Ch. Burney. An Account of Musical Performances in Westminster Abbey, and the Pantheon, May 26th, 27th, 29th, and June 3rd and 5th, 1784, in Commemoration of Handel (Russian translation and comments by Anna Loseva)

This paper continues the publication of the first Russian translation of An Account of Musical Performances in Westminster Abbey, and the Pantheon, May 26th, 27th, 29th, and June 3rd and 5th, 1784, in Commemoration of Handel, written by famous English music historian Charles Burney (1726–1814), who attended that memorable festival. The performances were held under the patronage of King George III and received great public attention. That’s why the "Account…" is such a valuable document, which gives a vivid idea of the importance of music in the British social life of that epoch and the esteem for Handel’s name all over the country. Being a truly erudite person, being aware of all important musical events, Burney in his youth was also lucky to be personally acquainted with Handel. So it is undoubtedly interesting to read his discourse on Handel’s works selected for the festival and his judgment of the musicians’ skill, which he compares to that of the first performers. In this issue of the journal, we are publishing the fragment of the Account describing the first three days of the festival.