The organist and writer William Spark (1823-97) is best remembered for his active role in the Leeds musical scene, notably his involvement in the People's Concerts and the Leeds Festival. Spark had been articled to the organist and composer Samuel Sebastian Wesley in 1840 and accompanied him when he moved to Leeds two years later. Following several posts as an organist, he worked with Henry Smart on the design of the organ for Leeds town hall in 1858, giving regular recitals on it thereafter. He wrote on a wide variety of musical topics and the present work, first published in 1888, brings together his personal reminiscences and anecdotes. The pen portraits of eminent musicians - including conductor Sir Michael Costa, composer Felix Mendelssohn and soprano Adelina Patti - offer a remarkably informed insight into the development of musical culture in the nineteenth century.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone