Birmingham Musical Festival in Aid of the Funds of The General Hospital, September 19, 20, 21, and 22 1837

A collection of ephemera pertaining to the Birmingham Musical Festival of 1837, consisting of:

A line-up announcement with the above title, 2pp, includes performers list, regulations, time table and note from the Committee of Management, folio, John Moore, Birmingham, 1837;

A programme for ‘ The Messiah’ , 8pp., woodcut coat of arms on title, to be performed on “Thursday Morning the twenty-first of september”, 4to, Tomas Knott, 1837;

A programme for “Second Miscellaneous Concert” , 22pp., woodcut coat of arms on wrapper, to be performed on “Thursday Evening the twenty-first of September”, 4to, Thomas Knott, 1837;

The Birmingham Triennial Musical Festival was an event held during the month of September and the longest running classical music festival of its kind. The first music festival, over three days in September 1768, was to help raise funds to complete the new General Hospital on Summer Lane. It proved to be very popular and successful, but it took another event in 1778 to achieve the funds required. The hospital opened September 1779.

From September 1784 the performances became a permanent feature and ran every three years, becoming the Birmingham Triennial Musical Festival, still with the aim of raising funds for the hospital.

In 1837 Felix Mendelssohn conducted a performance of his St. Paul oratorio, played the organ, and played the piano part in the premiere of his second Piano Concerto, specially commissioned by the Festival.

The last festival took place in 1912, World War I marking the end.