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(1823-1833): The Reviews of the Philharmonic Society Concerts
I. The Harmonicon
The Harmonicon (1823-1833)1 was the most important and influential English musical periodical in the early part of the nineteenth century.2 The Harmonicon and its contemporary The Quarterly Musical Magazine and Review were the only two long-running English periodicals at a time when most musical periodicals appeared and disappeared within the span of a few years.
The periodical consisted of two parts. Part I was the literary portion and contained, as indicated on the title page of its first volume of 1823, "Essays, Criticism, Biography, and Miscellanies" (see Illustration no. 1). These included articles on theory, history, aesthetics; reviews of music, operas, concerts, festivals and musical literature; musical news; correspondence from abroad; translations from foreign publications, and letters from readers. Part II contained instrumental and vocal scores "selected from the production of great masters" and also one work per issue commissioned by an eminent composer. The breadth and quality of the contents made The Harmonicon the outstanding English music journal of its time.
From its inception to its demise, the editor of The Harmonicon was William Ayrton (1777-1858), a prominent figure on the British musical scene. Though not a practicing musician, he was a good organizer and a talented journalist, and in these capacities made an important contribution to musical life in London. Among his many activities special mention should be made of his musical criticism for The Morning Chronicle, The Examiner, and The Musical Library, among others. He was a founder and director of the Philharmonic Society, which gave him intimate knowledge of the Society's affairs and afforded him access to the concert rehearsals. He was also a member of the Royal Institution and the Athenaeum Club. At different times he served as Director of the Italian Opera at the King's Theater where, to his everlasting credit, he premiered Mozart's Don Giovanni. At The Harmonicon he served not only as its editor but also wrote many articles and reviews, including almost all the reviews of the Philharmonic concerts. His articles and reviews, knowledgeable, intelligent and impartial, resulted in The Harmonicon's high standing among the professional musicians and enlightened amateurs who were its readers.
The first four years of The Harmonicon's publication overlapped with...