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129-526: Jessie Charlotte Bond (10 January 1853 – 17 June 1942) was an English singer and actress best known for creating the mezzo-soprano soubrette roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas . She spent twenty years on the stage, the bulk of them with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company . Musical from an early age, Bond began a concert singing career in Liverpool by 1870. At the age of 17, she entered into

258-609: A Fancy Dress ball was held in aid of St Ann 's Dispensary. The Small Concert Room it was regularly host to Charles Dickens , who held many of his readings there. Prior to Dickens sailing to America a banquet was hosted in the Great Hall for him on 10 April 1869. A cross section of activities in the 1880s include 24 March 1886, evening concert in an aid of District Cotton Porters and Dock Labourers; 1 November 1886 Large Hall, benevolent fund Liverpool Operative Platerworkers' Association; 5 April 1887 'Special' Grand Jury Room. To exhibit

387-466: A civil engineer . In 1897, at the age of 44, Bond married Ransome and left the stage. They were happily married for 25 years, moving to Nottinghamshire , where Bond lived the life of a country squire's wife. She also occasionally gave charity concerts and assisted amateur theatre companies. She survived her husband by twenty years, living to the age of 89. Bond was born in Camden Town , London,

516-465: A Doric ambulatory around the apse with two bronze Torchères by Messengers of Birmingham decorated with allegorical scenes, the apse contains stairs, unlike the other main entrances where the stairs are external. A copy in plaster of part of the Parthenon frieze runs round its walls. In the centre of the south wall is a marble statue of Henry Booth shown standing up, carved 1874 by William Theed

645-667: A brief, unhappy marriage. After leaving her abusive husband, she continued her concert career and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with such famous singing teachers as Manuel García . At the age of 25, in 1878, Bond began her theatrical career, creating the role of Cousin Hebe in Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore , which became an international success. After this, she created roles of increasing importance with

774-732: A busy schedule throughout the early 1870s. She gave a recital at St. George's Hall , Liverpool, at the end of January 1871. In November 1871, Mr and Mrs Howard Paul 's Benefit at the Queen's Hall, Liverpool, featured J. L. Toole , and "Miss Jessie Bond and Miss Pattie Laverne both sing several new ballads". In 1873, she was the contralto soloist in Mendelssohn's Elijah in Birkenhead and in Handel's Messiah in Liverpool. In 1875 at

903-497: A choral society in Liverpool, who she hoped would be able to help Bond's singing career. Schottländer was ten years older than Bond and had travelled, and the teenaged Bond became fascinated by him, breaking off her previous relationship. Under Schottländer's tutelage, Bond's voice developed rapidly. She gave her first public vocal performance in November 1869 at a concert of his pupils, singing "Ah! quel giorno" from Semiramide and

1032-404: A closely linked trio throughout the work as much as possible. Bond, however, knew how to stand out on stage. During preparations for The Mikado , she persuaded the wardrobe mistress to make the obi of her costume twice as big as that of the other "little maids". She wrote: "I made the most of my big, big bow, turning my back to the audience whenever I got a chance, and waggling it. The gallery

1161-463: A corridor and leads into the Great Hall. This measures 169 feet (52 m) by 77 feet (23 m) and is 82 feet (25 m) high. The inspiration for the Great Hall are the Baths of Caracalla . The roof is a tunnel vault , built of hollow brick was designed by Robert Rawlinson completed 1849, it is carried on eight columns, 18 feet (5 m) in height, of polished red Cairngall granite, these reduce

1290-412: A friend's house and forced her to stay the night with him. He convinced her that she was "compromised" and that they must marry. The next day, she was taken to Manchester, where they were married. The marriage was a terrible experience for Bond, and she became pregnant and ill. "He ill-treated both my mind and my body, he denied me every comfort, often I had not even enough to eat. To add to my wretchedness,

1419-656: A fuller, more dramatic quality. Such roles include Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte and Zerlina in his Don Giovanni . Mezzos sometimes play dramatic soprano roles such as Santuzza in Mascagni 's Cavalleria rusticana , Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth , and Kundry in Wagner's Parsifal . The vocal range of the mezzo-sopranos lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types . Mezzo-sopranos generally have

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1548-423: A genuine comedy-actress, for never before had the opportunity been afforded her to display her latent talent—Jessie Bond's triumph came as a surprise to all.... So true to real life was the portrayal of Mad Margaret that Mr. Forbes Winslow, the famous authority on mental disorders, wrote a congratulatory letter to Miss Bond and inquired where she had found the model from which she had studied, and so faithfully copied

1677-554: A heavier, darker tone than sopranos. The mezzo-soprano voice resonates in a higher range than that of a contralto. The terms Dugazon and Galli-Marié are sometimes used to refer to light mezzo-sopranos, after the names of famous singers. Usually men singing within the female range are called countertenors since there is a lighter more breathy tonal (falsetto) quality difference. In current operatic practice, female singers with very low tessituras are often included among mezzo-sopranos, because singers in both ranges are able to cover

1806-400: A higher sphere. During the run of The Mikado , Bond met Lewis Ransome, a young civil engineer from a wealthy Quaker family. He had just returned from America, and the two compared travel experiences. Ransome admitted to Bond that, after watching The Mikado , he had mentioned to his sister that he "liked the little one with the big sash best. So next day when she saw a photograph of you in

1935-428: A home for wounded ex-servicemen of the last war [and] would give an impromptu entertainment, playing and singing her old songs. She liked to go to parties and would always play and sing." The Worthing Gazette stated that Bond continued to be much loved in her later years, and people came to see her from all over Britain to pay homage in her old age. The Worthing Herald wrote: "Despite her great age, Miss Bond preserved

2064-506: A large house in Farndon . During one of her illnesses, Gilbert wrote to her that "The Savoy is not itself without you." Although Bond's life as a performer in the theatre had ended at age 44, she occasionally gave charity concerts thereafter. Unlike Bond's first marriage, her second was a happy one. Initially reluctant to leave London, Bond reported, "We entertained a good deal, and gave hunt lunches and shooting parties of our own, so my time

2193-498: A later generation. Behind and between the columnar and pseudo-columnar elements which dominate the facades the wall surfaces are rather flat. The relief of the various panels articulating these surfaces and that of the rare window frames is very low. Windows are completely suppressed on the south and the east fronts; the mouldings throughout, though large in size because of the tremendous scale, are extremely refined, cold and quite unornamented." Henry-Russell Hitchcock The following

