Musical Visitors to Britain

Britain has attracted many musical visitors to its shores. A varied and often eccentric collection of individuals, some were invited by royalty with musical tastes; some were refugees from religious or political oppressions; some were spies; and others came to escape debt or even murder charges. This book paints a broad picture of musical life in Britain during the last three centuries as seen by foreign musicians. Beginning with the rise of the celebrity composer in the nineteenth century through the invention of new forms of transport, allowing composers to travel more extensively from the Continent and the USA. Musical Visitors to Britain also charts the new opportunities presented by the opening of public halls, the growth of music festivals, the regular influx of composers in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and ends with the consideration of universalising music and new musical forms, such as jazz. This is a fascinating book for those with a special interest in music history, and due to the growing popularity of classical music will appeal to the general reader.