Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction The Case for Ella
- 1 From Leicester to London, 1802–29
- 2 Successes, Frustrations, Ambitions, 1828–44
- 3 Establishing the Musical Union, 1845–8
- 4 Consolidation and Expansion, 1849–57
- 5 New Spaces, 1858–68
- 6 Adapting to Survive, 1868–79
- 7 Endings (1880–8) and Legacy
- Appendix I Sample Programmes for the Musical Union and Musical Winter Evenings
- Appendix II Analysis of Repertoire at the Musical Union and Musical Winter Evenings
- Appendix III Performers at the Musical Union and Musical Winter Evenings
- Appendix IV Musical Union Audience Statistics
- Appendix V Supplementary Notes on John Ella’s Family
- Select Bibliography
- Index
5 - New Spaces, 1858–68
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 March 2023
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction The Case for Ella
- 1 From Leicester to London, 1802–29
- 2 Successes, Frustrations, Ambitions, 1828–44
- 3 Establishing the Musical Union, 1845–8
- 4 Consolidation and Expansion, 1849–57
- 5 New Spaces, 1858–68
- 6 Adapting to Survive, 1868–79
- 7 Endings (1880–8) and Legacy
- Appendix I Sample Programmes for the Musical Union and Musical Winter Evenings
- Appendix II Analysis of Repertoire at the Musical Union and Musical Winter Evenings
- Appendix III Performers at the Musical Union and Musical Winter Evenings
- Appendix IV Musical Union Audience Statistics
- Appendix V Supplementary Notes on John Ella’s Family
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
From the late 1850s Ella’s position in London life looked unassailable. The Musical Union went from strength to strength, Ella’s profits increased and he was able to take fresh initiatives and develop his high-minded agendas in new arenas. In turn, his sphere of influence, social advancement and overt cosmopolitanism continued to grow, and soon he would boast an address in Piccadilly, friends in high places, a stake in national debates on music, and connections and a reputation across much of central Europe. Even the trenchant Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick wrote admiringly of Ella’s achievements, describing Musical Union concerts (which he witnessed in 1862) as belonging to ‘the best and most fashionable’ and having ‘something of the Hellmesbergers’ efforts about them’ – a reference to the high-minded quartet concerts in Vienna led by Joseph Hellmesberger. For although slightly mocking of the (English) audience’s need for guidance on music and of Ella’s sometimes overblown language and pompous manner, he appreciated the innovative merits of the programme notes and was impressed by such audiences’ ‘exemplary’ attention and quiet. Eventually, though, Ella encountered setbacks – personal and professional – as his life and promotions in the 1860s took a series of turns, some of which he could never have envisaged, and most of which have escaped historical narratives. Ella dealt with these new situations pragmatically, without losing sight of what mattered to him. In fact, from the outside, it probably looked like ‘business as usual’.
❧ St James’s Hall
I shall never forget the delightful hours which I have spent at the Musical Union Concerts held at St. James’s Hall. The quartet players occupied a raised platform in the centre of the room – the sound was thus equally diffused. The Professor, alive at all points, in every way personally conducted the programme. He moved about amongst his assembled friends like one in his own family circle; the élite of English musical society was to be found there, and Ella looked as if he felt that he was the real musical father of them all – and so, in fact, he was.
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- Information
- The Pursuit of High CultureJohn Ella and Chamber Music in Victorian London, pp. 216 - 279Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2007