2322-402: A lead role ): The lyric mezzo-soprano has a range from approximately the G note below middle C (G 3 , 196 Hz) to the A two octaves above middle C (A 5 , 880 Hz). This voice has a very smooth, sensitive and at times lachrymose quality. Lyric mezzo-sopranos do not have the vocal agility of the coloratura mezzo-soprano or the size of the dramatic mezzo-soprano. The lyric mezzo-soprano

2451-527: A man in the past, Bond ignored such attentions. One poem sent to her by an admirer ran in mock-Gilbertian style as follows (in part): After the company had moved into the new Savoy Theatre , Bond met the Prince of Wales on several occasions, who assisted her career, securing singing engagements for her. Bond wrote of her next role, "It was like a dream come true when I saw my own name in the title role" of Iolanthe (1882–84). Bond's first entrance as Iolanthe

2580-622: A man who will.' Bond wrote of her feelings at the end of her last performance: "Twenty years of hard work, twenty years of fun and frolic and jolly companionship, twenty years of living in an atmosphere of tuneful nonsense, with the glare of the footlights in my eyes and the thunders of applause in my ears. How terribly I should miss it all! And domesticity, that all my life I had fled from, had caught me at last." Bond and Ransome spent three years in London, where Bond entertained her neighbours and theatrical friends with musical soirees and dinner parties. She also participated in charity benefits, such as

2709-461: A monument to Major-General William Earle by Birch. Between the equestrian statues is the Grade I Liverpool Cenotaph which was unveiled in 1930, designed by L. B. Budden and sculpted by H. Tyson Smith. It consists of a simple horizontal block with a bronze relief measuring over 31 feet (9 m) on each side. Sharples and Pollard regard it as one of the most remarkable war memorials in

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2838-505: A note!' He gave me a final frenzied hug, and vanished." In each of the new Gilbert and Sullivan operas, Bond's roles continued to grow larger and more challenging, until with Margaret, Phœbe, and Tessa in The Gondoliers (1889–91), Bond's roles were at least as important as any other female role. By the time The Gondoliers was in preparation, Gilbert felt that his regular principal cast members were becoming too demanding and that

2967-518: A part as Edith, for if you left us now, and came back to us to play that part, I should be satisfied. But if you didn't play it, my calculations would be all upset, and I should lose a dear little lady for whom I have always had a very special regard. True to Gilbert's word, Bond's next original role was the important role of Phœbe Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888–89). Bond wrote, "My share in

3096-417: A performance of H.M.S. Pinafore for the benefit of the families of soldiers and sailors, on 6 January 1900, in the village of Maiden Bradley . In 1900, the lease on Ransome's family business (Ransome and Co., later Ransome & Marles , a manufacturer of bearings and wood-working machinery) ran out, and it relocated to Newark , Nottinghamshire, to reduce costs. Bond and Ransome moved near the new factory to

3225-545: A portion of the recitative was converted to spoken dialogue, and Bond would have dialogue in all of the remaining roles that she created. She quickly grew to enjoy character acting. In December 1878, Bond created the part of Maria in After All! , composed by Alfred Cellier , when that companion piece was added to the bill with Pinafore . In late 1879, Bond travelled to America with Gilbert, Sullivan and D'Oyly Carte to give American audiences their first opportunity to see

3354-457: A projecting central part with square columns supporting a large entablature . The north front has a semicircular apse with columns and three doorways that are flanked by statues of nereids or tritons bearing a cornucopia with lamps attached, the central doors on the south and east fronts have similar statues, and were sculpted by William Nicholl. The south front has an octastyle portico (eight columns wide), two columns deep, on steps above

3483-682: A quick and active mind, and hated to be fussed over." She died in 1942 at age 89 in Worthing. Mezzo-soprano While mezzo-sopranos typically sing secondary roles in operas, notable exceptions include the title role in Bizet 's Carmen , Angelina ( Cinderella ) in Rossini 's La Cenerentola , and Rosina in Rossini's Barber of Seville (all of which are also sung by sopranos and contraltos). Many 19th-century French-language operas give

3612-513: A range from approximately the G below middle C (G 3 , 196 Hz) to the B two octaves above middle C (B 5 , 988 Hz). Some coloratura mezzo-sopranos can sing up to high C (C 6 , 1047 Hz) or high D (D 6 , 1175 Hz), but this is very rare. What distinguishes these voices from being called sopranos is their extension into the lower register and warmer vocal quality. Although coloratura mezzo-sopranos have impressive and at times thrilling high notes, they are most comfortable singing in

3741-491: A rise, and Gilbert was furious with me. All the time we were rehearsing [ The Gondoliers ] he never spoke to me, and only acknowledged my existence by sometimes saying sneeringly: 'Make way for the High-Salaried Artiste!' ...Passing storms like this did occasionally ruffle the course of our friendship, but on the whole it flowed on deep and strong". During the run of The Gondoliers , Queen Victoria called for

3870-427: A royal command performance of the show at Windsor Castle . Bond wrote, I quaked a little as we began our quartet "A Right-down Regular Royal Queen". But [this and Barrington's solo] numbers seemed to amuse the real Queen more than anything else in the opera, and, indeed, who could so well as she see the point of them? The very fact of her choosing this opera from all the others to be played before her shows how vivid

3999-427: A rusticated podium. On the south portico entablature is a classical Latin inscription using V where U would now be used, that reads ‘ARTIBVS LEGIBVS CONSILIIS LOCVM MVNICIPES CONSTITVERVNT ANNO DOMINI MDCCCXLI’ (For Arts, Law and Counsel the townspeople built this place in 1841). The tympanum in the pediment above the south portico once contained sculptures of Britannia enthroned at the centre protecting agriculture and

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4128-409: A shop window she went in and bought it. She gave it to me and I have it now." Thus, despite Bond's aversion to romance, began a long friendship that led, twelve years later, to Bond's second marriage. Ransome, several years younger than Bond, proposed marriage on many occasions over the course of the relationship, but Bond told him that she would not marry while she continued on the stage. Over the years,

