Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY 201
of the instrument see art. Trombone ; also
Mahillon, Le Trombone, Bnissels, 1906, and
Galpin, The Sackbut, its Evolution mid History,
Mus. Assoc. Proceedings, 1907. F. w. G.
SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY. This
Society was originated by Thomas Brewer,
Joseph Hart, W. Jeffreys, Joseph Surman, and
— Cockerell, who first met, with a view to its
establishment, on August 21, 1832. Its
practical operations did not, however, commence
until Nov. 20 following. Its first meetings
were held in the chapel in Gate Street,
Lincoln's Inn Fields, where the first concert
was given on Tuesday evening, Jan. 15, 1833.
The programme comprised selections from
Handel's 'Messiah' and 'Funeral Anthem,'
and from Perry's ' Fall of Jerusalem ' and Death
'
of Abel,' with Attwood's Coronation Anthem,
'
Lord, grant the king a long life,' and the
'
hymn Adeste fideles. ' The names of the
principal singers were not published ; Thomas
Harper was engaged as solo trumpeter. The
then officers of the Society were John Newman
Harrison, president ; Thomas Brewer, secretary
J. G. Moginie, treasurer ; Joseph Surman, conductor
;
George Perry, leader of the band ; and
F. C. "Walker, organist. In Nov. 1833, the
permission to meet in the chapel being suddenly
withdrawn, the Society removed to a chapel in
Henrietta Street, Brunswick Square, and shortly
afterwards to a room belonging to the Scottish
Hospital in Fleur de Lys Court, Fleet Street
but at Midsummer, 1884, it migrated to Exeter
Hall, which was its home until Michaelmas,
1880. The concerts were for the first two
years given in the Minor Hall, and consisted
principally of selections, in which a few short
complete works were occasionally introduced,
such as Handel's Dettingen Te Deum, ' ' Haydn's
'Mass,' No. 1, Bishop's 'Seventh Day,' and
Romberg's 'The Transient and the Eternal.'
The Society having on June 28, 1836, given a
concert in the Large Hall in aid of a charity
with very gi-eat success, was shortly afterwards
induced to give its own concerts there. At
the same time an important change in its policy
was effected, viz. the abandonment of miscellaneous
selections for complete oratorios, a
change which was received by the public with
great favour. Up to that period, even at the
provincial festivals, it was very rarely that any
complete oratorio, except Handel's 'Messiah,'
was performed, whilst the programmes of the
so-called ' Oratorios ' at the two patent theatres
on the Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent were a
mongrel mixture of oratorio songs and choruses,
secular songs of all kinds, and instrumental
solos. The first concert given in the Largp
Hall on the Society's own account was Handel's
'Messiah,' on Dec. 20, 1836, the orchestra
consisting of about 300 performers. In 1837
the works performed included Mendelssohn's
'St. Paul' (March 7), for the first time in
London and second in England, Handel's
'Messiah,' 'Israel in Egypt,' and 'Dettingen
Te Deum, ' Haydn's Creation, ' ' and the Mass
known as Mozart's 12th. On Sept. 12 another
jjerformance of ' St. Paul ' was given, in the
composer's presence [see Mendelssohn, vol. iii.
p. 134a]. During the year the number of
performers was increased to 500. In the same
year the formation of a musical library was commenced,
and Robert Kanzow Bowley appointed
honorary librarian. In 1838 Handel's 'Judas
Maccabfeus,' 'Samson,' and 'Solomon' were
revived, and Beethoven's Mass ' in C,' Spohr's
' Last Judgment, ' Perry's FaD ' of Jerusalem
introduced. 1839 witnessed the revival and
repetition of Handel's 'Joshua.' A new organ
was built for the Society by Walker, and opened
Jan. 23, 1840, with a performance by Thomas
Adams. Handel's Saul ' ' was revived, and
Elvey's
'
Resurrection and Ascension, ' and
Perry's Thanksgiving Anthem on '
the birth of
the Princess Royal ' introduced. 1841 was distinguished
by a revival of Handel's Jephtha,
'
and by two performances of a selection of
anthems. The latter was received with great
interest, public attention having been then
lately drawn to our cathedral music. The
programme was chronologically arranged, and
exhibited the various changes in the style of
English church music from Tallis to Samuel
Wesley, a, period of two centuries and a half.
It is true that a performance of a so-called
' Selection of Anthems ' been given in the
preceding year, but the programme being injudiciously
arranged— a few anthems being
interspersed with songs and other pieces in no
wise connected with church-music,—had produced
but little effect : the distinguishing
feature of it was two admirable performances
upon the organ by Mendelssohn. Perry's
'
Death of Abel ' was brought forward on
March 19, 1841. In 1842 Handel's 'Jubilate
Deo, ' and Beethoven's Mount ' of Olives ' (the
'Engedi' version), were introduced. In 1843
Spohr's ' '
Fall of Babylon produced, conducted
by the composer, who was then on a
visit to England ; Dr. Crotch's anthem, The
'
Lord is King, ' was performed for the first time
Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise ' ' was introduced,
and also Handel's Deborah.' ' The new introductions
in 1844 were a Coronation Anthem
and an organ concerto by Handel, Mendelssohn's
42nd Psalm, and Haydn's Mass, No. 16 ; but
the season was chiefly distinguished by two
performances of Mendelssohn's St. ' Paul, ' conducted
by the composer. Handel's ' Athaliah,'
Purcell's 'Jubilate in D,' and cantata 'Saul
and the Witch of Endor, ' Neukomm's David,
'
and a new selection of anthems, were brought
forward for the first time in 1845. In 1846
the new introductions comprised Perry's ' Belshazzar's
Feast,' Mendelssohn's 114th Psalm,
Haydn's Mass, No. 2, and some minor pieces.