Music, Books and Theatre in Eighteenth-Century Exton : A Context for Handel's ‘Comus’ Hardback
by Colin (University of Birmingham, UK) Timms
Part of the Royal Musical Association Monographs series
Hardback
- Information
Description
This book establishes the cultural background to the productions of Milton’s Comus that were staged in the 1740s by Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough, at Exton Hall, his country seat in the East Midlands of England.
The author reveals that Handel’s visit in 1745 occurred in a richer and fuller context of cultural interests among the Noel family.
Most of the music at Exton was selected from existing works by Handel, but the four movements of the finale were new, written by the composer specifically for the occasion.
The study is based on receipted bills and other documents in an archival collection of Noel family papers that provide evidence of the Earl’s purchase of books and music and of the musical and theatrical activities undertaken on his Exton estate.
The author discusses the Earl’s interests in music, books and theatre, indicating a belief in performance as a valuable and enjoyable experience and as a vehicle for the education of the young.
In addition to creating a context for Comus, this book sheds light on cultural life in a mid-eighteenth-century English country house and how the Earl’s productions made a significant contribution to the cultural life of the East Midlands. The book will be of great value to cultural musicologists, historians and Handelians, as the documentation sheds a huge amount of light on a variety of cultural practices in eighteenth-century England.
Information
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In Stock - low on stock, only 1 copy remainingFree UK DeliveryEstimated delivery 2-3 working days
- Format:Hardback
- Pages:126 pages, 2 Tables, black and white; 3 Line drawings, black and white; 5 Halftones, black and white
- Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication Date:12/12/2023
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Category:
- Ancient & classical art,BCE to c 500 CE
- History of art & design styles: c 1600 to c 1800
- Art & design styles: Baroque
- Theatre studies
- Western "classical" music
- Baroque music (c 1600 to c 1750)
- Classical music (c 1750 to c 1830)
- Opera
- Individual composers & musicians, specific bands..
- Cultural studies
- ISBN:9781032627816
Information
-
In Stock - low on stock, only 1 copy remainingFree UK DeliveryEstimated delivery 2-3 working days
- Format:Hardback
- Pages:126 pages, 2 Tables, black and white; 3 Line drawings, black and white; 5 Halftones, black and white
- Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication Date:12/12/2023
-
Category:
- Ancient & classical art,BCE to c 500 CE
- History of art & design styles: c 1600 to c 1800
- Art & design styles: Baroque
- Theatre studies
- Western "classical" music
- Baroque music (c 1600 to c 1750)
- Classical music (c 1750 to c 1830)
- Opera
- Individual composers & musicians, specific bands..
- Cultural studies
- ISBN:9781032627816