Hickford's Long Room

As well as a concert venue, Hickford's was also at times the host of dances.
Hickford's Long Room at Brewer Street, 1878, showing the coved ceiling and window for the gallery above the door.

Hickford's Long Room was a public concert room in London, which ran from April 1713 until 1787; it became known as Rice's Rooms from 1788.[1][2] Harrison's date of 1779 is not correct.[3] It was paid for on a subscription basis to those who could afford to patronize the arts, such as the nobility.[4][5] The 1922 Groves noted that "most of the great performers, both vocal and instrumental, who visited England, gave their concerts there."[3] The room became a place to see successful musicians play, including  Francesco Scarlatti (1719 & 1724),[6] Francesco Geminiani (c. 1732),[4] Gluck in 1746,[7] Mozart (1765),[8] Francesco Maria Veracini,[3] Pietro Castrucci[9] and Matthew Dubourg.[9] For a time in the 1740s and 50s, it was the only concert room of note in the West End of London.[10]

  1. ^ "Calendar of London Concerts 1750-1800". InConcert. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. ^ See Gallery image for 1788, March 17.
  3. ^ a b c Harrison 1922, pp. 393
  4. ^ a b Harrison 1906a, pp. 603
  5. ^ "Mr. Leone begs pardon of the nobility". The Public Advertiser. London. 5 March 1766. p. 1. Retrieved 8 March 2019. [article reveals something of the patrons of Hickford's Long Room; calls them "the Nobility & etc"
  6. ^ Harrison 1922, pp. 395
  7. ^ Zeitler, William. "The Glass Armonica, Benjamin Franklin's Magical Musical Invention". glassarmonica.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  8. ^ Harrison 1906b, pp. 669
  9. ^ a b Harrison 1922, pp. 394
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference bho was invoked but never defined (see the help page).