James (Jemmy) Collier et al. in Covent Garden Theatre, Covent Garden, London - early November, 1740

from The Letters of John Collier of Hastings, 1731-1746, page 181:

Letter from John Collier to his wife, Mary Collier, 27th November 1740

I now despair getting out till Munday, when I design Jemmy also goes for Cambridge; he is gone to the play tonight. The king is to be there and the Countess of Yarmouth is also expected and that the house would be full by 4. I think Jemmy told me he mentioned our being to see the new actress and the fine dancer Signora Barberini; I think she dances exceeding fine. Tonight Glover and all the top dancers are to perform.

cite as

John Collier et al, and Richard Saville (ed.), The Letters of John Collier of Hastings, 1731-1746 (Lewes, 2016), p. 181. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1692736798131 accessed: 5 December, 2024

location of experience: Covent Garden Theatre, Covent Garden, London

Listeners

James (Jemmy) Collier
lawyer, Mayor of Hastings
1721-1747
John Collier
lawyer, Mayor of Hastings, town clerk
1685-1760

Listening to

hide composers
'Mars and Venus', a serious ballet
written by Johann Adolf Hasse
performed by Barbara Campanini 'La Barberini' (dancer)
'Italian Peasants', a comic dance
written by Johann Adolf Hasse
performed by Barbara Campanini 'La Barberini' (dancer)

Experience Information

Date/Time early November, 1740
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, indoors, in public

Notes

Although John Collier's letter does not mention any music, a footnote to the letter in Richard Saville's edited collection identifies the dances performed by La Barberini and her colleagues. The composer of the music is known to be Johann Adolf Hasse (see, for example, Judith Milhous (1984) 'Hasse's _Comic Tunes_: Some Dancers and Dance Music on the London Stage, 1740-59', _Dance Research_, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 41-55).


Originally submitted by lcc5 on Tue, 22 Aug 2023 21:39:58 +0100
Approved on Thu, 14 Sep 2023 08:14:56 +0100