William Gardiner in Haymarket Theatre - 24 February, 1809

from Music and Friends: Or, Pleasant Recollections of a Dilettante, pages 306-7:

February the 24th, 1809. I went to the Haymarket Theatre, and heard Acis and Galatea throughout. This serenata was first performed as a pastoral drama, aided by scenery, and what must have rendered it ridiculous, the characters were not in action, but sung and performed in what was called still life, standing like so many statues upon the stage. In this way Handel’s oratorios were first introduced to the public. The music of this work originally belonged to an Italian opera, which Handel composed when in that country, on a very different subject. I once saw a copy of it in Handel’s own …   more >>
cite as

William Gardiner, Music and Friends: Or, Pleasant Recollections of a Dilettante, volume 1 (London, 1838), p. 306-7. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1397476680592 accessed: 28 March, 2024

location of experience: Haymarket Theatre

Listeners

William Gardiner
Composer, Hosier
1770-1853

Listening to

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Acis and Galatea
written by George Frideric Handel

Experience Information

Date/Time 24 February, 1809
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, indoors, in public

Originally submitted by Meg Barclay on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:58:00 +0100