British Music Hall: An Illustrated History'The music hall ...had no place for reticence; it was downright, it shouted, it made noise, it enjoyed itself and made the people enjoy themselves as well.' W.J. MACQUEEN POPEMusic Hall lies at the root of all modern popular entertainment. With stars such as Marie Lloyd, Harry Lauder and Dan Leno, it reached its glorious, brassy height between 1890 and the First World War. In the first book on this subject for many years, Richard Anthony Baker whisks us off on a colourful and nostalgic tour of the rise and fall of British music hall.At the beginning of the nineteenth century people sang traditional songs in taverns for entertainment. This was so popular that rooms started to be added to inns for shows to be staged, and, before long, songs were being specially composed and purpose-built theatres were springing up everywhere. Britain's working class had, for the first time, its own form of public entertainment and its own breed of stars. The colour and vitality attracted serious writers and artists, as well as the future Edward VII, and music hall became simultaneously the haunt of the working classes and the avant-garde.Including stories of a clergyman who wrote music-hall sketches, a hall in Glasgow where luckless entertainers were pulled off stage by a long hooked pole, and Cockney dictionaries that helped Americans understand touring British performers, this book is a hugely engaging slice of social history, rich in humour, tragedy and bathos.As featured on BBC Radio Lincolnshire and in the Sunderland Echo. |
Contents
In the Beginning | |
First Generation | |
Pioneers | |
Troika | |
Dens of Antiquity | |
Our Foes in the North | |
Mixing with Toffs | |
Across the Pond | |
Bondage and Muscles Chapter 12 More London Halls Chapter 13 and others across Britain Chapter 14 Wizard of Oz Chapter 15 Behind the Laughter | |
Sung Heroes | |
And More Chapter 18 Heres to the Ladies who were | |
Heres to the Ladies Who Werent and the men who were Chapter 20 Wal the Ripper? Chapter 21 The Quickness of the Hand Chapter 22 I Can See Y... | |
Burnt Cork Chapter 24 Your Own Your Very Own Chapter 25 Less Ten Per Cent | |
Midnight and still no Dick Chapter 27 Onehit Wonders Chapter 28 Twos Company Chapter 29 True Individuals Chapter 30 The Death of Music Hal... | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Albert Albert Chevalier Alice America appeared Arthur artistes audience became began Belle bill Born Britain Brunn career Charles Chung Ling Soo cinema Clarice Mayne Coborn Collins comedian comic singer concert Cowell Crippen Dan Leno dance daughter debut demolished dressed Drury Lane earned Empire entertainers father February Florrie Frank Matcham Fred George George Leybourne girl Glasgow Gus Elen Harry Harry Lauder Harry Tate Hetty Hippodrome Houdini impersonator John July Lady later Lauder Leno Leslie Stuart Leybourne Little Tich London Pavilion Macdermott manager Manchester Marie Lloyd Married Matcham Minstrels mother music hall musical comedy Nellie never night November October Oxford Palace pantomime performance played popular professionally known Richard Anthony Baker Robey Royal Sandow sang singing song songwriter south London stage star Stoll success sung Tabrar Tate theatre told took tour variety Vesta Tilley week William written wrote York young