4257-504: A song by her teacher. She soon became the leading contralto soloist at the Seel Street Benedictine Church (now known as St. Peter's Catholic Church) in the same city. Her father's enquiries revealed that Schottländer was a "bad lot", and he forbade any engagement until Bond was older. On 8 March 1870, by Bond's account, Schottländer abducted the 17-year-old Bond on her way to sing at a church service, took her to

4386-681: A stage and backdrop for major civic and cultural events, from the city's Christmas Markets to the World War 1 tribute Weeping Window in 2015 and the Liverpool Giants in 2014 and 2018. The exterior of St George's Hall has been used a filming location for several films and television series, including the BBC series Peaky Blinders and The War of the Worlds , the 1993 film In the Name of

4515-465: A teenager. At the age of sixteen, she began to study singing, which she much preferred to teaching. The same year, at Hope Hall (now the Everyman Theatre ) in Liverpool, she accompanied the music students of professor Isouard Praeger, her piano teacher. The next year, she made her own concert singing debut. Bond's mother took her to see Ferdinand Alexis Schottländer (d. 1885), the director of

4644-566: A total of 119 ranks of pipes, plus 10  couplers , 10 composition pedals, and 36 pistons to set combinations of stops. It was initially tuned to meantone temperament to the specification of S. S. Wesley but in 1867 W. T. Best, city organist, had it retuned to equal temperament . The organ was rebuilt in 1896 when the key action was changed from the Willis-Barker lever assisted tracker (i.e. pneumatic assisted mechanical) action to pneumatic action. Also

4773-424: A veteran performer, Mrs Howard Paul . But Gilbert and Sullivan were unhappy with Mrs. Paul's vocal abilities, which were deteriorating. Finally, with only about a week to go before opening night, Carte hired Bond to play Cousin Hebe. At this stage of her career, Bond was not comfortable with spoken dialogue, and so her character was written out, or given nothing to say, in several scenes. After opening night, however,

4902-568: Is 144. With 7,737 pipes, it was the largest organ in the country until a larger one was built at the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, after which an organ even larger than the one at the Royal Albert Hall was constructed at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral , using over 10,000 pipes. Repairs were made to the organ as part of the restoration of the hall in 2000–2007, including replacement of the bellows leather. The organ

5031-491: Is a building on St George's Place, opposite Lime Street railway station in the centre of Liverpool , England. Opened in 1854, it is a Neoclassical building which contains concert halls and law courts, and is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building . On the east side of the hall, between it and the railway station, is St George's Plateau and on

5160-522: Is a gate leading directly into the Crown Court. The niches contain the statues of William Roscoe by Chantrey , Sir William Brown by Patrick MacDowell , Robert Peel by Matthew Noble , George Stephenson by John Gibson , Hugh Boyd M‘Neile by George Gamon Adams , Edward Whitley by A. Bruce Joy , S. R. Graves by G. G. Fontana, Rev Jonathan Brookes by B. E. Spence, William Ewart Gladstone by John Adams-Acton,

5289-473: Is about the Small Concert Hall: "Exquisite in color and covered with most elegant decoration in low relief, this room is above all a masterly exercise in the use of those 'shams' Camdenians most abominated. The balconies are of cast iron designed to look like some sort of woven wickerwork; of iron also are the pierced ventilating grilles along the front of the stage and in the ceiling panels around

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5418-403: Is ideal for most trouser roles . Lyric mezzo-soprano roles in operas ( * denotes a lead role ): A dramatic mezzo-soprano has a strong medium register, a warm high register and a voice that is broader and more powerful than the lyric and coloratura mezzo-sopranos. This voice has less vocal facility than the coloratura mezzo-soprano. The range of the dramatic mezzo-soprano is from approximately

5547-431: Is maintained by David Wells, Organ Builders. The first organist was W. T. Best (1826–97) who was appointed in 1855 and served until 1894. He was succeeded in 1896 by Dr Albert Lister Peace (1844–1912) who continued in the post until the year of his death. In 1913 Herbert Frederick Ellingford (1876–1966) was appointed organist. On 21 December 1940 the hall and its organ were damaged in an air-raid. It

5676-748: Is the elliptical Small Concert Room. To the south of the Great Hall is the Crown Court, beyond this is the South Entrance Hall above which reached by two staircases is the Grand Jury Room. In the middle of the west front is the Law Library, to the north of this is the Vice-Chancellor's Court, to the south of the Law Library is the Sheriff's Court. The floor below consists of a cavernous basement with cells for prisoners along

5805-495: The 14th Earl of Derby by William Theed the Younger , the 16th Earl of Derby by F. W. Pomeroy , and Joseph Mayer by Fontana. In 2012 a statue of Kitty Wilkinson by Simon Smith was unveiled, the first in 101 years, and the first of a woman. The stained glass in the semicircular windows at each end of the hall was added in 1883–84 by Forrest and Son of Liverpool. Sharples and Pollard regard this as "one of

5934-659: The Liverpool Pals on St George's Plateau, by September 1914, more than 30,000 men had enlisted at St George's Hall. The Plateau has been associated with public rallies and gatherings, including events following the deaths of the Beatles members John Lennon and George Harrison , and the homecomings of Liverpool and Everton football teams after Cup Final victories. The opening of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2008 saw Ringo Starr play on

6063-630: The Victoria Embankment Gardens (see photo below). Her husband died in May 1922, after 25 years of marriage. Two years later, Bond moved out of the large house to Newark and later to Worthing , Sussex, and often visited London. In the 1920s, Bond wrote several articles about her memories of Gilbert and Sullivan and her years with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for The Strand Magazine and The Gilbert & Sullivan Journal . Her autobiography, The Life and Reminiscences of Jessie Bond,

6192-531: The foundation stone was laid to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria . A competition was announced on 5 March 1839 via an advertisement in The Times to design the hall, first prize was 250 guineas , second prize 150 guineas. By July more than eighty entries had been received, and the competition was won by Harvey Lonsdale Elmes , a London architect aged 25 years, the second prize went to George Alexander of London. The requirement was: There

6321-569: The musical comedy Go-Bang (1894) and Nanna in Gilbert and F. Osmond Carr 's His Excellency (1894–95). In 1894, she also played in Wapping Old Stairs , by Stuart Robertson and Howard Talbot (with Courtice Pounds and Richard Temple ), and Pick-me-up at the Trafalgar Square Theatre (with George Grossmith, Jr. and Letty Lind ). During these years, Bond owned a fox terrier named Bob. She returned to

