Pressestimmen
... an excellent example of combining extensive research with a simple but effective presentation of its results. Hudebni veda (Musicology) There is plenty here to engage the historian of London musical life of the time and to deepen our knowledge of it. Early Music Today To characterize the book as providing the most thorough documentation of the habits of a mid-18th-century music-loving family is accurate, but hardly does justice to the wealth of facts, opinions and desires of the individuals here laid bare. No one is going to fault Donald Burrows and Rosemary Dunhill for their editorial efforts. The front and back matter and notes are exemplary. The editors explain the complex interrelationships of families and friends in admirably concise and understandable prose ... The typesetting and printing are excellent. Early Music Admirable ... a rich resource ... The mass of material makes an excellent hunting ground for scholars of eighteenth-century music and drama. Roger Savage, Times Literary Supplement
Kurzbeschreibung
James Harris (1709-80) was an author of philosophical treatises and an enthusiastic amateur musician who directed the concerts and music festivals at Salisbury for nearly fifty years. His family and social circle had close connections with London's music-making: his brother was a witness to Handel's will, and his correspondents sent him lively reports on all aspects of musical life in the capital-opera, oratorio, concerts, but also about the leading performers, music copyists, and instrument makers. In 1761 Harris became a member of Parliament and thereafter divided his time between London and Salisbury. His letters and diaries provide an unrivalled record of concert- and theatre-going in London, including exchanges of letters with David Garrick about a production at Drury Lane. As his children grew up an engaging family correspondence emerged. We learn of his daughters' involvement in concerts and amateur theatrical productions; his son, who pursued a diplomatic career, reported on operas, concerts, and plays in the court of Frederick the Great and Catherine the Great. Now, for the first time, it is possible to enjoy in full the lively first-hand descriptions from Harris's family papers, which contribute fascinating insights into contemporary eighteenth-century musical and theatrical life.
