by conductingthe Dublin Musical Festival. ‘The crowds of persons who besieged each portion of the hall soon filled to its utmost capacity, every particle of available space obtainable... the large doors leading into the building at the end of the Hall had to be thrown open and numbers were content to obtain standing room in the outer galleries,’ reported the Irish Times. After congratulating Lee on his splendid results, the reviewer predicted that with patience he would surely ‘reap the rewards his energies and abilities deserve’.
Eager for these rewards, Lee prominently advertised two benefit concerts of ‘Amateur Italian Opera’ for himself and the leader of his orchestra, the violinist R. M. Levey, in late March or early April. But Robert Prescott Stewart was already at work; with his encouragement the debenture holders availed themselves of their right to one free ticket and crowded the theatre. On 5 April, Lee and Levey published a sarcastic announcement in the Irish Times in which they begged ‘to return their grateful thanks (?) to the many debenture holders who honoured their BENEFIT ... by making use of their FREE admissions’.
The deciding battle was fought over the 1873 Exhibition the following month. In his opening concert, Lee, having assembled a combined chorus and orchestra of over five hundred, gave a performance of Mendelssohn’s Athalie. Three thousand or more people attended the Concert Hall and the Irish Times reported that ‘the five hundred voices blended most harmoniously’. Stewart was in the audience and next day in the Daily Express he published a scathing criticism of the performance, anonymously. Although Mr Lee had been ‘heartily applauded’ by his own chorus, Stewart concluded: ‘Indiscriminate praise is worthless, and e’er long, heartily despised, even by those who are the objects of it.’ In private Stewart was more outspoken. On page 50 of his copy of The Annals of the Theatre Royal, Dublin, he noted in the margin next to Lee’s name: ‘an impostor, who traded successfully on the vanity of amateur singers: he had a few aliases; now Mr Geo. Lee; again Mr Geo. J. Lee: and also J. Vandeleur Lee; at last he was Vandeleur Lee simply’. In a letter to Joseph Robinson, he admitted: ‘I did in my time one good work in Dublin. I unmasked one arrant impostor and drove him away.’
The details of this ‘unmasking’ are unknown. On 26 May Lee gave his last concert in Dublin. The attendance was disappointing. At the beginning of June, having abruptly cancelled another concert, he left Dublin for ever and his place as conductor of the New Philharmonic was taken by Sir Robert Prescott Stewart.
Lee had gone to London. A few days later, on 17 June, her twenty-first wedding anniversary, Bessie Shaw followed him, taking Agnes on the boat with her, and at Hatch Street ‘all musical activity ceased’.
8
Marking Time
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; thats the essence of inhumanity.
The Devil’s Disciple
‘We did not realize, nor did she, that she was never coming back.’ But there was much that the young George must have realized, and the later Shaw misremembered. The only suggestion that he had known of Lee’s losing battle with Stewart is an acknowledgement in the 1935 Preface to London Music that ‘Lee became the enemy of every teacher of singing in Dublin; and they reciprocated heartily’. But he gave as the reason for Lee’s departure from Ireland his having reached the Dublin limit of excellence: ‘Dublin in those days seemed a hopeless place for an artist; for no success counted except a London success.’
In the Shavian version, therefore, ‘Lee did not depart suddenly from Dublin... there was nothing whatever sudden or unexpected about it.’ George obviously knew that his mother had left within a fortnight of Lee but in answer to one of his biographers Shaw wrote: ‘As to your question whether
Eager for these rewards, Lee prominently advertised two benefit concerts of ‘Amateur Italian Opera’ for himself and the leader of his orchestra, the violinist R. M. Levey, in late March or early April. But Robert Prescott Stewart was already at work; with his encouragement the debenture holders availed themselves of their right to one free ticket and crowded the theatre. On 5 April, Lee and Levey published a sarcastic announcement in the Irish Times in which they begged ‘to return their grateful thanks (?) to the many debenture holders who honoured their BENEFIT ... by making use of their FREE admissions’.
The deciding battle was fought over the 1873 Exhibition the following month. In his opening concert, Lee, having assembled a combined chorus and orchestra of over five hundred, gave a performance of Mendelssohn’s Athalie. Three thousand or more people attended the Concert Hall and the Irish Times reported that ‘the five hundred voices blended most harmoniously’. Stewart was in the audience and next day in the Daily Express he published a scathing criticism of the performance, anonymously. Although Mr Lee had been ‘heartily applauded’ by his own chorus, Stewart concluded: ‘Indiscriminate praise is worthless, and e’er long, heartily despised, even by those who are the objects of it.’ In private Stewart was more outspoken. On page 50 of his copy of The Annals of the Theatre Royal, Dublin, he noted in the margin next to Lee’s name: ‘an impostor, who traded successfully on the vanity of amateur singers: he had a few aliases; now Mr Geo. Lee; again Mr Geo. J. Lee: and also J. Vandeleur Lee; at last he was Vandeleur Lee simply’. In a letter to Joseph Robinson, he admitted: ‘I did in my time one good work in Dublin. I unmasked one arrant impostor and drove him away.’
The details of this ‘unmasking’ are unknown. On 26 May Lee gave his last concert in Dublin. The attendance was disappointing. At the beginning of June, having abruptly cancelled another concert, he left Dublin for ever and his place as conductor of the New Philharmonic was taken by Sir Robert Prescott Stewart.
Lee had gone to London. A few days later, on 17 June, her twenty-first wedding anniversary, Bessie Shaw followed him, taking Agnes on the boat with her, and at Hatch Street ‘all musical activity ceased’.
8
Marking Time
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; thats the essence of inhumanity.
The Devil’s Disciple
‘We did not realize, nor did she, that she was never coming back.’ But there was much that the young George must have realized, and the later Shaw misremembered. The only suggestion that he had known of Lee’s losing battle with Stewart is an acknowledgement in the 1935 Preface to London Music that ‘Lee became the enemy of every teacher of singing in Dublin; and they reciprocated heartily’. But he gave as the reason for Lee’s departure from Ireland his having reached the Dublin limit of excellence: ‘Dublin in those days seemed a hopeless place for an artist; for no success counted except a London success.’
In the Shavian version, therefore, ‘Lee did not depart suddenly from Dublin... there was nothing whatever sudden or unexpected about it.’ George obviously knew that his mother had left within a fortnight of Lee but in answer to one of his biographers Shaw wrote: ‘As to your question whether
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