6450-719: The 96 who lost their lives, along with the powerful words ‘Never Forgotten’ on the Monday morning 15 April 96 lanterns were lit on the steps of the Hall, and members of the public paid their respects and left tributes. The hall hosted the semi-final allocation draw for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on 31 January 2023. The organ was built by Henry Willis and completed in 1855 with 100 speaking stops across four manual divisions (of non-standard compass, 63 notes GG to a) and pedals (30 notes). It comprised

6579-633: The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in a series of successful comic operas, including the title role in Iolanthe (1882), Pitti Sing in The Mikado (1885), Mad Margaret in Ruddigore (1887), Phoebe in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888), Tessa in The Gondoliers (1889) and others. During the 1890s, she continued performing in the West End for several more years, while being courted by Lewis Ransome,

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6708-596: The Exchange. The north end is not identical but has a semicircular projection housing the Concert Room in the first storey. The different treatment of the two ends hardly ever seen at once either from the east or west. The extreme severity of the rounded north end is quite out of accord with the new visual tastes of the Victorian Age for sharpened accents and complex rhythms. The podium below is barely broken by

6837-583: The F below middle C (F 3 , 175 Hz) to the G two octaves above middle C (G 5 , 784 Hz). The dramatic mezzo-soprano can sing over an orchestra and chorus with ease and was often used in the 19th century opera, to portray older women, mothers, witches and evil characters. Verdi wrote many roles for this voice in the Italian repertoire and there are also a few good roles in the French Literature. The majority of these roles, however, are within

6966-487: The Father , and the 2022 film The Batman . A 1987 advertisement for Coca-Cola was filmed inside the building. St George's Hall was the main hub for the paranormal investigation show "Most Haunted Live" which based their January 2009 "Search for Evil" live event from the hall. The live events ran for a full week, running from Saturday 10 January 2009 until Friday 16 January 2009. The Most Haunted Live team investigated

7095-490: The German Romantic repertoire of composers like Wagner and Richard Strauss . Like coloratura mezzos, dramatic mezzos are also often cast in lyric mezzo-soprano roles. Dramatic mezzo-soprano roles in operas ( * denotes a lead role ): All of Gilbert and Sullivan 's Savoy operas have at least one mezzo-soprano character. Notable operetta roles are: St. George%27s Hall, Liverpool St George's Hall

7224-565: The Liverpool Institute, she sang in J. L. Hatton's Enchantress . She became friendly with the baritone Charles Santley , who advised her to move to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music . Bond did so, studying with Manuel García and then J. B. Welch, and she continued to sing concerts both in the provinces and in London. For example, in the summer of 1877, she appeared at the Queen's Theatre in London in at least three of

7353-519: The Old Savoyard , was published in 1930. In that book, she expressed great admiration particularly for Gilbert, but also for Sullivan and D'Oyly Carte, and she bemoaned overacting by performers in the "modern" era. In March 1930, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society invited the original three little maids to a reunion in London to celebrate the 45th anniversary of The Mikado . In her last years, Bond entertained wounded World War I servicemen, playing

7482-511: The Savoy to play Pitti-Sing in the revivals of The Mikado that ran off and on from November 1895 to February 1897. When the revivals were over, Bond left the stage. After he had first seen her perform in The Mikado in 1885, Bond's friendship with Lewis Ransome continued and deepened. Subject to an increasing number of short illnesses that prevented her from performing, and tiring of life in

7611-705: The World's First Air Conditioned Building. Until 1984 the Liverpool Assizes (later the Crown Court ) were held in the courtroom at the southern end of St George's Hall. Notable cases heard include those of Florence Maybrick in 1889 and William Herbert Wallace in 1931. The court now often doubles for the Old Bailey in film and TV dramas. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited St George's Hall on 9 October 1851, although complete externally work

7740-537: The Younger , placed here in 1877, flanking the statue are sculptures of caryatids. The Small Concert Room designed by Charles Robert Cockerell and completed in 1856, is elliptical measuring 72 feet (22 m) by 77 feet (23 m), when built it had a capacity for 1,100 people, the stage is 30 feet (9 m) by 12 feet (4 m), and is lavishly decorated. In the past it was known as the Golden Concert Room. A balcony supported by caryatids runs round

7869-400: The alleged paranormal activities in the hall, as well as other locations across the north west. The hall was the main studio hub and interactive hub for this special live event which aired on the satellite/cable channel Living TV. On 31 January 2023, St George's Hall hosted the semi-final allocation draw for the Eurovision Song Contest , which was held in Liverpool later in the year. The draw

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7998-432: The arts and offering an olive branch to the four quarters of the globe, carved by William Nicholl; The completed sculpture has the following written description: “Britannia armed, her lion by her side, and seated on a rock, forms the centre: she holds in her left hand the olive-branch, and in her right the spear. She hails the four quarters of the globe, presented to her by Mercury; the last of whom, Africa, inclines with

8127-618: The authentic H.M.S. Pinafore , rather than the pirated versions that had sprung up in American theatres. While in New York City, she created the role of Edith in Gilbert and Sullivan's next opera, The Pirates of Penzance . This was followed by a US tour of Pinafore and Pirates . Just before the American tour, Bond had developed an abscess in her leg. This never fully healed and would be with her throughout her stage career. In her autobiography, she wrote: The abscess in my ankle

8256-561: The basement is part of a unique heating and ventilation system devised by Dr Boswell Reid . This was the first attempt at providing air conditioning in a public building in the United Kingdom, its aim being to warm and ventilate the building without draughts. Air drawn in via two shafts at either end of the eastern portico was warmed by five hot water pipes, that were heated by two coke-fired boilers and two steam boilers, these latter two were only used in extremely cold weather. The air

8385-569: The building exceeded £300,000 (roughly equivalent to £33,000,000 in 2019). Following the implementation of the Courts Act 1971 , the former assizes court was re-designated Liverpool Crown Court. The Crown Court moved to the new Law Courts in Derby Square in 1984. During the 2000s a major restoration of the hall took place costing £23m and it was officially reopened on 23 April 2007 by Prince Charles . The magnificent sculpture of

