Completion of single-authored book on Opera in Britain 1875-1918

While research into the music and musical culture of the British Isles in the 'long nineteenth-century' has become more common in the last 30 years, examination of grand opera and operatic culture in the latter part of this period has been more scanty. Even rebutters of the argument that Britain was 'das Land ohne Musik' have tended ignore opera, acknowledging flurries of activity (e.g. the rash of new works produced by the Pyne-Harrison Company around 1860, or the unusual circumstances surrounding Sullivan's Ivanhoe) but concluding that, overall, these are brief flashes of light, the dawn not arriving until Britten's Peter Grimes (1945). In recent years operatic culture up to 1870 has attracted more attention, (e.g. by Cowgill, Biddlecombe, Dideriksen, Hall-Witt and Marvin), but the later period of the 'British Music Renaissance' (post-1880) has been largely ignored. Perceptions of a 'Renaissance' have been part of the problem: Britain's operatic achievements after 1880 failed to match up, in the conventional view, to the rebirth seen in other areas. Musicologists have never argued that Britain was 'das Land ohne Oper' but the view has pertained that the odds were so highly stacked against indigenous composers that there was little hope of success; instead, therefore, even advocates of the 'Renaissance' have concentrated on why circumstances were so unfavourable. In support of this argument are cited the domination of London by foreign opera (repertory, conductors, and singers), a West End audience more interested in its own exclusivity than culture, the run-away success of Gilbert and Sullivan drawing a middle class audience to operetta and musical comedy, and the lack of a professional class of native musicians that could create and promote an original product. Whilst there was a rebirth in other genres (choral music, symphonies, chamber music, etc), the prevalent attitude is that, for opera, the odds against were too large.

It is not my intention in my book to debunk all of that narrative, but I particularly hope to show two things. Firstly, that Victorian/Edwardian operatic culture was not so forlorn as hitherto thought. A great deal was going on, and more opportunities for composers, performers and audiences existed than one might expect: over 90 serious operas by British composers were premiered between 1875 and 1918. This is a small number compared to France, Austria/Germany, or Italy but does not compare unfavourably with Russia, Bohemia, the United States, or Spain. I intend to demonstrate this by examining operatic life in Britain in this period (companies, productions, social attitudes) and the operas by British composers that were produced both here and abroad. Secondly, I intend to examine the undoubted challenges, and to show why it was difficult to make a breakthrough in this genre.

The aim of this book is, therefore, to examine the nature of operatic culture in the British Isles between 1875 and 1918, showing how grand opera was produced and consumed by companies and audiences, discussing the repertory performed, and the position of British composers within this realm of activity. Previous published work in this area has been patchy; there exists no overarching survey after those written by Eric White (1983) and Nigel Burton (1981). Both are dated and contained within larger studies and are inevitably brief. On several aspects of this subject sharply focused investigation has been undertaken by others, particularly in relation to individual composers, performers, and venues. I aim to put the work of these recent scholars into the hitherto absent wider context and to show various changes and trends occurring over the 40 years covered by this study. Chapters are devoted to opera in the West End of London, the provinces, the First World War, new works produced, and the ongoing debates on public subsidy, andthe (desired) identity of British opera.

POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES
Outside the academic community potential beneficiaries are:
- the significant community of British Music enthusiasts, gathered together, for example, in various societies
- professional and amateur musicians, e.g. opera companies, orchestras, and choirs
- recording companies

There has always existed a substantial interest in the 'British Musical Renaissance' amongst many professional and amateur musicians even when it was unfashionable as a subject for study within the academic community (and in some other places, e.g. the BBC in the so-called 'Glock Era' of the 1960s); through these interested groups the works of many British composers were kept in the public domain through concert performances, the choral tradition of the Anglican church, and many societies promoted the works of individual composers. Grand opera, for reasons explained in the 'Case for Support' has been especially neglected, but still remains the object of curiosity, and there is therefore potential impact in bringing the results of this research to a wider audience, especially if it is presented in an accessible manner.

NATURE OF BENEFIT
The research findings have the potential to:
- increase understanding of this aspect of Britain's musical culture and history in the amateur and professional musical communities;
- Facilitate discussion in those communities by increasing awareness of how their current activities fit into a wider historical context;
- Encourage exploration of previously neglected repertory and performance practice.

EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL IMPACT
- revivals of previously neglected operas, either in amateur or professional performance, in staged or concert format
- recordings of the same (there are already examples of this)
- increased interest in unique but presently largely neglected archives in various repositories