Opera and Drama in Eighteenth-Century London: The King's Theatre, Garrick and the Business of Performance

Ian Woodfield

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511481758

In this study, Ian Woodfield explores the cultural and commercial life of Italian opera in late eighteenth-century London. It was a period when theatre and opera worlds mixed, venues were shared, and agents and managers collaborated and competed. Through primary sources, many analysed for the first time, Woodfield examines such issues as finances, recruitment policy, the handling of singers and composers, links with Paris and Italy, and the role of women in opera management. These key topics are also placed within the context of a personal dispute between two of the most important managers of the day, the woman writer Frances Brooke and the actor David Garrick, which influenced the running of the major venues, the King's Theatre, Drury Lane and Covent Garden. Woodfield has also uncovered new information concerning the influential role of the eighteenth-century music historian and critic Charles Burney, as artistic advisor to the King's Theatre.

‘… well organised, superbly written and scrupulously documented. Woodfield’s riveting study demonstrates the importance of appreciating the varied forces that shaped opera in London during the eighteenth century.’

Source: Eighteenth-Century Music

‘The author is successful in reconstructing what is in total a fascinating picture of the ins and outs of opera management … an important piece of the historical jigsaw of London theatrical life.’

Source: Opera Magazine

‘In his hands the period springs vibrantly to life … Scholarship with a human face - wonderful stuff!’

Source: International Record Review

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi
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Contents
pp vii-viii
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List of tables
pp ix-ix
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List of musical examples
pp x-x
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Acknowledgements
pp xi-xii
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A note on conventions
pp xiii-xiv
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Introduction
pp 1-18
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1 - The Hobart management
pp 19-28
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2 - The new managers take control
pp 29-39
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3 - Sacchini and the revival of opera seria
pp 40-51
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4 - Recruitment procedures and artistic policy
pp 52-59
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5 - The King's Theatre in crisis
pp 60-76
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6 - The recruitment of Lovattini
pp 77-92
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7 - The English community in Rome
pp 93-104
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8 - Lucrezia Agujari at the Pantheon
pp 105-120
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9 - Caterina Gabrielli
pp 121-135
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10 - Rauzzini's last season
pp 136-152
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11 - The King's Theatre flourishes
pp 153-165
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12 - The Queen of Quavers satire
pp 166-181
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13 - Financial management
pp 182-197
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14 - Opera salaries
pp 198-214
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15 - The sale of 1778
pp 215-233
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Appendices
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1a - The accounts of Richard Yates and James Brooke at Henry Hoare & Co. (1773–1777)
pp 234-250
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1b - The customer account ledgers of Sheridan and Harris (1778–1779)
pp 251-256
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1c - Selected entries from the account of Jonathan Garton at Drummonds Bank (1778–1779)
pp 257-257
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1d - The account of Gasparo Pacchierotti at Coutts & Co. (1779–1784)
pp 258-262
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1e - A page of opera payments and receipts in the Salt MSS (1780)
pp 263-264
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2a - Petition to the Lord Chamberlain (c.1770)
pp 265-268
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2b - Petition to the Lord Chamberlain (c.1775)
pp 269-271
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Opera and Drama in Eighteenth-Century London

The King's Theatre, Garrick and the Business of Performance

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