{"id":1830,"date":"2020-04-30T16:52:54","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T15:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/specialcollections\/?p=1830"},"modified":"2020-05-01T10:23:11","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T09:23:11","slug":"music-in-harts-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/specialcollections\/music-in-harts-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Music in Hart’s China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Sir Robert Hart Collection MS 15 includes many music programmes and handbills for public recitals and private soir\u00e9es with friends and colleagues. The programmes and handbills are scattered throughout the collections and are found as inserts slipped into his diaries, enclosed with letters or in bundles in the many series of correspondence. We know from Hart\u2019s correspondence with Campbell[1]<\/a> that he ordered music and instruments very regularly. In late November 1872, Letter 46, he declares to Campbell \u201cI\u2019m not a great musician, and I\u2019m not music mad, but I do want a mellow<\/em> instrument, and therefore an old one.\u201d and again in Letter 53, April 1873 he reiterates this statement \u201cI\u2019m not music mad, but with all my troubles, I am glad I have such a resource as a liking for the violin!\u201d Hart clearly had a very keen and focused interest in music and instruments and was quite particular about his requirements. In his diaries he comments regularly on local Chinese music heard as he went about his business as well as on western musical events he attended with friends and colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-1900 programmes  survive in this collections because they were safely tucked into his diaries which were rescued from his home during the destruction of the Boxer Uprising in the summer of 1900. See below for a selection of pre-1900 programmes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n