A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/National Concerts

by J. A. Fuller-Maitland

NATIONAL CONCERTS. A series of concerts given in Her Majesty's Theatre, in October, November, and December, 1850, with Balfe and Charles d'Albert as conductors. The prospectuses contained a rarely-equalled list of performers, and promises of new works, most of them by English composers (probably the only origin of the name of the concerts), none of which however saw the light; while the performances consisted almost entirely of the ordinary ingredients of 'monster' concerts, with a very meagre number of features interesting enough to be recorded. During the season, however, the following works came to a hearing: Spohr's symphony, 'The Seasons'; Mendelssohn's 'Fingal's Cave' and 'Melusina' overtures, the latter so badly played that it had to be abandoned as impracticable; besides one or two symphonies, and a movement or two from a concerto by Beethoven. The following artists actually appeared: Halle, Molique, Sainton, Piatti, Arabella Goddard (her first appearance), Stockhausen, and Sims Reeves. The concerts were in the hands of Cramer, Beale & Co., and proved an unequivocal failure, chiefly because of the enormous expectations that were excited but not fulfilled. An attempt was made a year or so afterwards to start another series with the same title, but the scheme fell to the ground after a few concerts.

[ J. A. F. M. ]