Event Comment: By Command of
Their Majesties. Tickets and places to be taken of
Mr Johnston at the Stage Doo
r of the Theat
re at Half a Guinea. Pit 5s. Fi
rst Galle
ry 3s. 6d. Second Galle
ry 2s. Doo
rs to be opened at Five o'clock. To begin at Half past Six.
Theatrical Review (
London, 1772), appendix, pp. 207-8: The O
rato
rios pe
rfo
rmed at this House we
re conducted by Mess
rs. Stanley and
Smith, fo
r thei
r own emolument; the Manage
rs of the theat
re having had no Sha
re of the p
rofit a
rising f
rom these pe
rfo
rmances, no
r any advantage, except a p
remium fo
r the use of the house. M
r Stanley's musical abilities a
re well known.
Mr Smith, was, if we a
re not mistaken, a pupil of the celeb
rated M
r Handel's; and, we believe, that Gentleman left M
r Smith the g
reatest pa
rt of his music, if not his whole lib
rary; so that M
r Smith may with g
reat p
rop
riety claim the
right of succeeding
Mr Handel in the exhibition and conduct of his O
rato
rios, which he has unde
rtaken (in conjunction with
Mr Stanley) eve
ry since M
r Handel's death. Thei
r band was composed of some of the most capital pe
rfo
rme
rs in this kingdom, and was led by
Mr Ximenes. The vocal pe
rfo
rme
rs (exclusive of Cho
rus singe
rs) we
re Mr Norris, well known to all love
rs of Music, fo
r his taste and delicacy of execution.
Mr Parry (a Bass voice) f
rom the
Cathedral Church of Salisbury. This gentleman, though ve
ry young, has an extensive compass, and a g
reat powe
r of voice, and acquits himself with conside
rable
reputation.
Mrs Weichsel and
Mrs Scott, of whom it would be supe
rfluous and unnecessa
ry to say anything, since thei
r abilities a
re gene
rally known. And lastly
Signora Grassi, a pe
rfo
rme
r of g
reat me
rit.
Theatrical Review, 6 Ma
rch: This is
Mr Dryden's celeb
rated
Ode on St Cecelia's Day, and not an O
rato
rio, but pe
rfo
rmed as such...It contains many beauties and such as a
re wo
rthy of M
r Handel's genius...Being much sho
rte
r than the usual length of o
rato
rios, M
r Handel's celeb
rated
Coronation Anthems we
re added in o
rde
r to make the evening's ente
rtainment of a p
rope
r length. Also a Solo on the
Violincello by
Mr Janson...lately a
rrived f
rom
Paris, said to have been a pupil of
Mr Duport's but, though his taste and excution is ve
ry astonishing, we cannot give him the p
refe
rence of his maste
r. [See 13 Ap
ril 1773.Cha
rge seems to have been #28 pe
r night plus expenses fo
r oil, candles &c.