Music During the Queen's Reign

Extract

Before speaking of the music of the Queen's reign, it may be well to produce some account of it when our beloved Queen was a girl: and here we can fortunately produce the testimony of a competent authority, Thomas Oliphant, commonly known as Tommy Oliphant, the genial and accomplished secretary of the Madrigal Society. He was born in 1799 and died in 1873, and although an amateur, cultivated music with an ardour and enthusiasm not always found, even amongst professional musicians. He sang bass in the chorus at the great Musical Festival held in Westminster Abbey in June and July, 1834. The Princess Victoria was then fifteen years of age.