8514-401: The cause of death as syphilis. The couple lived separately for several years, and Bond finally divorced her husband in 1874. Bond stated in her divorce petition that she had been knowingly infected with a communicable disease by her husband. After leaving her husband, Bond continued to teach piano and was immediately back on stage singing oratorios, masses and other concerts near Liverpool, with

8643-616: The ceilings. The air flow was controlled by a large number of workers opening and closing a series of canvas flaps via ropes and pulleys, though the court rooms had valves beneath the benches that could be controlled by the occupants. The system treated different parts of the building as zones allowing separate heating. In 2005 the Heritage Group of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers awarded its first Blue Plaque to St George's Hall recognising it as

8772-488: The central skylight. The delicate arabesques of the pilasters and friezes are papier-mâché . The graceful caryatids, seemingly sustaining the balcony on their fingertips, must be of iron or some synthetic composition; they were certainly never carved in stone. Whether these are themselves supports or whether the balcony is cantilevered on iron beams, the real construction is concealed. The wall panels not of wood but of plaster, supebly [sic] grained and varnished. Only

8901-443: The conductor Jules Rivière's promenade concerts and was widely seen throughout Britain into 1878. The impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte first heard her in a concert at St. George's Hall and suggested concert engagements for her. In May 1878, Bond made her first appearance on the dramatic stage at the age of 25, creating the role of Cousin Hebe in W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan 's H.M.S. Pinafore . The role had been written for

9030-498: The country. In 2017 Liverpool City Council announced a £45m programme to re-design several major streets in the city centre, including Lime Street which would involve expanding the plateau. The work is timetabled to be completed by winter 2021. Following the restoration leading to the reopening of the hall in April 2007 it was granted a Civic Trust Award. It included the creation of a Heritage Centre which gives an introduction to

9159-520: The dragon, in the centre of the vault are the Royal Arms used by Queen Victoria this is above a matching coat of arms in the Minton floor. The walls have niches for statues. The highly decorated floor consists of Minton encaustic tile and it is usually covered by a removable floor to protect it. It contains over 30,000 tiles. The doors are bronze and have openwork panels which incorporate

9288-670: The exterior was by William Grinsell Nicholl . The Great Hall (also known as the Concert Hall) is the largest room, rectangular in shape, and occupies the centre of the building with an organ on its north wall. Two long corridors flank the east and west walls of the Great Hall. To the north of the Concert Hall is the Civil Court and beyond this is the North Entrance Hall; above this, reached by two staircases,

9417-672: The form of the pediment and, with her negro children, acknowledges her obligations to the queen of freedom, who laboured so long and successfully for their emancipation: beyond are the vine and foreign productions; the husbandman and his plough, his wife with the distaff, and her child, express industry, manufacture, and domesticity: at the end are labourers at the anvil, the anchor, and the arms of mail, which she has not forgotten how to use” These sculptures were removed for safety's sake in 1950 (the sculptures having become unsafe due to erosion by atmospheric pollution), and subsequently lost, reputedly turned into hardcore. The main entrance crosses

9546-434: The gloom. It was enough; I forgot myself, I was Mad Margaret and no one else. I made an immense success." Cellier and Bridgeman seconded this assessment: There were two particularly noteworthy features in the performance of Ruddigore . First to be mentioned was the acting of Miss Jessie Bond in the part of 'Mad Margaret.' Among the host of her admirers few had given the popular Savoy soubrette credit for such great ability as

9675-404: The greatest Victorian interiors". The Crown Court has a tunnel vault on red granite columns and the Civil Court a coved ceiling on grey granite columns. The South Entrance Hall is approached through the portico, is low and has Ionic columns. Below this is a larger vaulted space which was adapted to form a new entrance in 2003–05. The North Entrance Hall has Doric columns on its landing and

9804-625: The hall and its history. Guided tours, a programme of exhibitions and talks are arranged. Over the Christmas periods of 2007 and 2008 an artificial skating rink was installed in the Concert Hall. In January 2008 Liverpool started its tenure as European Capital of Culture with the People's Opening at St George's Hall with a performance which included the Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr playing on its roof. The building has since been regularly used as

9933-537: The hall for four years. Following his retirement in 1984, Professor Ian Tracey , who is also Organist Titulaire of the Anglican Cathedral, was appointed to the post. This is the flat space between the hall and the railway station and contains statues of four lions by Nicholl and cast iron lamp standards with dolphin bases. Also on the plateau are monuments, including equestrian bronzes of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria by Thomas Thornycroft , and

10062-532: The hall since 2012. The site of the hall was formerly occupied by the first Liverpool Infirmary from 1749 to 1824. Triennial music festivals were held in the city but there was no suitable hall to accommodate them. Following a public meeting in 1836 a company was formed to raise subscriptions for a hall in Liverpool to be used for the festivals, and for meetings, dinners and concerts. Shares were made available at £25 each and by January 1837 £23,350 (equivalent to £2,680,040 in 2023) had been raised. In 1838

10191-410: The inevitable baby was coming. ... He had been violently ill-treating me, I was a broken, pitiful creature." Her family persuaded her to leave him after ten months of marriage. Bond wrote that she contracted smallpox from the doctor who attended her, but she recovered. The baby, Sidney John Arthur Schottländer, was born on 7 May 1871 and died on 18 June 1871, six weeks later. His death certificate states

10320-969: The leading female role to mezzos, including Béatrice et Bénédict , La damnation de Faust , Don Quichotte , La favorite , Dom Sébastien , Charles VI , Mignon , Samson et Dalila , Les Troyens , and Werther , as well as Carmen . Typical roles for mezzo-sopranos include the stereotypical triad associated with contraltos of "witches, bitches, and britches": witches, nurses, and wise women, such as Azucena in Verdi 's Il trovatore ; villains and seductresses such as Amneris in Verdi's Aida ; and " breeches roles " or "trouser roles" (male characters played by female singers) such as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro . Mezzo-sopranos are well represented in baroque music , early music , and baroque opera . Some roles designated for lighter soubrette sopranos are sung by mezzo-sopranos, who often provide

