of Bridgeman, this time as his chief assistant. Bridgeman was eager to take advantage of Matcham's experience in London and asked him to help on the redesign of the Lyceum Theatre in Torquay. Isaac Singer , the American businessman, moved from France to Devon in late 1871. His intention was to buy a large property in the English countryside for his family. His attempt at buying Isambard Kingdom Brunel 's estate
21390-573: Was born in 1878, and Constance, in 1884. In an interview with Vanity Fair , Matcham listed an interest in music but admitted that although he owned a Stradivarius violin, he "wasn't particularly good with it". Another hobby was amateur dramatics and the Matchams would perform minor pieces at their address in Dollis Avenue, Finchley, for the entertainment of their neighbours. From a review of Matcham's personal archives, Walker concludes that
21545-546: Was commissioned by the Blackpool Tower Company, a Standard Contract & Debenture Corporation, to design the decoration for the ballroom, which formed part of their entertainment complex in Blackpool , Lancashire . The ballroom's interior was Matcham's only design for the complex, although Historic England consider it probable that he was also responsible for the remodelling of the circus, also within
21700-451: Was composed in Italy in 1707, followed by La resurrezione in 1708 which uses material from the Bible. The circumstances of Esther and its first performance, possibly in 1718, are obscure. Another 12 years had passed when an act of piracy caused him to take up Esther once again. Three earlier performances aroused such interest that they naturally prompted the idea of introducing it to
21855-545: Was easy and seemed pleased. In 1733, the Earl of Essex received a letter with the following sentence: "Handel became so arbitrary a prince, that the Town murmurs." The board of chief investors expected Handel to retire when his contract ended, but Handel immediately looked for another theatre. In cooperation with John Rich he started his third company at Covent Garden Theatre . Rich was renowned for his spectacular productions. He suggested Handel use his small chorus and introduce
22010-553: Was first performed at the New Music Hall in Fishamble Street , Dublin on 13 April 1742, with 26 boys and five men from the combined choirs of St Patrick's and Christ Church cathedrals participating. Handel secured a balance between soloists and chorus which he never surpassed. In 1747, Handel wrote his oratorio Alexander Balus . This work was produced at Covent Garden Theatre in London, on 23 March 1748, and to
22165-526: Was his last oratorio, it was no less a masterpiece than his earlier works. In 1749, Handel composed Music for the Royal Fireworks ; 12,000 people attended the first performance. In 1750, he arranged a performance of Messiah to benefit the Foundling Hospital , a children's home in London. The performance was considered a great success and was followed by annual concerts that continued throughout his life. In recognition of his patronage, Handel
22320-512: Was introduced to William J. Revill, the proprietor of the People's Temperance Hall in Stockport . The Revill family were influential in theatrical circles with their connection to the stage going back to the 18th century. Revill contracted Matcham to draw up designs for a new building after the hall was destroyed by a fire in 1887. The new building, as with most of the Revill family's theatres,
22475-675: Was made a governor of the Hospital the day after his initial concert. He bequeathed a copy of Messiah to the institution upon his death. His involvement with the Foundling Hospital is today commemorated with a permanent exhibition in London's Foundling Museum , which also holds the Gerald Coke Handel Collection . In addition to the Foundling Hospital, Handel also gave to a charity that assisted impoverished musicians and their families. In August 1750, on
22630-414: Was offered a job at a quantity surveyor 's office in London in around 1868. Working in the capital allowed Matcham to study with different architectural professionals. His training under a quantity surveyor taught him how to draw up estimates of cost, interact with building contractors, and introduced him to complex calculations, something which he was unlikely to have been taught at school. He also learnt
22785-570: Was often visited and commented on by architectural critics and journalists. In one of the three volumes, entitled Modern Opera Houses and Theatres , which were published between 1896 and 1898, the author Edwin Sachs made reference to the Grand's "good sighting and acoustics of the auditorium, economy of space and cost, and rapidity of execution". Matcham's improvement of sightlines were a result of his use of cantilevered steel. This new design allowed for
22940-430: Was problematic and Matcham had to make a series of adjustments. To compensate, he designed a ventilation system which involved the installation of an exhaust duct over the auditorium gas light which caused the heat from the burners to rise up and create a movement of air through the theatre. It was a design that he also used on the Gaiety, Matcham's second Glaswegian theatre. The Royalty took just four weeks to complete and
23095-482: Was relatively inexpensive, two factors that helped enhance his reputation. Matcham met the actor and theatrical manager James Elliston in 1886. Elliston, a native of Edinburgh , had heard of the architect through his work in Glasgow and commissioned him to reconstruct the side boxes and gallery and to improve the acoustics and ventilation system at his theatre, the Theatre Royal, Blackburn . Through Elliston, Matcham
23250-476: Was responsible for the design and construction of over 90 theatres and the redesign and refurbishment of a further 80 throughout the United Kingdom. Matcham was born in Newton Abbot , Devon , where he became apprenticed at the age of 14 to the architect George Soudon Bridgman . Matcham moved to London, aged 21, where he joined the architectural practice of J. T. Robinson , who was to become his father-in-law. Under Robinson, Matcham completed his first solo design,
23405-412: Was restored, and an orchestra pit was added to the original Matcham design. Since then, the Opera House has been a full-time venue for stage productions, presenting approximately 450 performances per year, including opera, dance, musical theatre , pantomime , comedy, drama, children's shows and concerts. The theatre is staffed by a small full-time technical crew for all the backstage work, setting up all
23560-440: Was such that he was unable to make himself subservient to anyone, even a king. Lang sees Handel as someone who could not accept class distinctions that required him to regard himself as a social inferior. "What Handel craved was personal freedom to raise himself out of his provincial milieu to a life of culture." Burrows notes that, like his father, Handel was able to accept royal (and aristocratic) favours without considering himself
23715-450: Was the place agreed upon." Carelessness with dates or sequences (and possibly imaginative interpretation by Mainwaring) makes this period confused. Handel's father died on 11 February 1697. It was German custom for friends and family to compose funeral odes for a substantial burgher like Georg, and young Handel discharged his duty with a poem dated 18 February and signed with his name and (in deference to his father's wishes) "dedicated to
23870-426: Was to be named the Theatre Royal and Opera House; it was completed to schedule the following year. The finished structure was considered to be state of the art by the town's magistrates who granted an entertainments licence that June. The Era considered the new building to be "undoubtedly one of the finest theatres in the country". According to the biographer Michael Sell, Matcham's relationship with Elliston helped
24025-618: Was unsuccessful and instead, he purchased the Fernham Estate, in Torbay , on which Oldway Mansion was eventually built. Singer commissioned Bridgeman's office to undertake the design and instructed that a theatre be built within the house, long since demolished. Garlick considers it entirely possible that Matcham was given responsibility for the design of the theatre because of his educational experiences in London. Singer spared no cost in terms of Oldway Mansion's construction; he sourced
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