Over the centuries Britain has attracted many musical visitors. This book tells the stories of the many composers who visited--a varied and often eccentric collection of individuals. The earliest were invited by Royalty with musical tastes some were refugees from religious and political oppressions; others came as spies, a few to escape from debt and even murder charges. However, the main motive was a possibility of financial reward.The rise in the nineteenth century of the celebrity composer, who was often also a conductor, is also traced. With the development of new forms of transport, composers were able to travel more extensively, both from the Continent and from the USA. New opportunities were also presented by the opening of public halls, where concerts could be held, as well as the growth of music festivals. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries the airplane has enabled a regular influx of composers, and the book ends with a consideration of the universalizing of music as well the impact of new forms, such as jazz."Musical Visitors to Britain is a fascinating book which is aimed to appeal to both the general reader and those with a special interest in music history.

Illustrations, Acknowledgements, Introduction: seeking pastures new, 1 'Brothers in the art or science of music': sixteenth-century visitors, 2 The Restoration: new music, new faces, 3 Handel (1): first among visitors, 4 Handel (2): an Englishman by choice, 5 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: 'I am a dyed-in-the-wool Englishman', 6 Haydn in London: 'a constellation of musical excellence', 7 Interlude: the London Pianoforte School, 8 'That's Weber in London!', 9 Felix Mendelssohn: a genius recognized, 10 Berlioz and Wagner: a meeting of minds, 11 Frédéric Chopin: 'my good Scottish ladies', 12 Liszt and the wandering years, 13 Antonin Dvofiák: an English celebrity, 14 'This quite horrible city': Tchaikovsky in London, 15 Richard Strauss: trouble with the censor, 16 Bartók and the BBC, 17 The émigré composers: 'His Majesty's most loyal internees', Epilogue: minstrels of the modern age, Notes, Bibliography, Index