Prof. Fiona M. Palmer publishes chapter on Dublin Grand Musical Festival 1831

Thursday, July 4, 2019 - 09:15

Prof Fiona M. Palmer’s recently published chapter is entitled: ‘Madame Stockhausen was not at rehearsal—but why not?!’: Sir George Smart’s Perspective on the Dublin Grand ​Musical Festival of 1831’ and appears in Irish Musical Studies 12: Documents of Irish History in the Long Nineteenth Century edited by Kerry Houston, Maria McHale and Michael Murphy (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2019)
 
The chapter uses the rich manuscript legacy of the Festival’s musical advisor and fixer, Sir George Smart, to shed light on the logistics and impact of this watershed event and on the remarkable reception given to the virtuoso violinist, Paganini.  The realities and etiquettes of coordinating and directing programmes, soloists, instrumentalists and choristers are vividly revealed thanks to Smart’s assiduous documentation of his association with the Festival.