Anatomy of Murder (52 page)
The fictional opera house, His Majesty’s Theatre, isbased on the King’s Theatre London of this period. For details of how an opera house was managed, from the music to the performers to the refreshments, I owe a great debt to
Italian Opera in Late Eighteenth-Century London
Volume 1,
The King’s Theatre Haymarket 1778–1791
by Curtis Price, Judith Milhous and Robert D. Hume.
Italian Opera in Late Eighteenth-Century London
Volume 1,
The King’s Theatre Haymarket 1778–1791
by Curtis Price, Judith Milhous and Robert D. Hume.
The castrato who took the
primo umo
roles in the 1781–2 season at the King’s Theatre was the mezzo-soprano Gaspare Pacchierotti (1740–1821). He was renowned as a great singer and also loved for his modesty and excellent manners.
primo umo
roles in the 1781–2 season at the King’s Theatre was the mezzo-soprano Gaspare Pacchierotti (1740–1821). He was renowned as a great singer and also loved for his modesty and excellent manners.
For an account of the lives and training of the castrati, I would recommend Patrick Barbier, translated by Margaret Crosland:
The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic Phenomenon
.
The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic Phenomenon
.
The 1781–2 season
was
marked by a plagiarism scandal involving the castrato and composer Venanzio Rauzzini (1747–1810), and one of the house composers Antonio Sacchini (1730–86). This was a case of disputed authorship between former collaborators, however, not comparable to the outright theft of Leacroft’s music by Bywater.
was
marked by a plagiarism scandal involving the castrato and composer Venanzio Rauzzini (1747–1810), and one of the house composers Antonio Sacchini (1730–86). This was a case of disputed authorship between former collaborators, however, not comparable to the outright theft of Leacroft’s music by Bywater.
The arias mentioned, and the opera
Julius Rex
are, to the best of my knowledge, fictions of the author.
Julius Rex
are, to the best of my knowledge, fictions of the author.
On 20 June 1781 the
Public Advertiser
reported that the
Endymion
had captured a French ship called the
Marquis de La Fayette
on the banks of Newfoundland ‘loaded for congress with arms, clothing and bale good’s bound to Philidelphia’, and valued her at ‘not less than 300,000 l’. The
Endymion
was under the command of Captain Philip Carteret. In a letter to Carteret’s wife in Southampton dated 19 June 1781 from his friend Noah Lebras, the date of the engagement is given as 3 May. The
Endymion
lost five men, and four wounded.
Public Advertiser
reported that the
Endymion
had captured a French ship called the
Marquis de La Fayette
on the banks of Newfoundland ‘loaded for congress with arms, clothing and bale good’s bound to Philidelphia’, and valued her at ‘not less than 300,000 l’. The
Endymion
was under the command of Captain Philip Carteret. In a letter to Carteret’s wife in Southampton dated 19 June 1781 from his friend Noah Lebras, the date of the engagement is given as 3 May. The
Endymion
lost five men, and four wounded.
All further details are invented.
London Life in the Eighteenth Century
by M. Dorothy George gives an excellent account of the capital at the time.
by M. Dorothy George gives an excellent account of the capital at the time.
For a layman’s guide to the effects of brain injury on both the patient and their families, please see
Head Injury: A Practical Guide
by Trevor Powell, published by Headway, the brain injury association.
www.headway.org.uk
Head Injury: A Practical Guide
by Trevor Powell, published by Headway, the brain injury association.
www.headway.org.uk
All errors and anachronisms are my own.
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