[Viardot, Pauline. (1821–1910)] Costa, Michael. (1808–1884) Eli, an Oratorio. Inscribed by the Composer to Pauline Viardot.

[Viardot, Pauline. (1821–1910)] Costa, Michael. (1808–1884)

Eli, an Oratorio. Inscribed by the Composer to Pauline Viardot.

London: Addison, Hollier & Lucas. 1856. First edition. Eli, an Oratorio. (First Performed at Birmingham Musical Festival, August 29th 1855). The words selected and written by William Bartholomew. The Music composed and dedicated to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria. Piano-Vocal Score (12 x 15 inches). 192 pages. Later marbled boards, half brown leather, with raised spine label printed in gold ("ELI / Michael Costa / Inscribed to Pauline Viardot"). In very find condition. Inscribed by the composer on the title page to the great soprano, Pauline Viardot.

The oratorio of " Eli," the text taken from the first book of Samuel, and adapted by William Bartholomew, was first performed at the Birmingham Festival, Aug. 29, 1855, under Costa's own direction, with Pauline Viardot, Clara Novello, Sims Reeves and Carl Formes in the principal parts.

Meyerbeer, whose music for the 1862 exhibition Costa conducted, called him "the greatest chef d'orchestre in the world," and Costa lead many of London's leading musical organizations for a period of nearly 50 years. It was he who introduced authoritative conducting with a baton, where previously orchestras were chiefly led by the principal violinist or soloist. As conductor of the Italian opera at King's Theatre, "the press almost immediately praised the discipline and ensemble of his baton-conducted band and hailed the improved standard of the orchestral playing (deplored a few years before by Spohr, Fetis and Meyerbeer)....When he resigned from the theatre (now Her Majesty's) in 1846, Costa took 53 of its 80-member orchestra with him and founded the Royal Italian Opera in the following year at the newly renovated Covent Garden Theatre. In 1846 he also accepted the conductorship of the Philharmonic Society, stipulating absolute control over the orchestra....As conductor of the Sacred Harmonic Society from 1848 until its dissolution in 1882, he directed the first years of the mammoth triennial Handel Festivals at the Crystal Palace from 1847 to 1880, including the centenary festival." (Grove Online) (1165)

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