Lucy Anderson and Queen Victoria's Piano

Following on from our Jubilee musings earlier this month about the Royal Roots of the RPS, this little article from Zee News India caught our eye.  Who knew that Queen Victoria was a passable pianist?  Or that her teacher was Lucy Anderson - the first woman pianist to play for the Philharmonic Society?  Lucy Anderson appeared 19 times between 1822 and 1862, and was the first pianist to play Beethoven's Emperor Concerto with the Society: 


Kolkata  June 21, 2012: On World Music Day, music aficionados of the city got a glimpse of the Victorian era masterpiece - the grand pianoforte on which the Queen Victoria honed her skills - after it was put back on display at the Victoria Memorial Thursday.

The instrument, carved out of rosewood and manufactured by noted French piano makers Sebastian and Pierre Erard, was put inside a glass case at the Royal Gallery of the museum after a gap of almost two decades.

One of the most illustrious French piano manufacturers of all time, Sebastian Erard began building superior harpsichords in Paris in the 1700s. His instruments were so renowned that he obtained a license from Louis XVI to produce pianos for the French court...  Read more

Jubilee Special: Rediscovering our Royal Connections

As Diamond Jubilee fever sweeps through England and the country is engulfed by bunting and Union Jacks, what better time to give a nod to the RPS’s royal affiliations – the clue, after all, is in the name. The Society gave its first concert “under the immediate patronage of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent” in 1813. Many members were chuffed to see the court and aristocracy in attendance at the Society’s early concerts.  The financial benefits of this patronage, however, were questionable; His Royal Highness was not even expected to pay for his ticket. The Dukes of Cumberland, Sussex and Cambridge also regularly made appearances; the last was known to be passionate about music, in particular that of Bach. As it happens, the current Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose to kick off their wedding last year with a bit of JSB too, suggesting good taste in music as well as dresses.

Monarchs have come and gone (albeit not particularly quickly, as this weekend’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations cheerfully bear witness to!) but the Royal Philharmonic Society, soon to celebrate its 200^th year, has endured. In recognition of its centenary year in 1913, the Society was granted official permission to add Royal to its name. It now enjoys the immediate patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, to whom the RPS sends the warmest wishes on her Diamond Jubilee! In 1988, as the Society celebrated the 175^th year of its foundation, Her Majesty even came to see some of the items in the RPS archive. Here she is taking a good look. 

With the Jubilee concert and the Thames Jubilee Pageant to look forward to this weekend, it looks like Her Majesty is helping to sound the trumpet for music! The promise of a four-day weekend, it seems, is temporarily doing away with good old British cynicism, so I’ll be joining in the fun and games, even if we haven’t stretched to bunting in the office.  

Helen Pearce