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Bishop

92

Bishop


festival’ (13 June 1814), ‘Aurora’ and ‘Doctor Sangrado,’ both ballets (September 1814), a compressed version of Arne's ‘Artaxerxes,’ with recitatives by Bishop, and ‘The Forest of Bondy’ (both on 30 Sept. 1814), additional music in ‘The Maid of the Mill’ (18 Oct. 1814), a compilation from Boïeldieu's ‘John of Paris’ (12 Nov. 1814), ‘Brother and Sister,’ in collaboration with Reeve (1 Feb. 1815), ‘The Noble Outlaw’ (7 April 1815), ‘Telemachus’ (7 June 1815), ‘The Magpie or the Maid’ (15 Sept. 1815), ‘John du Bart’ (25 Oct. 1815), additions to ‘Cymon’ (20 Nov. 1815), ‘Comus’ (same year), and ‘Midsummer Night's Dream’ (17 Jan. 1816), ‘Guy Mannering,’ a collaboration with Attwood, Whittaker, and others, Bishop's best work in it being the famous glee ‘The Chough and Crow’ (12 March 1816), ‘Who wants a Wife’ (16 April 1816), a version of Kreutzer's ‘Lodoiska’ (15 Oct. 1816), ‘The Slave’ (12 Nov. 1816), ‘Royal Nuptials’ (November 1816), ‘The Humourous Lieutenant’ (18 Jan. 1817), ‘The Heir of Vironi’ (27 Feb. 1817), ‘The Apostate’ (13 May 1817), ‘The Libertine,’ a very free adaptation of Mozart's ‘Don Juan’ (20 May 1817), ‘The Duke of Savoy’ (29 Sept. 1817), and ‘The Father and his Children’ (25 Oct. 1817). In 1816 and 1817, in addition to his post at Covent Garden, Bishop was director of the music at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket, where he wrote music for ‘Exit by Mistake,’ a comedy ballet (22 July 1816), and ‘Teasing made Easy’ (30 July 1817). But Covent Garden remained the chief scene of his labours, and here during the next few years he wrote or adapted music for the following plays and operas: ‘The Illustrious Traveller’ (3 Feb. 1818), ‘Fazio’ (5 Feb. 1818), ‘Zuma,’ in collaboration with Braham (21 Feb. 1818), additions to ‘The Devil's Bridge’ (11 April 1818), ‘X Y Z’ (13 June 1818), ‘The Burgomaster of Saardam’ (23 Sept. 1818), ‘The Barber of Seville,’ a version of Rossini's opera (13 Oct. 1818), ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’ a free adaptation from Mozart (6 March 1819), ‘Fortunatus and his Sons’ (12 April 1819), ‘The Heart of Midlothian’ (17 April 1819), ‘A Roland for an Oliver’ (29 April 1819), ‘Swedish Patriotism’ (19 May 1819), ‘The Gnome King’ (6 Oct. 1819), ‘The Comedy of Errors’ (11 Dec. 1819), ‘The Antiquary’ (25 Jan. 1820), ‘Henri Quatre’ (22 April 1820), ‘Montoni’ (3 May 1820), ‘Bothwell Brigg’ (22 May 1820), ‘Twelfth Night’ (8 Nov. 1820), ‘Don John’ (20 Feb. 1821), music to ‘Henry IV,’ part ii. (25 June 1821), ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ (29 Nov. 1821), ‘Montrose’ (14 Feb. 1822), ‘The Law of Java,’ which contains the well-known ‘Mynheer van Dunck’ (11 May 1822), ‘Maid Marian’ (3 Dec. 1822), ‘The Vision of the Sun’ (31 March 1823), ‘Clari’ (8 May 1823), in which Bishop introduced or composed (for the origin of the tune is a matter of dispute) the ever-popular ‘Home, sweet Home,’ ‘The Beacon of Liberty’ (8 Oct. 1823), ‘Cortez’ (5 Nov. 1823), ‘The Vespers of Palermo’ (12 Dec. 1823), ‘Native Land’ (10 Feb. 1824), ‘Charles II’ (9 May 1824), and ‘As you like it’ (10 Dec. 1824). With the last-named work Bishop's long connection with Covent Garden terminated. In 1819 he had entered into partnership with the management of the theatre in conducting the so-called ‘oratorios,’ concerts of the most heterogeneous description, which were given at the opera-houses during Lent, and in 1820 Bishop became the sole manager of these curious entertainments. His management, however, ceased after one season. In the autumn of the same year he went to Dublin, where he was received with great honour, the freedom of the city being unanimously voted and bestowed upon him (2 Aug. 1820). In 1825 Bishop was engaged by Elliston at Drury Lane, where he produced on 19 Jan. 1825 ‘The Fall of Algiers.’ This was followed by versions of Auber's ‘Masaniello’ (17 Feb. 1825), and Rossini's ‘Guillaume Tell’ (11 May 1825). In the same year he brought out a revised version of his early work, ‘Angelina,’ and wrote (in collaboration with Cooke and Horn) music to ‘Faustus’ (16 May) and the ‘Coronation of Charles X’ (5 July). The year 1826 was memorable in the annals of music in England for the production of Weber's ‘Oberon’ at Covent Garden, under the composer's own direction. By way of a counter-attraction, the management of Drury Lane commissioned Bishop to write a grand opera on the subject of ‘Aladdin.’ He took more than usual pains over this work, the composition of which occupied him for at least a year, but the book was even worse than that of ‘Oberon,’ and the music, though written with much care, was found to be inferior to Bishop's best compositions, probably because, by attempting to meet Weber on his own ground, he had only succeeded in producing a weak imitation of the style of the German master. ‘Aladdin,’ which was produced on 29 April 1826, shortly after Weber's opera, was followed by several unimportant works, ‘The Knights of the Cross’ (29 May 1826), ‘Englishmen in India’ (27 Jan. 1827), ‘Edward the Black Prince’ (28 Jan. 1828), and ‘Don Pedro’ (10 Feb. 1828). Bishop's permanent connection with Drury Lane ceased about

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