Ticket to 19th century concert unearthed in library work
A concert ticket dating back to 1883 has been unearthed through refurbishment work at Llanelli Library.
Intrigued by the builders’ discovery, staff in the reference library set to work to find out more about the
Builders found the ticket and passed it on to staff in the reference library, who were intrigued by the 129-year-old discovery.
They have now found it was from Miss Thomas’ Concert held on January 9, 1883, at the library in Vaughan Street.
An article about the concert appeared in the Llanelly and County Guardian two days later, on January 11, which declared the event a “thorough success”.
The article said the audience were very appreciative of the evening’s classical music which consisted of “some of the finest selections of the old masters,” such as Handel, Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer.
Singers at the concert included Dr Joseph Parry, renowned composer of the Welsh hymns Myfanwy and Aberystwyth, along with Miss Thomas herself whose “fine voice” was “highly appreciated,” in spite of suffering from a cold.
According to the report, the evening did however belong to Miss Annie James who “eclipsed any former efforts in her magnificent renderings” and it was her songs “which were the gems of the evening – giving as they did scope to her varied powers, in taste, expression and style.” Miss James “brought down the house, and created a very marked impression”.
The opinion on Dr Joseph Parry was that he “was never heard to better effect,” and “he was in fine tune” and his performance was “much enjoyed.” The National Anthem brought an end to the evening performance and “Miss Thomas and those who aided her were congratulated upon the pecuniary and musical results of their labours”.
Carmarthenshire’s executive board member for libraries and heritage Cllr Gwynne Wooldridge said: “This exciting discovery is a fitting message from history that this hall is once again a venue for the community. Following the major refurbishment work, the newly renamed Athenaeum Hall can now be used for a variety of functions such as conferences, theatre performances, art exhibitions, gala performances and wedding receptions to name a few.
“It is wonderful to see the Athenaeum continue to play its part in the history of Llanelli and the library.
The Hall has the capacity to seat 250 people, there has already been significant interest from people to use the space for functions.
For further information contact Llanelli Library on 01554 773538.
Intrigued by the builders’ discovery, staff in the reference library set to work to find out more about the
Builders found the ticket and passed it on to staff in the reference library, who were intrigued by the 129-year-old discovery.
They have now found it was from Miss Thomas’ Concert held on January 9, 1883, at the library in Vaughan Street.
An article about the concert appeared in the Llanelly and County Guardian two days later, on January 11, which declared the event a “thorough success”.
The article said the audience were very appreciative of the evening’s classical music which consisted of “some of the finest selections of the old masters,” such as Handel, Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer.
Singers at the concert included Dr Joseph Parry, renowned composer of the Welsh hymns Myfanwy and Aberystwyth, along with Miss Thomas herself whose “fine voice” was “highly appreciated,” in spite of suffering from a cold.
According to the report, the evening did however belong to Miss Annie James who “eclipsed any former efforts in her magnificent renderings” and it was her songs “which were the gems of the evening – giving as they did scope to her varied powers, in taste, expression and style.” Miss James “brought down the house, and created a very marked impression”.
The opinion on Dr Joseph Parry was that he “was never heard to better effect,” and “he was in fine tune” and his performance was “much enjoyed.” The National Anthem brought an end to the evening performance and “Miss Thomas and those who aided her were congratulated upon the pecuniary and musical results of their labours”.
Carmarthenshire’s executive board member for libraries and heritage Cllr Gwynne Wooldridge said: “This exciting discovery is a fitting message from history that this hall is once again a venue for the community. Following the major refurbishment work, the newly renamed Athenaeum Hall can now be used for a variety of functions such as conferences, theatre performances, art exhibitions, gala performances and wedding receptions to name a few.
“It is wonderful to see the Athenaeum continue to play its part in the history of Llanelli and the library.
The Hall has the capacity to seat 250 people, there has already been significant interest from people to use the space for functions.
For further information contact Llanelli Library on 01554 773538.
Comments