10449-539: The letters SPQL (the Senate and the People of Liverpool) making an association with the SPQR badge of ancient Rome . The ten brass and bronze chandeliers in the Great Hall, designed by Cockerell, originally powered by town gas weigh 15 cwt , are decorated with prows of ships, heads of Neptune and Liver Birds . The organ is at the north end and at the south end is a round arch supporting an entablature between whose columns

10578-477: The main hall. Thus the effect is even more severe. Ranges of square pilasters, for two-thirds of their height, are used here along the side wings. Such pilasters also rise like an open screen in the projecting middle section of the west front. These novel members provide a very interesting kind of structural articulation recalling the more original aspects of Schinkel's Classicism as much as the long east portico does that of his more conventional Altes Museum . Though

10707-488: The manual compass was changed to the now standard CC to c, 61 notes, making the bottom 5 pipes on every manual stop redundant. In 1931 the organ was reconstructed by Henry Willis III when the number of stops was increased to 120 and electro-pneumatic action introduced for the combination systems and some of the key action. Its power source was still the Rockingham electric blowing plant which had replaced

10836-408: The metropolis itself". The Illustrated London News 23 September 1854 "The combination of a magnificent interior with an even grander exterior, is an achievement of which ancient Rome itself could offer no parallel, for however splendid and well organised were the interiors of the great thermae, basilicas and other structures, we have nothing to show that the exteriors of their buildings ever reached

10965-477: The middle of their range, rather than the top. Many of the hero roles in the operas of Handel and Monteverdi , originally sung by male castrati, can be successfully sung today by coloratura mezzo-sopranos. Rossini demanded similar qualities for his comic heroines, and Vivaldi wrote roles frequently for this voice as well. Coloratura mezzo-sopranos also often sing lyric-mezzo-soprano roles or soubrette roles. Coloratura mezzo-soprano roles in operas ( * denotes

11094-632: The mirrors between the columns on the stage are what they seem; yet by a final paradox they create a faery unreality by their repeated reflection." Henry-Russell Hitchcock "Judging from his numerous perspective sketches, Elmes had the ability to rapidly design a building in perspective; not only did he prepare numerous sketches of the exterior, but also perspective views of the interior of the great loggia, and various other features. His full-size details, although Classic in spirit, are essentially modern in character; every suite of mouldings received due consideration as to its placing, and its ultimate relation to

11223-401: The most beautiful of all the Gilbert and Sullivan operas was delightfully easy and natural. When Gilbert gave it to me at the first reading he said, 'Here you are, Jessie, you needn't act this, it's you.'" Gilbert was even more nervous than usual on the first night of Yeomen and came backstage to give his best wishes to the cast. Bond wrote, "I am afraid he made himself a perfect nuisance behind

11352-447: The new and improved method of applying gas to high class cookery; 22 December 1888, Large Hall, People's concert, Messiah . During the 1911 Liverpool general transport strike , many meetings were held there, including the rally which sparked the 'Bloody Sunday' attacks, when police baton charged thousands of people who had gathered to hear the syndicalist Tom Mann speak. On 15 March 1915 Lord Kitchener inspect 12,000 soldiers of

11481-536: The opportunity to create a role in Gilbert's next opera, The Mountebanks at the Lyric Theatre (1892), as she was still under contract to Carte. She and Barrington returned to the Savoy in November, but Bond left the D'Oyly Carte organisation at the end of the run of The Nautch Girl in January 1892, as there was no role for her in the next Savoy opera , The Vicar of Bray . Bond was unwilling to accept

11610-468: The other, and true operatic contraltos are very rare. Within the mezzo-soprano voice type category are three generally recognized subcategories: coloratura mezzo-soprano, lyric mezzo-soprano, and dramatic mezzo-soprano. A coloratura mezzo-soprano has a warm lower register and an agile high register. The roles they sing often demand not only the use of the lower register but also leaps into the upper tessitura with highly ornamented, rapid passages. They have

11739-477: The pain I often suffered. In fact, the management knew about Bond's abscess, since Sullivan's diary records that both he and Gilbert visited her during her temporary incapacity, and Sullivan paid the doctor's bill. Back in London, Bond continued to play Edith until Pirates ran its course in April 1881. One of Bond's sisters, Miriam "Neva" Bond (1854–1936), became a D'Oyly Carte Opera Company chorister for approximately twelve years, from 1880 to 1891. Neva created

11868-513: The part offered to her in the next Savoy piece, Haddon Hall (1892). Over the next few years, Bond had several engagements in London theatres, including in Ma mie Rosette (1892), Poor Jonathan (1893), Corney Courted (1893), a revival of Pickwick by Solomon and F. C. Burnand (1893) Miami (as Nelly O'Neil) at the Princess's Theatre , and others. She enjoyed good runs as Helen Tapeleigh in

11997-425: The performance was delayed for some time." The critics praised Bond's portrayal of the title character: "Miss Jessie Bond... may be credited with all the grace, delicacy, and fascination we should expect from a fairy mother, and her singing of the really exquisite melody in the last scene was one of the most successful items in the entire opera." Iolanthe was followed by Princess Ida (1884), in which Bond played

12126-606: The phases of insanity. No greater compliment could have been paid the actress. Bond next appeared in the first revivals of H.M.S. Pinafore (1887–88), Pirates (1888), and The Mikado (1888) recreating her earlier roles. She had developed an enthusiastic following among the audiences at the Savoy Theatre . During this period, Bond also appeared in To the Death by fellow savoyard Rutland Barrington (1888) and Locked In (1889). For

12255-511: The piano and singing at a south coast home for disabled soldiers and sailors. An obituary in the Evening Standard reported: "Every day for more than a year, until just recently, she was taken out in her wheelchair. After a breath of sea air ... she would always go into her favourite hotel for a drink and would often sit down at the piano and entertain the company with some of her old Gilbert and Sullivan tunes. She often used to go to

12384-405: The precision and style of D'Oyly Carte productions could be maintained only if there were no "stars". He endeavoured to make the nine leading roles as co-equal as he could. Bond, aware of her importance to the company, declined to appear unless her salary was raised from twenty pounds to thirty pounds a week. Gilbert bitterly resisted the raise, but Bond prevailed: "I was the only one who asked for

