THE AYRTON PAPERS: MUSIC IN LONDON, 1786 1858 PAMELA

WILLETTS

acquired papers^ of William Ayrton (1777-1858), musician and critic, sometime Director of the Italian opera at the King's Theatre, and editor of the Harmonicon, proved to be the residue of the collection of Ayrton's correspondence and papers presented by Miss Phyllis Ayrton, his great-granddaughter, in 1964.^ The new collection consists mainly of family papers, but, owing to the wide social and musical connections of Ayrton's father and those of the Arnold family into which he married, these touch on many notable personalities and events. The centre is mainly London, but there is interesting material concerning Cambridge and other places mentioned in a travel journal of 1786 written by Ayrton's uncle, William Ayrton of Ripon. William Ayrton was bred up to the musical profession by his father. Dr. Edmund Ayrton (1734-1808), organist, vicar-choral of St. Paul's, layclerk of Westminster Abbey, and Master of the Children of His Majesty's Chapels. Dr. Ayrton had a numerous family but he gave this second son a liberal education as well as a grounding in music and 'rendered him fit to engage in any situation, or associate in any society'.^ William Ayrton married on 17 May 1803 Marianne, daughter of the composer and organist of Westminster Abbey, Dr. Samuel Arnold (1740-1802), who had been a member of his father's circle of friends. Dr. Arnold appears in the new collection as the writer of an affectionate and whimsical letter to his daughter (16 August 1795)." Her sisters, he wrote, found it too hot to accompany him to the Abbey, and ^poor Pill Garlick must trudge alone'; he recommended in her hostess and godmother, Mrs. Mallett, 'hourly examples worthy imitation, as her gentleness of manner, and well observed knowledge of the world (such as a female should possess)' and asked her to make his compliments 'for a man of business is always awkward at Compliments, and to tell you the truth I never had that Knack . ..' Dr. Arnold was more sympathetic than his wife and daughter to the suit of another man of business, the publisher James Harrison,^ for his daughter's hand in 1792. Harrison was a widower, 'within 2 months of 39', and had a son by his first marriage. A letter (24 June 1792) to Dr. Arnold from the rejected suitor thanked him for playing 'a kind and a candid part' and mentioned that he had Ventured to remonstrate, at some length, in a letter sent last night to Mrs. Arnold'.^ Harrison was not to know that the ladies were not taking him seriously. A mischievous postscript by Marianne to a letter from her mother (21 June 1792) to Dr. Arnold held no hope for Mr. Harrison: 'I think I begin to waver in my RECENTLY

(before)//.v'J determination, when 1 consider the respectable black beard; the delights of Son in Law |i.c. stepson | of 77 to play with;& the sweet A\r of Paternoster Row; joind to the age which 1 have been iiscustomed to Love in a l''ather . . .'"^ A scries of letters (17921.S12) to Marianne from her mother gives a few more glimpses of Dr. Arnold enfamille^ and even a few snatches of his speech, for Mrs. Arnold wrote conversationally.^ She grumbled at him (19 May 1799) for being an unwilling correspondent: 'let me hear of your schemes & projects & as your lazy Daddy won't (he'll pretend to say busy, & can't I suppose) do you let me know —when does he come ?' She dismissed them both (4 February 1801) as 'now Jog trot old folks' but went on to describe a visit to the theatre: 'we went into the Pit -to please me—I saw & heard . . . the Stranger: & our Veteran [Dr. Arnold's comic opera, ( cteran Tar] — \hc Wife& the Mother could not be quiet enough to give the individual fair play I shall see it again with more critical composure before I make up my Mind entirely —it is certainly a very loyal interesting little piece & the music pretty—very pretty some parts—the House very full, & a great deal of fair applause you understand my meaning—no paper credit last Night.' She was to attend a concert the following day 'tho' there is not a Note play'd that would carry me—all good things—but really worn to Shreds'. Hut despite the cheerfulness there is a twist at the end of the letter: 7 feel ;;/i'.\-(7/that in this Spot of Cabal & evil speaking. Lying and Slandering—there is little chance ot serenity—for anybody (true I only hear of it; mix in it I never will)—I cannot but connect favorable ideas with absence from Westm"": . . .' Later, the same year, there is a lively description of a journey home from Woburn (14 September 1801): 'at last however dirty pavement, thick foggy unsavoury Atmosphere & jolting & rattling announced the Change — & (as y": P'ather says— /say) ^^Here weare^' & "so wx zv&—lobe sure we .//•(•" of his lease.'"^ He joined the young Ayrtons at no. 4 James Street where he resided until his death on 22 May 1808. The address was a good one but there was an alarmmg amount of illness in the family (Marianne's mother hinted that the house was damp: (13 November 1809) 'far be it from me to prove myself a screech-owl, or croaking Raven, but, is it quite sure & certain that your situation is as free from unwholesome damp, as it is really beautiful V-^^ All the children were poorly and three of them died young: William Ayrton had typhus in the autumn of 1808 and Marianne later developed consumption. They escaped smallpox for Ayrton was advanced enough to have his children vaccinated; the 1808 account b 186; V (t827), pp. 3-4, I I I , 240; vi (1828), pp. 48,59,94,224. 36 Add. MS. 60370, fols. 2 5 - 3 1 \ 37 Ibid., fols. 11-12^. 38 Harmonicon, viii (1830), p. 138. 39 Programmes of these societies are in Add. MS. 52347. See also P. J. Willetts, Beethoven and England (London, 1970), pp. 53-8.

40 41 42 43 44 45 46

Add. MSS. 60367-60369. Add. MS. 60370, fol. 7,T,\ Add. MSS. 60374-60375. See Add. MS. 52345. In Add. MS. 52354. Add. MS. 60370, fols. 21-2. Add. MS. 60359 (miscellaneous commonplacebook); Add. MS. 60358 (literary commonplacebook). 47 Add. MS. 60373, fol. 60. 48 In Add. MS. 60378. 49 Obituary in The Centlemen's Magazine, N.s. iv (1858), p. 686. The date of death is wrongly given as 8 March in D.N.B. William Ayrton's will, in favour of his son and daughter, is Add. Charter 75568.