The Wednesday Concerts were a series of concerts held at

Exeter Hall Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings by promoters of human bettermen ...

in London, established in 1848 and discontinued in 1850. The purpose was to give a miscellaneous musical entertainment at a cheap price of admission, similar to that paid at the Popular Concerts. The first series, consisting of fifteen concerts, began on 22 November 1848, and were continued once a week until 28 February 1849. The second and third series were continued until 27 June, twenty-seven having been given altogether. There was a small orchestra under John Willy as leader, and the programmes consisted of light overtures, operatic selections, vocal and orchestral, ballads, and light instrumental pieces. Occasionally more important works were tried, such as Mendelssohn's ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...

'', Rossini's

Stabat Mater The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Sabatier, Paul ''Life o ...

, or Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1. A fourth series of fifteen concerts was given, extending from 24 October 1849 to 30 January 1850, and a fifth was attempted, but only twelve of the fifteen were given. The third and fourth series showed some slight improvement in the programmes; the orchestra was increased to forty,

Karl Anschütz Karl Anschütz (1813/1815 Koblenz, Germany – 30 December 1870 New York City) was a German-born musical director and composer who founded the German Opera in New York City. He was the son of Josef Andreas Anschütz, the brother of Hermann ...

was conductor, and symphonies of Mozart and Haydn were occasionally given in their entirety. In spite of the fine artists engaged, these concerts failed to hit the popular taste. Among the artists who appeared were the vocalists Charlotte Birch, Charlotte Dolby,

Elizabeth Poole Elizabeth Poole or Pole (25 August 1588 – 21 May 1654) was an English settler in Plymouth Colony who founded the town of Taunton, Massachusetts. She was the first woman known to have founded a town in the Americas. Biography Poole was a ...

, M. and A. Williams, Elena D'Angri,

Jetty Treffz Henrietta "Jetty" Treffz (; ; 1 July 1818, in Alsergrund – 8 April 1878, in Hietzing) was best known as the first wife of Johann Strauss II and a well-known mezzo-soprano appearing in England in 1849 to great acclaim. Biography Henri ...

Elizabeth Rainforth Elizabeth Rainforth (1814–1877), was a British soprano opera and concert singer, and music arranger of the 19th century. Biography Elizabeth Rainforth was born in November 1814. She was the daughter of Sampson Rainforth, a custom-house officer, ...

, Mr and Mrs Sims Reeves,

John Braham John Braham may refer to: * John Braham (MP) (1417), MP for Suffolk *John Braham (tenor) John Braham ( – 17 February 1856) was an English tenor opera singer born in London. His long career led him to become one of Europe's leading opera stars. ...

Giorgio Ronconi Giorgio Ronconi (6 August 1810 – 8 January 1890) was an Italian operatic baritone celebrated for his brilliant acting and compelling stage presence. In 1842, he created the title-role in Giuseppe Verdi's ''Nabucco'' at La Scala, Milan. Personal ...

, Johann Baptist Pischek and

Karl Formes Karl Johann Franz Formes (b. Mülheim am Rhein, 7 August 1815; d. San Francisco, 15 December 1889), also called Charles John Formes, was a German bass opera and oratorio singer who had a long international career especially in Germany, London and ...

; instrumentalists

Kate Loder Kate Fanny Loder, later Lady Thompson, (21 August 1825 – 30 August 1904) was an English composer and pianist. Biography Kate Loder was born on 21 August 1825, on Bathwick Street, Bathwick, within Bath, Somerset where the Loder family w ...

Sigismond Thalberg Sigismond Thalberg (8 January 1812 – 27 April 1871) was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century. Family He was born in Pâquis near Geneva on 8 January 1812. According to his own account, h ...

Prosper Sainton Prosper Philippe Catherine Sainton (5 June 1813 – 17 October 1890) was a French violinist. Life Sainton was the son of a merchant at Toulouse, where he was born. He entered the Paris Conservatoire under François Antoine Habeneck in 1831 ...

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (8 June 18128 October 1865) was a Moravian-Jewish violinist, violist and composer. He was seen as the outstanding violinist of his time and one of Niccolò Paganini's greatest successors. He contributed to polyphonic playin ...

Eugène Léon Vivier Eugène Léon Vivier (1821–1900) Percy A. Scholes. "Vivier, Eugène Léon" in ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music''. Oxford University Press, 1964. was a French horn player, admired by Napoleon III. Life He was born in 1821 in Ajaccio, Cors ...

, Antoine Joseph Lavigne, and Distin and sons; and for the recitation of ''Antigone'',

John Vandenhoff John Michael Vandenhoff (31 March 1790 – 4 October 1861) was an English actor. He performed in London theatres, and also in Edinburgh and Liverpool; he played leading roles including those in Shakespearean tragedy. Life Vandenhoff was born in ...

Charlotte Vandenhoff Charlotte Elizabeth Vandenhoff (1818 – 31 July 1860), became Charlotte Swinbourne, was a British actress who appeared in leading theatres in London, New York and Philadelphia. Life Vandenhoff was born in Liverpool in 1818. Her parents were El ...

and George Bennett.

References

Attribution * {{Grove1900, first=Alexis, last=Chitty, wstitle=Wednesday Concerts British music history Classical music concerts Classical music in London