12513-431: The responsibility. Bond recalled: "It was an awful ordeal. I saw the three white faces looming out of the darkness as they sat close together; criticizing me, talking me over, with cold managerial detachment. It nearly killed me. Perhaps it gave an added realism and abandon to my simulated madness, for indeed I was nearly mad with fear – but at any rate I came through triumphantly, they were all three of them delighted." She

12642-408: The revival of Pirates , Bond asked Gilbert if he would increase the size of the small role of Edith for her. Gilbert wrote her a letter that concludes: I am writing such a particularly good part for you in the new piece that I should be distressed beyond measure if you should leave us. I've never said as much as this to any actor or actress before. I don't say it to induce you to play so insignificant

12771-459: The role of Isabel in the London production of The Pirates of Penzance . Bond's next role was Lady Angela in Patience (1881–82). She did not much like the role, writing later that she did not relate to the sentimental lady of luxury indulging in the aesthetic craze. By this time, Bond was becoming known to audiences and attracting the notice of young men. Having had such a bad experience with

12900-479: The role of Melissa. Bond played the role of Constance in the first revival of The Sorcerer (1884–85). The role had originally been written for a soprano, and some of the music was transposed down to suit Bond's lower range and tessitura . Another feature of this revival was the pairing of Bond's character with that of Rutland Barrington 's. The combination was so successful that in later Savoy operas , Bond and Barrington were generally paired. Bond next created

13029-496: The role of Pitti-Sing in The Mikado (1885–87), one of the "three little maids from school". Sometimes, inspiration for plot points in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas was provided by characteristics of the performers themselves. For instance, Gilbert noted in an interview that the fact that the female singers to be engaged for The Mikado , Leonora Braham , Bond, and Sybil Grey , were all of short stature inspired him to make them schoolgirls—three "little" maids—and to treat them as

13158-460: The roof of the building to over 50,000 people. The Weeping Window sculpture was displayed at St George's Hall from 7 November 2015 to 17 January 2016, it was made from ceramic poppies from Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red . The commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster saw from 13 April 2019 nine banners hung from the front of St George's Hall, featuring the images of

13287-554: The room. At the back of the platform are attached columns, decorated with arabesques , supporting a frieze with griffins and between the columns are mirrors. The concert room was refurbished between 2000 and 2007. This included making alterations to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act , restoring the historical painting scheme and restoring the chandelier , which consists of 2,824 crystal pieces. It has seating for an audience of 480. In

13416-628: The same level of coherence and dignity. Indeed, all the remains point in the other direction. Hence the real greatness of Elmes' achievement". Charles Herbert Reilly "The south end of St. George's Hall is quite conventional and rather resembles Donaldson's project for the Royal Exchange . Except for the superior proportions and the splendid pile of steps at the base (by Cockerell) - which rise however, much too abruptly from an exiguous terrace along St. John's Lane- this porticoed and pedimented facade is, in fact not very different from Tite's at

13545-499: The scenes, and did his best, poor fellow, to upset us all. These first nights were very hard on me... and nearly always my understudy was called upon to officiate on the second night of a play, while I lay exhausted in my bed. [In Yeomen ], the curtain rises on Phœbe alone at her spinning wheel, and Gilbert kept fussing about ... until I was almost as demented as he was. At last I turned on him savagely. 'For Heaven's sake, Mr. Gilbert, go away and leave me alone, or I shan't be able to sing

13674-404: The simple frames of the two entrance doors (this is an error there are three doors at the north end); the parapet above is absolutely continuous and unornamented. Thus there is no central focus of interest and nothing to distract attention from the even half-circle of giant Corinthian columns. The unbroken length of the east portico is surmounted by an equally unbroken attic masking the vault of

13803-406: The span to 65 feet (20 m), the spandrels contain allegorical plaster work angels , twelve in total, designed by Cockerell, representing fortitude, prudence, science, art, justice and temperance etc. The vault also decorated with plaster work by Cockerell, contains coffering , the centres of the main coffers have coat of arms of Liverpool, or the coats of arms of Lancashire or St George and

13932-482: The theatre, Bond finally agreed to marry Ransome, and the couple wed in May 1897: When I told Gilbert he was so angry that I don't think he ever quite forgave me; he would not accept my health as an excuse, he was unreasonable, as, alas, he often was! 'You are a little fool!' he said. 'I have often heard you say you don't like old women,' I retorted. 'I shall soon be old. Will you provide for me? Will Sir Arthur? Will Carte? No, of course you won't. Well, I am going to marry

14061-454: The third of five children (and eldest daughter) born to John Bond Jr, a piano maker, and Elizabeth née Simson, a lawyer's daughter. Bond and her siblings were given a musical education, and her mother often took the children to see theatre. When Jessie Bond was a young girl, her family moved to Liverpool , where she grew up. At the age of ten, she played a Beethoven piano sonata in a concert. To help with family expenses, Bond taught music as

14190-412: The time. Construction started in 1841 and the building opened in 1854 (with the small concert room opening two years later). Elmes died in 1847 and the work was continued by John Weightman, Corporation Surveyor, and Robert Rawlinson , structural engineer, until in 1851 Charles Cockerell was appointed architect. Cockerell was largely responsible for the decoration of the interiors. The eventual cost of

14319-505: The tremendous scale of the composition is new to Britain, the spirit is still that of the classical rationalism which dominated the end of the 18th century. The great scale and general severity reflect the dreams of French architects like Ledoux and Boulée in the Revolutionary epoch, dreams that were codified by Durand in his Précis des leçons d'architecture données à l'École royale polytechnique (1802–05) and thus transmitted to

14448-459: The two spent many of Bond's days off (Sundays) relaxing together in the country. Bond next created the role of Mad Margaret in Ruddigore (1887; originally spelt "Ruddygore"), which she regarded as her favourite of all the Gilbert and Sullivan roles, "for it gave me the chance to show what I really could do as an actress." The part was her largest to date, and Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte made her audition it for them to be sure that she could handle

14577-480: The two steam engines (one of 1855 and a second which had been added in about 1877 to run the increased pressure required since 1867 for some reed stops. In the interim this higher pressure had been hand blown!) The 1924 electric blowers remained in use until 2000 when the present new low and high pressure blowers were fitted by David Wells. In 1979 it was given a general clean and overhaul by Henry Willis IV. The total number of registers , including 24  couplers ,

