Joncus, Berta. 2016. Eleventh Stanley Sadie Memorial Lecture. 'Handel and London's Playhouse Stars' 7 March 2016. Handel & Hendrix House in London. [Professional Activity]

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Abstract or Description

Eleventh Stanley Sadie Lecture, by Berta Joncus.
Report by Mark Windisch.

This lecture entitled ‘Handel and London’s Playhouse Stars’ was given by Berta Joncus in Studio 7 of the Handel & Hendrix in London House on 7 March. Its aim was to explore what happened when changing fashions saw the end of Italian Opera, which portrayed ancient nobility or supernatural characters. English Playhouse style which followed portrayed real people in the ‘public sphere’ who could have been met in the right social situation. This was because English drama by writers such as Dryden, Milton and Fielding portrayed characters from real life and they provided the impetus for these musical works. At the same time, freedom of the press gave journalists carte blanche to report the lurid events in the lives of these now very public characters, which gave this genre great public interest. An illustration from a theatre in Bath showed how a typical theatre would have been laid out according to the social status of the audience, though all levels were completely packed.

Three of the performers’ lives were explored in the talk. Kitty Clive was the First Lady of the Playhouse, known for her sharp wit as Miss Prudely Crotchet. She performed in L’Allegro and featured in a famous painting holding ‘sweet bird’ from the work. She also appeared in the masque Comus as Euphrosyne. As was usual at this time, Clive worked in ballads and also in high-art music, whenever opportunities arose.

John Beard was another star, talent-spotted by Handel in the Chapel Royal, and he spent 4 years playing opposite Clive. An illustration showed Beard dressed as Admiral Vernon, who had had great success in the war against Spain. He was often portrayed in patriotic roles and dressed appropriately in character. Beard had a difficult period when he married a member of the aristocracy and her family cut her off from all contact, even cheating her of the possibility of inheritance. As a result, Beard had to work all hours to support his wife.

A third singer was Susannah Cibber who, married to an unscrupulous husband, was forced to have sex with another man and then excoriated for adultery. Her rendition of ‘He was despised’ was reputed to have drawn from the Dean, Rev Delany, a remark about her sins being forgiven.

Dr Joncus delivered this lecture entirely without notes, speaking directly to the audience. A scintillating performance! Its substance is to be included in her forthcoming book Creating a Star through Song: Kitty Clive (1711-1785), the Goddess of Mirth, to be published by Boydell & Brewer in 2017.

Handel News no. 66 (May 2016), pp. 18-19

Item Type:	Professional Activity
Related URLs:	https://handelfriendsuk.com/?s=Joncus
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Music
Date:	7 March 2016
Event Location:	Handel & Hendrix House, London, United Kingdom
Date range:	7 March 2016
Item ID:	35468
Date Deposited:	26 Mar 2024 16:47
Last Modified:	26 Mar 2024 16:47
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/35468

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