Chapter Six - 1814 – 1816

Summary

The subscription concerts being suspended for this season, as before mentioned, a proposal was made at the beginning of this year for having concerts once a fortnight at each others houses, with a cold super & catch singing afterwards. As however my son Henry, who usually spent a month or more with us at this time of year co’d not now obtain leave of absence, & having no tolerable violoncello player in Chichester, we co’d have no instrumental music, which was a great objection to my son and me, to obviate which Mr. Webber said they were in hopes of occasionally obtaining the assistance of Mr. Kinleside & of Mr. Munsey, vicar of Arundell, a very good violoncello player, with whom Mr. Holland was acquainted. – Having at length become a member tho’ we co’d have wished it had been upon the old plan of having tea instead of supper for about 20 people, which wo’d give much trouble to the mistress of the house, & particularly to such an invalide as Mrs. M. was; I on Thursday the 6^th. [January] went to the 1^st. at Mr. Webber’s, at which were the Pilkingtons, Hollands, Mess’rs Toghill, R Steele, Miller, Bennett & Miss Waring. As the concert was this time intirely vocal, my son was not invited, & Mrs. M. was too unwell to attend…

On the next day I played the organ at the cathedral for Mr. Bennett, which in consequence of his assistant C. Brown having left him, I now agreed to do every Friday, both morning & afternoon, Mr. Holland having agreed to take the organ on Mondays.

On Monday the 10^th. I met some of the Trustees at the chapel, when £295. the amount of Mr. England's bill for the organ, was ordered to be paid by the treasurer imediately after the contractors extra demands. On the next day my brother Henry came to spend a week with us.

Thursday the 13^th. being appointed for a general Thanksgiving for the recent victories in Spain and Germany & the restoration of the Prince of Orange to Holland,1 I played the organ (as usual) in the morning at St. John's & at ½ past 6. my brother & I went to the even’g service there, when Mr. Holland preached…