London: A Musical Gazetteer (Paperback)

Inspired by Nigel Simeone's 'A Paris Musical Gazetteer', Lewis Foreman, a distinguished writer on British music with more than twenty books to his credit (among them volumes on Havergal Brian, Edmund Rubbra, Arthur Bliss, and Edward Elgar) and Susan Foreman (I don't know if she is his wife or daughter or no relation) have written a compelling gazetteer of sites associated with classical music in London. It details the history of sites around London where various musical events, composers, performers, even music publishers have flourished. There are chapters on theaters, concert halls and watering places, on choral music and organs, on conservatories, museums, libraries, musical paintings, on graves and memorials to musicians, on the BBC, on orchestras, and on recording locations (including Abbey Road, which of course has had a distinguished history aside from that famous Beatles recording). There is a long section on composers and musicians in London, including really quite detailed information about where various musicians lived, going all the way back to Purcell and beyond.

There is a delightful section called 'Five Musical Walks' which are doable rambles that take in such things as where Berlioz and Wagner stayed while in London, the Wigmore Hall, Harold Moores's music shop, and a great deal more. And a section on musical selections that evoke London and environs.

The authors do not claim this to be a scholarly work, but indeed the number of facts (they must have done assiduous research!) is astounding. Did you know that Sir Adrian Boult left his body to scientific research? Or that the celebrated contralto Dame Clara Butt was six foot two? Or that W. S. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) died of a heart attack while trying to save a drowning young girl? There is a chatty tone and the authors even dish some dirt (see the section on Constant Lambert, or the anecdote about John Ireland's companion, Norah Kirby, attending an Ireland concert wearing gumboots and a pair of John's trousers).

There are many pictures - of musicians, of concerts, of musician's homes, et al. - that are printed in the side-columns of the extra-wide glossy pages. My only complaint about the book, in fact, is that it is rather unwieldy because of the wide pages. There are maps that are very helpful for non-Londoners, a bibliography, instructions about how to reach certain sites whether using public transport, driving or walking, and even web addresses of interest.

This is the sort of book one could read front to back or more likely to dip into as interest dictates. Either way, it's a marvelous addition to a musiclover's library.

Scott Morrison