Scan 217
Grove's dictionary of music and musicians: ed. by J. A. Fuller …, Volume 1, 1911
8 lines. Read by computer on 7 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1BANTOCK
3pressly for her by Bianchi. She also acted in comic operas, and was particularly successful in Paisiello's 'Serva Padrona.' Her spirits never flagged; nor did her admirers ever grow weary of her. They never wished for another singer; but Mrs. Billington had now returned, and astonished the public with her marvellous execution. The manager engaged her for the next season, and allowed Banti, whose health was now failing, to depart. Before the close of her last season (1802), however, an interesting performance took place. Banti prevailed on Mrs. Billington to sing with her on the night of her benefit, leaving her the choice of opera and character. Portogallo's 'Merope' was chosen, Mrs. Billington acting the part of the heroine, and Banti that of Polifonte, though written for a tenor. Banti died at Bologna, Feb. 18, 1806, bequeathing her larynx (of extraordinary size) to the town, the municipality of which caused it to be preserved in spirita. Her husband was the dancer Zaccaria Banti, who was dancing in London as early as 1777 in Sacchini's 'Creso.' She left a daughter, married to Dr. Barbieri, who raised to her memory a monument in the cemetery outside the walls of Bologna, which was afterwards repaired and adorned by her husband, and from which we learn the places and dates of her birth and death (Harmonicon, viii.).
5J. M.
7BANTOCK, GRANVILLE, born in London, August 7, 1868; was at first intended for the Indian Civil Service, but, finding his musical proclivities too powerful, after a few lessons in harmony and counterpoint from Dr. G. Saunders at Trinity College, London, entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1889 as a pupil of Mr. F. Corder; he won the Macfarren Scholarship after his first term, being the first holder of the prize. During the period of his studentship the following works were given at the Academy concerts: Overture, 'The Fire-Worshippers,' Egyptian suite de ballet from 'Rameses II.,' 'Wulstan,' scene for baritone and orchestra, and 'Caedmar,' one-act opera (in concert-form). This last, with extracts from other works, was given at an invitation concert in 1892, and in October of the same year the opera was presented at the Crystal Palace, being produced in London by Signor Lago during his unfortunate tenure of the Olympic Theatre, Oct. 25. His strong bent towards oriental subjects, indicated in the names of two of the works given at the Academy, has remained with him throughout his career, and the performance of the overture to 'The Fire-Worshippers' under Mr. Manns at the Crystal Palace was Mr. Bantock's real introduction to the musical world. It was some three years before his name came prominently forward as a composer; from May 1893 till Feb. 1896 he was editor and proprietor of an excellent little magazine, The New Quarterly Musical Review, and during the same period acted as conductor of musical comedies, and light music generally, in the provinces, and with one of Mr. George Edwardes's companies which made the tour of the world in 1894 and 1895. The drudgery of this work gave him useful experience, and led to his engagement as conductor of the provincial tour of Stanford's 'Shamus O'Brien' in 1895. In the winter of 1896, he formed the bold project of giving a concert consisting entirely of compositions by the younger generation of English musicians, all performed for the first time, and all in MS. The writers represented were the late Erskine Allon, Stanley Hawley, Arthur Hinton, Reginald Steggall, William Wallace, and Bantock himself. Although the concert, given Dec. 15, was a financial failure, it served the good purpose of giving six young composers an opportunity which the older institutions would doubtless have continued to deny them; the task of getting a hearing for the younger school was continued in a chamber concert in the following May, with the same result. After a short engagement as conductor for a series of French plays at the Royal Theatre (revival of 'L'Enfant Prodigue,' etc.) he was appointed in 1897 musical director of the Tower, New Brighton, a post in which he did a great work for English music during the four years of his tenure. Like Manns at the beginning of the Crystal Palace concerts, Bantock had, for the first year, only a military band, but when he succeeded in establishing a concert-orchestra, he organised concerts of British music, many of which were conducted by the composers themselves. Among those whose works were thus represented were Mackenzie, Parry, Stanford, Corder, German, Elgar, and Cowen. In 1898 Bantock founded the New Brighton Choral Society, and was appointed conductor of the Runcorn Philharmonic Society. In Feb. 1900 he conducted a concert of British music at Antwerp, including first performances of some of his own compositions. Foremost among these was a symphonic poem, 'Jaga-Naut' (played at the Philharmonic Concerts in the following March), which was intended to form part of a series of 24 symphonic poems on subjects taken from Southey's Curse of Kehama. Even the framing of such a scheme shows an unusual degree of mental vigour and ambition, and several of the projected cycle of works were actually completed and published; ultimately, with the increase of other work, Mr. Bantock decided to abandon the idea, which never could have been a very practical one, for the whole 24 works could not have been given consecutively at a single concert. In September 1900 he was appointed Principal of the Birmingham and Midland Institute School of Music; in February 1901 he conducted a second concert of British music at Antwerp; and in October 1902 was appointed conductor of the Wolverhampton Festival Choral Society in succession to Mr. H. J. Wood, and con-
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.