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Scan 65
Grove's dictionary of music and musicians, 1904
8 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 42. See the scan on archive.org.
1provinces, with three separate companies, the principal company being 115 in number, with a repertory of thirty operas. In 1902 and 1903, he gave two seasons at Covent Garden, and in 1904 a longer one at Drury Lane. In the latter year and in 1906, with characteristic generosity, he gave an operatic festival, without personal profit, at Sheffield, in aid of funds for the foundation of a university in that town. By giving prizes for the best operas produced by British composers, and by giving opportunities to provincial amateurs of seeing great operas, the Moody-Manners Company has already had a good influence on contemporary music.
3His wife, née FANNY MOODY, was born Nov. 23, 1866, at Redruth, Cornwall. She was taught singing by Mme. Sainton-Dolby at her private Academy. On April 25, 1885, she sang the principal soprano music in her mistress's last composition, 'Florimel,' a cantata for female voices, at a Memorial Concert at Prince's Hall, under Sainton. In February 1887 she made her début as Arline in the 'Bohemian Girl' at Liverpool with the Carl Rosa Company, and on April 30 appeared very successfully as Micaëla at Drury Lane. After singing in the provinces with that company for three years she reappeared at Drury Lane in 1890 as Mignon, Margaret, etc. She was married to Mr. Manners on July 5, 1890, and in October sang in Italian as Margaret and Alice. In 1892 she was the original English Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's opera above mentioned. She has accompanied her husband on all his tours, and has sung in his London seasons, in addition to parts mentioned, Elizabeth, Elsa, Brünnhilde in 'Siegfried,' Juliet; Sept. 26, 1902, the heroine on the production of Pizzi's 'Rosalba' at Covent Garden; Sept. 22, 1903, Militza on the production at Covent Garden of M'Alpin's 'Crescent and the Cross,' founded on Coppée's 'Pour la Couronne,' which won the £250 prize offered by the artists; on June 17, 1904, she sang the part of Senta in the revival of 'The Flying Dutchman,' at Drury Lane, etc. The possessor of a pleasant light soprano voice, an actress and singer of great charm, Madame Fanny Moody excels in the poetic and pathetic parts associated with Christine Nilsson.
5A. C.
7MANNS, SIR AUGUST, born of poor parents at Stolzenburg, near Stettin, in North Germany, March 12, 1825. His first teacher was the village-musician at the neighbouring village of Torgelow, from whom he learnt the violin, clarinet, and flute. His next instruction was received from Urban, the town-musician of Elbing, near which his parents had removed, and to whom he was apprenticed. Here he had regular practice in an orchestra, especially that of the Dantzig opera company during its annual visits to Elbing; and this led to his entering one of the regimental bands of Dantzig as first clarinet, while he played among the first violins at the theatre. He now began to arrange and compose for the band, and generally to take a prominent part in the music of the place. In 1848 the regiment was transferred to Posen, and here Manns was noticed by Wieprecht, and through his assistance transferred himself from the military band to Gung'l's orchestra in Berlin, and was at length advanced to the post of conductor and solo-violin player at Kroll's Garden—the Crystal Palace of Berlin. Here, under Gyer, he worked hard at harmony and composition, and produced much dance music and other pieces which were very popular. After the destruction of Kroll's establishment by fire in 1851, Mr. Manns was chosen by Herr von Roon (the well-known war-minister), then in command of a crack infantry regiment at Königsberg, to be his bandmaster. Colonel von Roon, though not himself a musician, was very anxious that the band of his regiment should shine in the service. He accordingly gave his bandmaster every opportunity of display. At his instance Beethoven's Symphonies (not at that time so universally known as they are now) were arranged for the band, and in other ways the music of the regiment was made very prominent. It was soon afterwards moved from Königsberg to Cologne, and there enjoyed a still greater reputation. Manns, however, longed for a wider field, and wisely leaving to others the department of composition, in which his abilities were quite sufficient to have ensured him considerable success, he fortunately accepted, in the spring of 1854, an engagement as sub-conductor in the band of the Crystal Palace, then a wind band only, under Herr Schallehn. This position he gave up in October, and after following his profession at Leamington and Edinburgh (in Mr. Wood's opera band) he became conductor of the summer concerts at Amsterdam in 1855, and finally, in the autumn of that year, was engaged as conductor of the Crystal Palace band, a post upon which he entered on Oct. 14, 1855. The music at the Crystal Palace was at that time in a very inchoate condition, the band was still a wind band, and the open Centre Transept was the only place for its performances. Under the efforts of the new conductor things soon began to mend. He conducted a 'Saturday Concert' in the 'Bohemian Glass Court' the week after his arrival; through the enlightened liberality of the directors the band was changed to a full orchestra, a better spot was found for the music, adjoining the Queen's rooms (since burnt) at the north-east end, and at length, through the exertions of Robert Bowley, then General Manager, the concert-room was enclosed and roofed in, and the famous Saturday Concerts began, and were continued with a constant advance, both in the value and variety of the selections and the delicacy and spirit of the performances, until 1901. Manns's duties
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