The 8th March is the 150th anniversary of the death of the famous French composer Hector Berlioz. In this letter, in the Gerald Coke Handel Collection at the Foundling Museum, Berlioz sends apologies to the flautist Jules-Antoine Demeur (husband of one of Berlioz’ favourite actresses), as he was instead going to Exeter Hall ‘to hear their famous Messiah’.
Courtesy of Gerald Coke Handel Collection, Foundling Museum
Katharine Hogg, Librarian, Gerald Coke Handel Collection
Nice blogpost! Reading through the letter, it looks (I think) as it Berlioz is saying “Don’t expect us this evening as we have no pianist”, and that’s why he ended up at Exeter Hall instead. Though I daresay others will be able to translate this whole letter rather better than I can.