Katherine Philips’s Pompey songs on the Restoration stage and page

Description

First performed in Dublin (1663) one of the most significant aspects of Philips’s Pompey was her addition of a song after each act, something unique in the period. Although, according to the playbook, the songs ‘were added only to lengthen the Play’ they have proved fertile ground for interpretation (e.g. Russell, 2010). However, little has been written about the songs as performed, and experienced, musical events. Lack of documentary evidence is problematic. Only one of the song settings heard on the Dublin stage appears to have survived. When the play was revived in London (early 1670s?) new settings were composed: several of these survive and can be used to shed light on the now lost music heard in Dublin. Drawing upon newly prepared performances of the Pompey songs, this paper will argue that the music in the play was carefully designed to help audiences navigate its central themes.

Period	2 Apr 2022
Held at	Renaissance Society of America, United States
Degree of Recognition	International