Performance Networks in Provincial Britain, 1750-1800, and the rise of the Musical Meeting

The period 1750-1800 saw a growth in concert series and festivals in London, such as Handel’s annual Foundling Hospital Messiah performances from 1749 and the monthly Concerts of Ancient Music from 1776, as well as numerous subscription series at theatres, music halls and assembly rooms. Whilst many of these London institutions have been examined in detail, less has been written about the many provincial Musical Meetings that were also established during this period, modelled on the two or three-day Three Choirs festivals, established from at least 1715, and later re-energised by the Handel Commemoration festivals from 1784. The success of these Musical Meetings, in which performances to fee-paying audiences were spread over several days, was enabled by judicious deployment of performers and resources. Outside the hub of the capital, performers and audiences were more widely scattered, meaning that such events were only possible due to the organic emergence of a highly organised network which included well-known soloists from both London and beyond, local impresarios, professional and gentlemen-amateur performers, instrument providers and patrons. This paper seeks to examine the collaborations that facilitated this enterprise across central England between 1750 and 1800. It identifies principal figures who acted as musical directors, orchestral fixers, soloists, and agents, between them establishing provincial concert circuits which encompassed events in Hereford, Gloucester, Worcester, Oxford, Coventry, Birmingham, Lichfield and Salisbury.