Benefit Concert of Wilhelm Cramer, 28 April 1786

Let us first look at a program given by the eminent violinist Wilhelm Cramer (1746—99) in the Hanover Square Rooms in 1789:

Cramer had moved from Mannheim, the great court on the Rhine, to London in 1772, quickly stepping into the middle of musical life. This concert is clearly intended to show off the performing and composing promise of his son Johann-Baptiste Cramer (1771—1858), who was only fifteen years old at the time. The programme design has somewhat more instrumental works than was normal, though one found more in London generally than, say, in Paris or Leipzig. The first 'song' was probably an aria from an Italian opera; the second, done by a British singer, could have been either that or by a British composer or indeed by Handel, whose career defines national categorization. Performance of a sonata was unusual, done here in effect to illustrate the performance skills of the young Cramer.

Fig. 1. J.-B. Cramer in old age.

Firmin Salabert, Johann Baptist Cramer (1844), pastel portrait
(Centre for Performance History, Royal College of Music)