14706-642: The west side are St John's Gardens . The hall is included in the William Brown Street conservation area. In 1969 the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner expressed his opinion that it is one of the finest neo-Grecian buildings in the world, although the building is known for its use of Roman sources as well as Greek. In 2004, the hall and its surrounding area were recognised as part of Liverpool's World Heritage Site until its revocation of World Heritage status in 2021. The Liverpool Register Office and Coroner's Court have been based in

14835-673: The west wall. The main entrance is in the centre of the east façade and is approached by a wide flight of steps. On the steps is a statue of Benjamin Disraeli by Charles Bell Birch , moved here to make way for Liverpool's cenotaph. At the south-east corner is a bronze statue of Major-General William Earle by the same sculptor. This front has a central portico of 16  Corinthian columns flanked on each side by series of square, unfluted columns, between which are reliefs that were added between 1882 and 1901 by Thomas Stirling Lee , C. J. Allen and Conrad Dressler . The west front has

14964-405: Was a need for assize courts in the city and a competition to design these with first prize £300 and second prize £200 was announced. There were eighty-six entries and it was also won by Elmes. The original plan was to have separate buildings but in 1840 Elmes suggested that both functions could be combined in one building on a scale which would surpass most of the public buildings in the country at

15093-472: Was across a "stream". She wrote in her memoirs about a performance of Iolanthe : "Realism can be carried too far, as it was when one night a zealous property man said to me: 'It'll be just like the real thing to-night, Miss Bond. I've put some frogs into the water!' 'Then you'll just have to fish them out again,' I retorted, 'and the curtain won't go up until you do.' They had to catch those frogs in an inverted umbrella. Everybody got splashed and agitated, and

15222-479: Was broadcast live on BBC television and YouTube. "This magnificent edifice will be a perennial monument of the energy and public spirit, in the nineteenth century, of the people of Liverpool; a place which of all the cities and towns in the British Empire is surpassed only by the metropolis in magnitude, wealth and importance; and which in the quick yet solid growth of its commercial greatness surpasses even

15351-486: Was circulated by four fans 10 feet (3 m) wide driven by a 10 horsepower steam engine. In hot weather the air was cooled using cold mains water, small fountains in the air shafts cooling the incoming air. The air from the system entered the Great Hall via grilles at the back of the sculpture niches and in the risers of the seating tiers in the Small Concert Hall, stale air was drawn out through grilles in

15480-466: Was delighted, but I nearly got the sack for that prank! However, I did get noticed, which was what I wanted." After seven years with D'Oyly Carte, and still earning money from private and concert singing engagements, Bond's salary had risen to the point where she was able to move into a better flat and hire a maid. Though she was happy with her success, Bond (somewhat like Sullivan) longed to devote herself to singing serious music. She wrote that when she

15609-570: Was her sense of fun, and how truly British was her willingness to laugh at herself. There was ... only one encore ... [a]nd who do you suppose was singled out for that honour? Who but I who write this, little Jessie Bond ... for my song in the first act, 'When a Merry Maiden Marries.' After The Gondoliers closed, Gilbert and Sullivan were estranged for a time, and Carte hired Bond to play Chinna-Loofa in Dance , Desprez and Solomon 's The Nautch Girl (1891). Although her salary continued to rise, she

15738-587: Was in a thoughtful mood, she would consider the following: I had worked so hard at serious music, I had loved it so much and been so successful, that it was not without a pang that I gave it all up to sing little songs and choruses that were, after all, child's play to me. ...[O]ften my heart ached when I thought of those days when I lived in an atmosphere of music of the highest order, and could express my inmost self in it. ...[S]ometimes when I thought things over I felt how far I had fallen from that first austere ideal, and wished that fame and success could have come in

15867-459: Was less happy at the Savoy after Gilbert's departure. She took a three-month leave from the D'Oyly Carte organisation in August 1891, together with Rutland Barrington, performing a series of "musical duologues" and sketches, written mostly by Barrington and composed by Edward Solomon , on a provincial tour, where they received good notices and profits. Bond also did some of the writing. She passed up

15996-443: Was not possible to obtain sufficient money to rebuild the organ until the 1950s. In 1954 Henry Willis & Sons were asked to undertake this project and Dr Caleb E. Jarvis (1903–1980) was its consultant. Dr Jarvis was appointed organist in 1957 and on his death in 1980 he was succeeded by Noel Rawsthorne (1929–2019), who had just retired as organist to the Anglican Cathedral. Noel Rawsthorne served as organist to

16125-451: Was painful and persistent.... Owing to faulty treatment and want of rest my ankle became perfectly stiff, as it is to this day. Of course, I said as little as possible about it, for even partial lameness would spoil my chances on the stage. I doubt if the management ever knew; the public certainly didn't; and those who saw me dancing and capering light-heartedly about the stage for twenty years little thought under what difficulties I did it, and

16254-406: Was particularly nervous on opening night. "I shook and tottered so much that Mad Margaret's staff was no mere adjunct, but an absolute necessity. Without it I should have fallen as I stood in the wings waiting to go on. Then some one gave me a push; I was there, on the stage, in the glare of the footlights, hundreds of eyes fixed on me, tier upon tier of dim white faces rising from floor to ceiling in

16383-579: Was still underway internally. The inaugural event opened by the mayor and borough council and was started on 18 September 1854, and was a three-day festival of music, followed on 22 September, with the British Association for the Advancement of Science holding the first of many meetings at the Hall. On 15 April 1857 a banquet for 800 people was held in honour of William Brown benefactor of Liverpool's museum and library . On 23 April 1864

16512-561: Was ten years old. Her first action on his behalf was to advise his concerned parents not to try to prevent him from pursuing a career on the stage. Together with George Power , Leonora Braham and Julia Gwynne , she was one of four artistes of the original D'Oyly Carte Opera Company who attended a reunion at the Savoy Hotel in 1914. The four then posed for a group photograph beside the Arthur Sullivan Memorial in

16641-517: Was well filled up, and I missed London less than I could have believed." She founded and directed the Newark Amateur Dramatic Society, an amateur dramatic club, whose performances supported local charities. The couple also often visited London and did some travelling abroad. In 1912, and for some years afterwards, Bond played a significant role in developing the career of Donald Wolfit , whom she first saw perform when he

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