1806—September 22—Sermon by the Rev. G. Turberville. The Messiah and Alexander’s Feast were the only entire works performed. The principal performers were Mrs. Billington, Mrs. Vaughan, Miss Melville; Messrs. Harrison, Knyvett, &c. The collections amounted to £714.
1809—September 26—Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Wingfield. The Messiah the only oratorio performed entire. Performers—Mrs. Billington and Mrs. Vaughan; Mr. Braham (his first engagement at these festivals), Messrs. Bartleman, Vaughan, and Goss. The sum collected for the charity was £800, the largest amount up to that time ever collected.
1812—September 9—Sermon by Rev. Dr. Onslow, Vicar of Kidderminster. Principal performers—Madame Catalani, Mrs. Salmon, Miss Melville; Messrs. Vaughan, Goss, Hawes, Denman, and Bellamy. The Messiah and Creation performed entire. Collections, £906.
1815—September 12—Sermon by Rev. J. Fleming St. John. Principal performers—Madame Marconi, Miss Stephens, Mrs. Vaughan; and Messrs. Bartleman, Vaughan, Knyvett, &c. The Messiah, Haydn’s Seasons, and various selections performed. Collections, £749. The tickets were printed in London, and some spurious ones got into circulation.
1818—September 15—Sermon by the Rev. William Digby. Principal performers—Miss Stephens, Mrs. Salmon, Miss Symonds; Messrs. Braham, Kynvett, Bellamy, and Hawes. The Messiah was the only oratorio performed entire. The contributions to the charity amounted to £936—the largest amount collected up to that time.
1821—October 3—Sermon by the Dean, Dr. Jenkinson. Principal performers—Miss Stephens, Madame Camporesi, and Miss Travis; Messrs. Bellamy, Vaughan, Knyvett, Hawes, Master Smith, &c. The Messiah was the only oratorio performed entire. A selection from The Seasons one evening. Sum collected for the charity, £877.
1824—September 15—One hundred and first meeting of the three choirs. Sermon preached by the Hon. and Rev. Edward Rice, D.D. Principal performers—Mesdames Salmon, Stephens, Travis, and Ronzi de Beguis; Messrs. Braham, Bellamy, Kynvett, Signor de Begnis, &c. The Messiah was the only oratorio performed entire. Receipts for the charity, £828; and for tickets, £2,957.
1827—September 11—Sermon preached by the Rev. W. F. Hook, M.A., perpetual curate of Moseley. Principal performers—Madame Pasta, Madame Caradori Allan, Miss Stephens, Mrs. W. Knyvett; Messrs. Braham, Phillips, Knyvett, Vaughan, and Signor Zuchelli. The Messiah and Palestine performed. Receipts for the charity, £1,083; for admission, £3,997. This was one of the most successful meetings ever held. The Duchess of St. Albans held one of the plates the first morning.
1830—September 14—Sermon by the Very Rev. the Dean, Lord Bishop of Rochester. The Messiah was the only oratorio performed. On the first morning the service was opened by a funeral anthem, in commemoration of his late Majesty King George IV. Principal performers—Madame Malibran, Mrs. Knyvett, and Miss Cramer; Messrs. Braham, Phillips, Vaughan, Knyvett, &c. Balls were held every evening at the Town Hall; and a banquet was given by the Bishop of Rochester and Lady Sarah Murray, in the Chapter House, after each morning’s performance. The Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria were among the company. The receipts for the charity were £1,005, and for admissions, £3,314; being considerably less than the amount realised in 1827.
1833—September 24—Sermon by the Bishop of Worcester. Every pains had been taken to make this festival successful; the performances occupying four mornings instead of three, and the orchestra being much enlarged. About 170 performers were engaged, the principal vocalists being—Madame Malibran, Miss Clara Novello, and Mrs. Knyvett; Messrs. Braham, Phillips, Vaughan, and E. Taylor. De Beriot, the violinist, was also a feature of this festival. The Messiah was performed entire; and selections from The Creation, Palestine, The Last Judgment, The Deluge (Schneider), and Mount Sinai (Neukomm)—the last proving a decided failure. Malibran was all in all at this meeting. The receipts for the charity were £981, and for admissions, £3,496. The ball at the College Hall was a most brilliant finale, the company numbering upwards of 700. The expenses were no less than £4,300; so that the stewards were £800 out of pocket.