Music

Reminiscences of Michael Kelly, of the King's Theatre, and Theatre Royal Drury Lane 2 Volume Set - Including a Period of Nearly Half a Century

Michael Kelly (1762–1826) was an Irish singer and composer who studied music in a Naples conservatory before touring Europe and performing for royalty. His voyage to Italy began with a brush with pirates, one of whom was a childhood acquaintance. Kelly also found himself stranded penniless in Venice, spent a night in prison after a fist fight at the theatre, and had a narrow escape from revolutionary France. He is probably best remembered for creating the roles of Don Basilio and Don Curzio in the first performance, in 1786, of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, of which he describes the rehearsal period and reception. He later joined London's Theatre Royal as both a performer and composer and opened a music shop, which went bankrupt. These memoirs, published in 1826, cover an extraordinary life during turbulent times but also provide rich first-hand insights into a key period in theatre history.

Contents
Volume 1: 1. The author's birth and parentage
2. Departure of the author for Naples
3. Visits to Baja, Posilipo, the Grotta del Cane, and the Capo del Monte
4. Interview with the King and Queen of Naples
5. Kelly's visit to Rome, with Mr. Stewart and family
6. Return of the author to Naples
7. Arrival of the author in the Bay of Leghorn
8. Florence and its vicinity
9. Arrival at Venice, where the author, disappointed of his engagement, was left friendless and pennyless
10. Departure of the author, and Signor and Signora Benini, from Venice for Germany
11. Procession of the Doge to St. Marc's in passion-week
12. Introduction of the author to the Marquess and Marchioness Bevi Acqua
13. Grand Theatre at Parma
14. Carnival at Vienna
15. Visit to the great Haydn, at Eisenstadt
16. His Royal Highness the Duke of York at Vienna
17. Palace at Luxemburgh
18. First performance of the Nozze di Figaro
19. The author entreats leave of the Emperor to go to England
20. A German journey
21. Italian opera at Stutgard
22. Faubourg St. Germains
23. Jack Johnstone and Mrs. Billington, in Love in a Village
24. Fine taste of his late Majesty, in a suggestion as to the manner of performing the chorus, 'Life up your heads'
25. Introduction to Tate Wilkinson
26. Shakespeare's jubilee
27. First year of George Colman the Younger's management at the Haymarket
28. Mrs. Siddon at Calais. Volume 2: 1. First performance of the Siege of Belgrade
2. The author's mistake in taking Sir Charles Turner for Hobler, the chorus-singer
3. The author at Paris
4. Paesiello's comic opera, the 'Zingari in Fiera', at the King's Theatre
5. The Beggar's Opera prohibited in Dublin
6. Edinburgh
7. First performance of the Wheel of Fortune
8. The author apprehended as a French spy at Dover
9. Fracas at Plymouth Dock
10. Anecdotes of Monk Lewis
11. Mazzanti, the Italian soprano, at the performance of the Beggar's Opera Travestied
12. Mrs. Billington's dismay at the unexpected appearance of Monsieur de Felican, her husband
13. Difficulty of eating on the stage
14. The King's Theatre opened by Mr. Francis Goold
15. Tobin's Honey Moon
16. Miss De Camp in the 'Forty Thieves'
17. Madame Catalani dancing in a kitchen at Bangor, to the music of an old blind harper
18. Covent Garden Theatre burnt to the ground
19. The author's last appearance on the stage
20. Kean's first appearance as a tragedian in 'Shylock'
21. Arrival at Paris
22. Death of Sheridan
23. List of sixty-two dramatic pieces, for which Kelly composed the music
Appendix.